A broad range of surveys studying the effectiveness of abstinence-o

Question

A broad range of  surveys studying the effectiveness of abstinence-only education has identified at least three misconceptions thought to lead to a greater likelihood of unplanned pregnancy  , the primary concern of such education.

A. surveys studying the effectiveness of abstinence-only education has identified at least three misconceptions thought to lead to a greater likelihood of unplanned pregnancy.

B. surveys studying the effectiveness of abstinence-only education have identified at least three misconceptions thought to be greater than the likelihood of unplanned pregnancy.

C. surveys studying the effectiveness of abstinence-only education, having identified at least three misconceptions that are thought to lead to a greater likelihood of unplanned pregnancy.

D. surveys studying the effectiveness of abstinence-only education, and has identified at least three misconceptions thought to lead to a greater likelihood of unplanned pregnancy.

E. surveys, studying the effectiveness of abstinence-only education, has identified at least three misconceptions they think to be the cause of of greater likelihood of unplanned pregnancy.

Source:800 score

Akash720 · Answer

+1 for A

Split 1:  
 S-V Agreement

A broad range is singular, thus it needs a singular verb 'has'

Eliminate B and C

In between A, D and E

A. surveys studying the effectiveness of abstinence-only education  has  identified at least three misconceptions thought to lead to a greater likelihood of unplanned pregnancy.
 --> No errors

D. surveys studying the effectiveness of abstinence-only education,  and has  identified at least three misconceptions thought to lead to a greater likelihood of unplanned pregnancy.
 --> Introduces unnecessary 'and'

E. surveys, studying the effectiveness of abstinence-only education, has identified at least three misconceptions  they  think to be the cause of of greater likelihood of unplanned pregnancy.
 --> 'They' is ambiguos

madhankumar666 · Answer

A broad range of surveys  studying the effectiveness of abstinence-only education has identified at least three misconceptions thought to lead to a greater likelihood of unplanned pregnancy  , the primary concern of such education.

A. surveys studying the effectiveness of abstinence-only education  has  identified at least three misconceptions thought to lead to a greater likelihood of unplanned pregnancy.- broad range {of surveys} is singular so 'has' should be the verb

B. surveys studying the effectiveness of abstinence-only education  have  identified at least three misconceptions thought to be  greater than the likelihood  of unplanned pregnancy.

C. surveys studying the effectiveness of abstinence-only education, having identified at least three misconceptions that are thought to lead to a greater likelihood of unplanned pregnancy.-  lacks main verb-fragment

D. surveys studying the effectiveness of abstinence-only education,  and has  identified at least three misconceptions thought to lead to a greater likelihood of unplanned pregnancy.-  'and has' indicate two different actions, so it is wrong.
 
E. surveys, studying the effectiveness of abstinence-only education, has identified at least three misconceptions  they  think to be the cause of of greater likelihood of unplanned pregnancy-  they has no clear referent

arun6765 · Answer

+1 for A

broad range requires singular verb has.

In E they is ambiguous.

arjun42 · Answer

can someone please explain how "a broad range of surveys" can identify something? A person or a survey can identify something. Is there a flaw in this question?

Thanks

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

The crux of this question is just a matter of subject verb agreement, more specifically whether "broad range of surveys" is singular or plural. It is of course, singular, much as many collectives are (the flock of geese  is  flying, my family  is  dysfunctional). Based on this, one can eliminate option B.

Options C through E are relatively easier to eliminate, so long as you focus on whether the sentence is communicating its intended meaning.
C is not a sentence. The surveys, having identified misconceptions.....did what with them? The key action communicated by the sentence is that the misconceptions were identified, hence it does not make sense to use the subordinate "having". 
D is similarly incorrect because of the unnecessary 'and', making it flat out an invalid sentence.
E once again fails on Subject Verb Agreement. It correctly uses the word 'has' but then switches to the plural "they", which defeats the logic altogether.

One tip: Resist the temptation to automatically eliminate A on SC questions because "there muse be something wrong".

kop18 · Answer

I still do not how "a broad range of surveys" can be a singular noun in this question. A broad range cannot determine anything, it is the surveys which is doing the determination. So shouldn't the logical noun be plural?

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Hello  kop18 ,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, here "range" effectively functions as a collective noun, conveying that the surveys have  collectively  identified at least three misconceptions.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team

A broad range of surveys studying the effectiveness of abstinence-o

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A broad range of surveys studying the effectiveness of abstinence-o

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