Although its sting is said to be less painful than only the aptly-name

Question

Although its sting is said to be less painful than only  the aptly-named bullet ant, the tarantula hawk wasp rarely bothers humans, and its sting lasts for  only five minutes.

A. the aptly-named bullet ant, the tarantula hawk wasp rarely bothers humans, and its sting lasts for
B. that of the aptly-named bullet ant, the tarantula hawk wasp rarely bothers humans, and the pain from its sting lasts
C. that of the aptly-named bullet ant and it rarely bothers humans, the tarantula hawk wasp’s sting causes pain that lasts for
D. the aptly-named bullet ant’s, the tarantula hawk wasp rarely bothers humans, and the pain from its sting lasts for 
E. the aptly-named bullet ant’s and it rarely bothers humans, when the tarantula hawk wasp does sting, the pain lasts

KarishmaB · Accepted Answer

(B) is better than (D) because: 
A's sting is more painful than B's - Correct
The sting of A is more painful than that of B - Correct (option B)
Option (D) is a mix of the two - The sting of A is more painful than B's (option D)

Besides, when you say "aptly named bullet ant's sting" - "aptly named" and "bullet ant" both are modifying sting.
But "aptly named" should modify "bullet ant".

arvind910619 · Answer

D is incorrect because of the incorrect modifier " aptly-named bullet ant’s " it modifies sting but the intended meaning is that aptly-named bullet should describe ant not its stings.
I think lasts for is also redundant we can use only lasts.

Abhishek009 · Answer

Correct Answer must be (B) for the highlighted errors in other options.

tamal99 · Answer

Hey  Abhishek009 ,
Could you please explain why D is wrong.

Regards,
Tamal

Posted from my mobile device

SonalSinha803 · Answer

A. ((the aptly-named bullet ant)), the tarantula hawk wasp rarely bothers humans, and its sting lasts ((for)) - incorrect.

B. //that of the aptly-named bullet ant//, the tarantula hawk wasp rarely bothers humans, and the pain from its sting lasts -correct.

C. that of the aptly-named bullet ant ((and it rarely bothers humans,)) ((the tarantula hawk wasp’s sting)) causes pain that lasts ((for))
- incorrect.

D. the aptly-named bullet ant’s, the tarantula hawk wasp rarely bothers humans, and the pain from its sting lasts ((for)) - incorrect.

E. the aptly-named bullet ant’s ((and it rarely bothers humans)), ((when)) the tarantula hawk wasp does sting, the pain lasts - incorrect

Thus, B is best.

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Princ · Answer

OA : B

IMO, Option D is implying that sting of bullet ant is aptly-named.
whereas,intended meaning is that particular ant species is aptly named as bullet ant.

Priyadarshana · Answer

IMO B
A, D and E incorrectly compares sting with bullet ant.
C- the subject after comma should be tarantula hawk wasp, so wrong subject after comma

Supermaverick · Answer

OA is B,

D is incorrect because the adejective "aptly-named" should modify "bullet ant" and not its "sting", which option d is trying to modify.

Posted from my mobile device

sayan640 · Answer

Option A is inccorect because :- Wrong comparison between "its sting" and "the aptly named bullet ant ". Comparison should be between sting of the tanarantula hawk wasp and sting of bullet-ant. 
"than only the aptly-named " sounds awkward.

Option B is correct because :- "that of " clearly compares sting of hawk wasp with the sting of bullet-ant.

Option C is incorrect because :- The intended meaning is that " tarantula hawk wasp rarely bothers humans" where as this sentence says that its sting bothers humans.

Option D is incorrect because :- "the aptly named bullet ant's" is not complete.

Option E is incorrect because :- Same error as D . "Does sting" is wordy.

Please let me know if you liked my explanation. 
 Maxximus   sayantanc2k   VeritasKarishma   mikemcgarry   VeritasKarishma   DavidTutorexamPAL   egmat

Thelionking1234 · Answer

Official Explanation

(1) Take a First Glance (5 seconds)

The initial split between the (noun) and that of the (noun) often indicates that the sentence is testing Comparisons. Keep that in mind as you read the sentence, and make sure that it’s logical to compare whatever is being compared.

(2) Read for Meaning

The phrase less painful than confirms that the sentence is comparing two things. The original sentence compares the tarantula hawk wasp’s sting to the bullet ant itself. It should compare the stings of the two insects; comparing a sting to an insect is illogical. Eliminate answer (A).

