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A
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Difficulty:
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Question Stats:
70% (01:16) correct
30%
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wrong
based on 8634
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Normally a bone becomes fossilized through the action of groundwater, which permeates the bone, washes away its organic components, and replaces them with minerals.
(A) which permeates the bone, washes away its organic components, and replaces them
(B) which permeates the bone, washes away its organic components, and those are replaced
(C) which permeates the bone, washing away its organic components, to be replaced
(D) permeating the bone, washing away its organic components, to be replaced
(E) permeating the bone, washing away its organic components and replacing them
(SC01595)
(A) which permeates the bone, washes away its organic components, and replaces them
(B) which permeates the bone, washes away its organic components, and those are replaced
(C) which permeates the bone, washing away its organic components, to be replaced
(D) permeating the bone, washing away its organic components, to be replaced
(E) permeating the bone, washing away its organic components and replacing them
(SC01595)
https://www.oakton.edu/user/4/billtong/eas100/real_jurassic_park.pdf
When the team brought the dinosaur into the lab, we noticed that some parts deep inside the long bone of the leg had not completely fossilized. Normally a bone becomes fossilized with the help of groundwater, which permeates it, washes away its organic components and replaces them with minerals. But water also interacts with DNA and protein molecules, breaking apart the bonds that hold them together. One possible explanation was that not much water had gotten into this T. rex. If that was true, then some biomolecules could remain. It was a long shot but clearly worth checking out.
When the team brought the dinosaur into the lab, we noticed that some parts deep inside the long bone of the leg had not completely fossilized. Normally a bone becomes fossilized with the help of groundwater, which permeates it, washes away its organic components and replaces them with minerals. But water also interacts with DNA and protein molecules, breaking apart the bonds that hold them together. One possible explanation was that not much water had gotten into this T. rex. If that was true, then some biomolecules could remain. It was a long shot but clearly worth checking out.
26 Jun 2018, 10:49
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hello Everyone!
We’ve got a list. parallelism! Any time you see a list on the exam, that means there will be a few unparallel options that you’ll be able to quickly dump, and that will help us get to the right option even faster.
So what could the parallel structure be here?
Permeates, washes, and replaces
-or-
Permeating, washing, and replacing (but there are some problems with this one...more to come on that later)
Let’s see how each answer holds up:
(A) which permeates the bone, washes away its organic components, and replaces them → CORRECT
(B) which permeates the bone, washes away its organic components, and those are replaced → INCORRECT
(C) which permeates the bone, washing away its organic components, to be replaced → INCORRECT
(D) permeating the bone, washing away its organic components, to be replaced → INCORRECT
(E) permeating the bone, washing away its organic components and replacing them → INCORRECT
So why else is option E incorrect, even though it uses parallel structure? The GMAT requires the use of the serial comma (aka the Oxford comma) for every item in a list, including the last item in a list of 3+ items. Answer E doesn’t use a serial comma for the third item, so it’s wrong.
But even more fundamentally, (options D and E), insert “permeating” as an -ing modifier right after the comma, which opens up a confusing ambiguous reference because “permeating” could mean that:
1) groundwater permeates the bone
2) the action of groundwater permeates the bone
3) or even the fossilization through the action of groundwater permeates the bone
A is both parallel, and retains the intended message.
Don’t study for the GMAT. Train for it.
We’ve got a list. parallelism! Any time you see a list on the exam, that means there will be a few unparallel options that you’ll be able to quickly dump, and that will help us get to the right option even faster.
So what could the parallel structure be here?
Permeates, washes, and replaces
-or-
Permeating, washing, and replacing (but there are some problems with this one...more to come on that later)
Let’s see how each answer holds up:
(A) which permeates the bone, washes away its organic components, and replaces them → CORRECT
(B) which permeates the bone, washes away its organic components, and those are replaced → INCORRECT
(C) which permeates the bone, washing away its organic components, to be replaced → INCORRECT
(D) permeating the bone, washing away its organic components, to be replaced → INCORRECT
(E) permeating the bone, washing away its organic components and replacing them → INCORRECT
So why else is option E incorrect, even though it uses parallel structure? The GMAT requires the use of the serial comma (aka the Oxford comma) for every item in a list, including the last item in a list of 3+ items. Answer E doesn’t use a serial comma for the third item, so it’s wrong.
But even more fundamentally, (options D and E), insert “permeating” as an -ing modifier right after the comma, which opens up a confusing ambiguous reference because “permeating” could mean that:
1) groundwater permeates the bone
2) the action of groundwater permeates the bone
3) or even the fossilization through the action of groundwater permeates the bone
A is both parallel, and retains the intended message.
Don’t study for the GMAT. Train for it.
