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03 Oct 2020, 23:27
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Difficulty:
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62% (01:35) correct
38%
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wrong
based on 880
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Yellow saddle goatfish in the Red Sea have the capability to hunt in groups, groups with designated members that spread out to cut off the escape routes of the prey.
A) Yellow saddle goatfish in the Red Sea have the capability to hunt in groups, groups with designated members that spread out to cut off the escape routes of the prey.
B) Red Sea yellow saddle goatfish are capable of hunting in groups, groups with designated members that spread out to cut off the prey’s escape routes.
C) Red Sea yellow saddle goatfish have the capability to hunt in groups with designated chosen members that spread out to cut off the prey’s escape routes.
D) Yellow saddle goatfish in the Red Sea are capable of hunting in groups with designated members that spread out to cut off the prey’s escape routes.
E) Red Sea yellow saddle goatfish possess the capability to hunt in groups, groups with designated chosen members that spread out to cut off the escape routes of the prey.
03 Oct 2020, 23:30
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OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
THE PROMPT
Yellow saddle goatfish in the Red Sea can hunt in groups.
These groups are composed of designated (chosen) members that spread out so that they can cut off escape routes of their prey.
• Challenge?
Learn to recognize when shorter is not better.
→ Prepositional phrases are often not better when they are shortened. See Notes, below.
(And, of course, keep learning to recognize when shorter is better, because most of the time that concision is at issue, the shorter version wins. This question involves that issue, too.)
THE OPTIONS
• the sentence is grammatical but its diction and style bother me
• the phrase have the capability to hunt is comprehensible but not as effective as are capable of hunting (in options B and D)
→ to express the abilities of this exotic goldfish, the noun capability is not as dynamic as the verb capable
As I have said many times: good prose in English is driven by strong verbs.
Verbs are preferred to nouns in SWE and on the GMAT.
• the word groups is repeated. Though that repetitive technique is often stylistically effective, in this case, it seems unnecessary.
I will reserve judgment about matters of style until the very end unless I find an option that seems correct and does not contain this repeated word.
The sentence is too "busy"—full of oddly arranged words that try to capture too much.
→ Do not worry about the jargon immediately below.
→ Do remember that you will see SC questions in which a modifier repeats a key word and then elaborates on that word.
→ This kind of repetition is called a resumptive modifier, which is a special kind of appositive. (We "resume" by repeating a key word from another clause.)
→ You can read a great little article about resumptive modifiers (repeated words) by clicking here.
(The article that I linked contains many examples of these modifiers. Examples are much better "teachers" than grammar rules.)
KEEP, but look for a better answer
• this option, too, is grammatical but falls short in diction and style
• sometimes shorter (Red Sea yellow saddle goatfish) is not better (than Yellow saddle goatfish in the Red Sea)
→ The phrase Red Sea yellow saddle goatfish forces me to wonder whether the yellow saddle goatfish are exclusively from the Red Sea; they are best left with the location placed afterwards, following the word in.
→ The other construction (yellow saddle goldfish IN the Red Sea in options A and D) allows me to avoid the issue;
-- "in" the Red Sea does not mean only in the Red Sea.
-- indeed, in English, when we talk about something exclusive, we indicate as much by using the word "only" or by placing the exclusive identification words (what would be "Red Sea" in this case) before the noun.
→ In general, do not shorten prepositional phrases that modify nouns. See Notes, below.
• as in option A, the word groups is repeated. The same concerns apply.
I cannot eliminate (B) within 3-5 seconds of my having read it. What is my decision about indecision? Keep moving.
KEEP, but look for a better option
→ see Notes, below, about noun-adjectives
• the noun-laden phrase have the capability to hunt is not as crisp, effective, or concise as the verb-based phrase are capable of hunting (see option A)
• designated and chosen are redundant. Ickily redundant. designated chosen is similar to close proximity. Ugh.
ELIMINATE C
• I see no errors
• The phrase yellow saddle goatfish in the Red Sea is better left as it is without collapsing it into a noun-adjective phrase (Red Sea yellow saddle goatfish).
I am not forced to wonder whether these fish live exclusively in the Red Sea.
• Choice D eliminates the comma and possibly unnecessary repetition of "groups" by combining the appositive groups with designated members that with the rest of the sentence.
→ I can now decide quickly that options A and B are not as good as option D.
ELIMINATE A and B
KEEP D
• Just as in options B and C, the phrase Red Sea yellow saddle goatfish creates logical problems.
I don't know whether the yellow saddle goatfish are exclusively from the Red Sea; these fish are better followed by their location, after the word in.