The original sentence contains a second Meaning error: it says that the sting lasts for five minutes, but the sting itself occurs in a moment. The sentence should say that the pain caused by the sting lasts for five minutes.

(3) Find a Starting Point

Start with any difference that seems easiest to you, then move to the next easiest issue, and so on. Stop when you have one answer or you aren’t sure how to address the remaining differences. All errors for each choice are detailed in the next section.

(4) Eliminate (and Repeat)

(A) This sentence illogically compares the tarantula hawk wasp’s sting to the bullet ant itself. It should compare the stings of the two insects. In addition, it says that the sting lasts for five minutes, but the sting itself occurs in a moment.

(B) CORRECT. This answer fixes the broken comparison by correctly comparing the stings of the two insects. It also correctly conveys that the pain, rather than the sting, lasts for five minutes.

(C) This answer fixes the broken comparison by correctly comparing the stings of the two insects. However, the opening modifier although it … humans incorrectly modifies the tarantula hawk wasp’s sting. This implies that it is the tarantula hawk wasp’s sting whose sting is less painful than the bullet ant’s, but the sting itself doesn’t have a sting! Further, the second part of this construction indicates that the tarantula hawk wasp’s sting is what rarely bothers humans. In fact, it is the tarantula hawk wasp itself that rarely bothers humans.

(D) This answer fixes the broken comparison by correctly comparing the stings of the two insects. However, it has a meaning error that is quite subtle. Compare this answer with choice (B); there are two differences. Both lasts only five minutes and lasts for only five minutes are correct idioms—that split is a red herring. The only remaining difference is the beginning of each split: that of the aptly-named bullet ant vs. the aptly-named bullet ant’s. Each of these structures makes a correct comparison, but the second structure introduces a meaning error: the aptly-named bullet ant’s (sting) indicates that it is the bullet ant’s sting that is aptly-named. In fact, it is the bullet ant itself that is aptly-named; the sting does not have a name.

(E) The phrase the aptly-named bullet ant’s introduces a meaning error, incorrectly implying that it is the bullet ant’s sting that is aptly-named. In fact, it is the bullet ant itself that is aptly-named; the sting does not have a name. This answer also contains a modifier error. To determine what the opening modifier although … humans modifies, mentally ignore the subsequent modifier when … sting. What follows the comma is the pain, but the pain neither has a sting, nor rarely bothers humans. Rather, it is the tarantula hawk wasp that has a sting less painful than the bullet ant’s sting and that rarely bothers humans.

fireagablast · Answer

Would D work if it was "bullet ants' " and not "bullet ant's"?

MBAB123 · Answer

Nope, it would still be wrong. Your version of option D would result in a faulty comparison.

Vinayak92 · Answer

OA is B,

D is incorrect because the adjective "aptly-named" should modify "bullet ant" and not its "sting", which option D is trying to modify.

B clearly mentions that it's referring to the sting of the bullet ant.

Hope its clear.

SKGM · Answer

The difference between option A and option D is: the aptly-named bullet ant’s (sting) indicates that it is the bullet ant’s sting that is aptly-named. Basically, it is the bullet ant itself that is aptly-named not the sting.

Ex. The muddy field of School's ground.....
Here, The muddy field is modifer of ground not School.

Ex. The muddy field of School's ground.....
Here, The muddy field is modifer of ground not School.

Elite097 · Answer

avigutman  @martytargetttestprep

A's sting is more painful than B's - Correct
The sting of A is more painful than that of B - Correct (option B)
The sting of A is more painful than B's (option D) IS THIS CORRECT? Can noun of noun be parallel to noun's noun?

achloes · Answer

KarishmaB

Is mixed use incorrect? I was under the impression that the two structures could be mixed.

KarishmaB · Answer

GMAT prefers parallel and clear structure - something that tells you exactly what is parallel to what. It expects you to follow business conventions of writing clearly, directly and with as few words as are necessary. The principles of "variety" used to make writings interesting do not guide us here. The point is to get the communications across in as clear a manner as possible so that there is no meaning ambiguity to the other person.

So the point is not whether it is correct; the point is that it is not preferred if we have a better option.

Although its sting is said to be less painful than only the aptly-name

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GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

Although its sting is said to be less painful than only the aptly-name

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