21 Jun 2018, 02:21
Kudos
Bookmarks
Normally a bone becomes fossilized through the action of groundwater, which permeates the bone, washes away its organic components, and replaces them with minerals.
A. which permeates the bone, washes away its organic components and replaces them --- correct choice.
B. which permeates the bone, washes away its organic components, and those are replaced--- and 'those are replaced' breaks the //ism.
C. which permeates the bone, washing away its organic components, to be replaced --- There is no intention involved in this action. This is a natural phenomenon. Hence, 'to be replaced' is out of context.
D. permeating the bone, washing away its organic components, to be replaced -- 'comma +permeating' changes the meaning, since permeating does not now modify the groundwater.
E. permeating the bone, washing away its organic components and replacing them ---- same error as in D.
A. which permeates the bone, washes away its organic components and replaces them --- correct choice.
B. which permeates the bone, washes away its organic components, and those are replaced--- and 'those are replaced' breaks the //ism.
C. which permeates the bone, washing away its organic components, to be replaced --- There is no intention involved in this action. This is a natural phenomenon. Hence, 'to be replaced' is out of context.
D. permeating the bone, washing away its organic components, to be replaced -- 'comma +permeating' changes the meaning, since permeating does not now modify the groundwater.
E. permeating the bone, washing away its organic components and replacing them ---- same error as in D.
21 Jul 2022, 01:08
Kudos
Bookmarks
Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:
Understanding the intended meaning of the sentence is key to solving this question; the intended meaning is that normally a bone becomes fossilized through the action of groundwater, and the groundwater permeates the bone, washes away its organic components, and replaces these components with minerals.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Verb Forms + Parallelism
• All elements in a list must be parallel.
• The introduction of the present participle ("verb+ing") after the comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship.
• The infinitive verb form (“to + base form of verb”) is the preferred construction for referring to the purpose/intent of an action.
• The “comma + and” (oxford comma) construction is used to join the last element of a list of more than two other elements.
A: Correct. This answer choice uses the phrases “which permeates the bone”, “(which) washes away its organic components”, and “(which) replaces them with minerals”, conveying the intended meaning – that normally a bone becomes fossilized through the action of groundwater, and the groundwater permeates the bone, washes away its organic components and replaces those components with minerals. Further, Option A correctly uses the “comma + and” (oxford comma) construction to join the last element of a list of more than two other elements. Additionally, Option A maintains parallelism among “permeates the bone”, “washes away its organic components”, and “replaces them with minerals”.
B: This answer choice fails to maintain parallelism among “permeates the bone”, “washes away its organic components”, and “those are replaced with minerals”; please remember, all elements in a list must be parallel.
C: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “washing away its organic components”; the use of the “comma + present participle (“verb+ing” – “washing” in this sentence) incorrectly implies that groundwater permeates the bone, and as a result, washes away its organic components; the intended meaning is that that groundwater permeates the bone, and as a separate action, washes away its organic components; please remember, the introduction of the present participle ("verb+ing"- “washing” in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship. Moreover, Option C further alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “to be replaced”; the use of the infinitive verb form (“to + base form of verb” – “to + be” in this case) incorrectly implies that groundwater permeates the bone and washes away its organic components in order to be replaced itself with minerals; the intended meaning is that groundwater permeates the bone and washes away its organic components, and as a separate action replaces those components with minerals; please remember, the infinitive verb form (“to + base form of verb”) is the preferred construction for referring to the purpose/intent of an action.
D: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrases “permeating the bone” and “washing away its organic components”; the use of the “comma + present participle (“verb+ing” – “permeating” and “washing” in this sentence) illogically implies that normally a bone becomes fossilized through the action of groundwater, and, as a result, the bone permeates itself and washes away its own organic components; the intended meaning is that normally a bone becomes fossilized through the action of groundwater, and the groundwater permeates the bone and washes away its organic components; please remember, the introduction of present participle ("verb+ing"- “permeating” and “washing” in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship. Moreover, Option D further alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “to be replaced”; the use of the infinitive verb form (“to + base form of verb” – “to + be” in this case) incorrectly implies that groundwater permeates the bone and washes away its organic components in order to be replaced itself with minerals; the intended meaning is that groundwater permeates the bone and washes away its organic components, and as a separate action replaces those components with minerals; please remember, the infinitive verb form (“to + base form of verb”) is the preferred construction for referring to the purpose/intent of an action.
E: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrases “permeating the bone”, “washing away its organic components”, and “replacing them with minerals”; the use of the “comma + present participle (“verb+ing” – “permeating”, “washing”, and “replacing” in this sentence) illogically implies that normally a bone becomes fossilized through the action of groundwater, and, as a result, the bone permeates itself, washes away its own organic components, and replaces those components with minerals; the intended meaning is that normally a bone becomes fossilized through the action of groundwater, and, and the groundwater permeates the bone, washes away its organic components, and replaces those components with minerals; please remember, the introduction of the present participle ("verb+ing"- “permeating”, “washing”, and "replacing" in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship. Further, Option E incorrectly uses conjunction (“and” in this case) to join the final element in a list of more than two elements; please remember, the “comma + and” (oxford comma) construction is used to join the last element of a list of more than two other elements.
Hence, A is the best answer choice.
To understand the concept of "Comma Plus Present Participle for Cause-Effect Relationship" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~3 minutes):
To understand the concept of "Oxford Comma", you may want to watch the following video (~3 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
Bunuel
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:
Understanding the intended meaning of the sentence is key to solving this question; the intended meaning is that normally a bone becomes fossilized through the action of groundwater, and the groundwater permeates the bone, washes away its organic components, and replaces these components with minerals.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Verb Forms + Parallelism
• All elements in a list must be parallel.
• The introduction of the present participle ("verb+ing") after the comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship.
• The infinitive verb form (“to + base form of verb”) is the preferred construction for referring to the purpose/intent of an action.
• The “comma + and” (oxford comma) construction is used to join the last element of a list of more than two other elements.
A: Correct. This answer choice uses the phrases “which permeates the bone”, “(which) washes away its organic components”, and “(which) replaces them with minerals”, conveying the intended meaning – that normally a bone becomes fossilized through the action of groundwater, and the groundwater permeates the bone, washes away its organic components and replaces those components with minerals. Further, Option A correctly uses the “comma + and” (oxford comma) construction to join the last element of a list of more than two other elements. Additionally, Option A maintains parallelism among “permeates the bone”, “washes away its organic components”, and “replaces them with minerals”.
B: This answer choice fails to maintain parallelism among “permeates the bone”, “washes away its organic components”, and “those are replaced with minerals”; please remember, all elements in a list must be parallel.
C: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “washing away its organic components”; the use of the “comma + present participle (“verb+ing” – “washing” in this sentence) incorrectly implies that groundwater permeates the bone, and as a result, washes away its organic components; the intended meaning is that that groundwater permeates the bone, and as a separate action, washes away its organic components; please remember, the introduction of the present participle ("verb+ing"- “washing” in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship. Moreover, Option C further alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “to be replaced”; the use of the infinitive verb form (“to + base form of verb” – “to + be” in this case) incorrectly implies that groundwater permeates the bone and washes away its organic components in order to be replaced itself with minerals; the intended meaning is that groundwater permeates the bone and washes away its organic components, and as a separate action replaces those components with minerals; please remember, the infinitive verb form (“to + base form of verb”) is the preferred construction for referring to the purpose/intent of an action.
D: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrases “permeating the bone” and “washing away its organic components”; the use of the “comma + present participle (“verb+ing” – “permeating” and “washing” in this sentence) illogically implies that normally a bone becomes fossilized through the action of groundwater, and, as a result, the bone permeates itself and washes away its own organic components; the intended meaning is that normally a bone becomes fossilized through the action of groundwater, and the groundwater permeates the bone and washes away its organic components; please remember, the introduction of present participle ("verb+ing"- “permeating” and “washing” in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship. Moreover, Option D further alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “to be replaced”; the use of the infinitive verb form (“to + base form of verb” – “to + be” in this case) incorrectly implies that groundwater permeates the bone and washes away its organic components in order to be replaced itself with minerals; the intended meaning is that groundwater permeates the bone and washes away its organic components, and as a separate action replaces those components with minerals; please remember, the infinitive verb form (“to + base form of verb”) is the preferred construction for referring to the purpose/intent of an action.
E: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrases “permeating the bone”, “washing away its organic components”, and “replacing them with minerals”; the use of the “comma + present participle (“verb+ing” – “permeating”, “washing”, and “replacing” in this sentence) illogically implies that normally a bone becomes fossilized through the action of groundwater, and, as a result, the bone permeates itself, washes away its own organic components, and replaces those components with minerals; the intended meaning is that normally a bone becomes fossilized through the action of groundwater, and, and the groundwater permeates the bone, washes away its organic components, and replaces those components with minerals; please remember, the introduction of the present participle ("verb+ing"- “permeating”, “washing”, and "replacing" in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship. Further, Option E incorrectly uses conjunction (“and” in this case) to join the final element in a list of more than two elements; please remember, the “comma + and” (oxford comma) construction is used to join the last element of a list of more than two other elements.
Hence, A is the best answer choice.
To understand the concept of "Comma Plus Present Participle for Cause-Effect Relationship" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~3 minutes):
To understand the concept of "Oxford Comma", you may want to watch the following video (~3 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