• possess the capability to hunt has the same problems as have the capability to hunt
ELIMINATE E
The correct answer is D.
NOTES
Noun-adjectives
Nothing is ungrammatical about the phrase Red Sea yellow saddle goatfish.
That phrase creates meaning, not grammar, problems.
Red Sea is a noun that turns into an adjective without the use of an apostrophe because possession is inappropriate.
In English, one noun is often used to modify another:
Chemistry teacher, sports track, race car, country music
In these cases, although the first word is a noun, it functions as an adjective.
That noun-adjective always comes before the noun it describes. No exceptions.
A noun-adjective is also called a modifier noun.
In options B, C, and E, Red Sea is a noun functioning as an noun-adjective.
SPOILER ALERT: I discuss nouns as noun-adjectives in a very tricky official question that you can find by clicking here.
My explanation can be found by clicking here.
In the phrase Red Sea yellow saddle goldfish, the word Red Sea does not need to be possessive.
It stays in straight-up noun form. But it acts as an adjective.
Correct: He is a middle school English teacher.
→ the two words in blue are noun-adjectives
Prepositional phrases: when is short too short?
• in order to be concise, we may be tempted to "collapse" the prepositional phrase into the noun it describes, this way:
a collector of stamps → a stamp collector
Both phrases are correct.
The second phrase is more concise.
• As a general rule, combining a prepositional phrase with its noun is okay when the preposition is OF, unless the initial word is a quantity, measurement, or time period.
• On the other hand, if a prepositional phrase includes a preposition other than of, try to avoid combining the phrase with its noun.
In these examples, it is best to keep the longer phrase to avoid confusion:
→ the amount of salt instead of the salt amount
→ scuff marks on the kitchen floor instead of kitchen floor scuff marks
→ coal from the Allegheny region instead of Allegheny region coal
In other words, if the prepositional phrase describes a noun, think twice about choosing an option that collapses the prepositional phrase unless the preposition is OF.
As we saw, the noun phrase Yellow saddle goldfish in the Red Sea is better left alone.
"Collapsing" the first phrase into the noun-adjective phrase Red Sea yellow saddle goldfish creates meaning problems.
(Red Sea is the noun that acts as an adjective and is called a "noun-adjective.")
Takeaways:
• a noun-adjective is a thing (see the official question to which I linked)
• shorter is often better (are capable of hunting is better than have the capability to hunt) and sometimes the shorter version is achieved by using the verb rather than the noun form of the word
• almost always, verbs beat nouns in style contests
• sometimes shorter is not better, such as when we cope with nouns and their prepositional modifiers
COMMENTS
tyildirim92 , dinesh2392 , zhanbo , ravigupta2912 (I liked your phrase "weird construction in the beginning"
), and winterschool ,
I am happy to see some very resourceful and creative thinking in these posts.
In different "pieces," your reasoning is similar to that which I've written here. Kudos to all.
Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC1)
THE PROMPT
Quote:
• Meaning?
Yellow saddle goatfish in the Red Sea can hunt in groups.
These groups are composed of designated (chosen) members that spread out so that they can cut off escape routes of their prey.
• Challenge?
Learn to recognize when shorter is not better.
→ Prepositional phrases are often not better when they are shortened. See Notes, below.
(And, of course, keep learning to recognize when shorter is better, because most of the time that concision is at issue, the shorter version wins. This question involves that issue, too.)
THE OPTIONS
Quote:
• the sentence is grammatical but its diction and style bother me
• the phrase have the capability to hunt is comprehensible but not as effective as are capable of hunting (in options B and D)
→ to express the abilities of this exotic goldfish, the noun capability is not as dynamic as the verb capable
As I have said many times: good prose in English is driven by strong verbs.
Verbs are preferred to nouns in SWE and on the GMAT.
• the word groups is repeated. Though that repetitive technique is often stylistically effective, in this case, it seems unnecessary.
I will reserve judgment about matters of style until the very end unless I find an option that seems correct and does not contain this repeated word.
The sentence is too "busy"—full of oddly arranged words that try to capture too much.
→ Do not worry about the jargon immediately below.
→ Do remember that you will see SC questions in which a modifier repeats a key word and then elaborates on that word.
→ This kind of repetition is called a resumptive modifier, which is a special kind of appositive. (We "resume" by repeating a key word from another clause.)
→ You can read a great little article about resumptive modifiers (repeated words) by clicking here.
(The article that I linked contains many examples of these modifiers. Examples are much better "teachers" than grammar rules.)
KEEP, but look for a better answer
Quote:
• this option, too, is grammatical but falls short in diction and style
• sometimes shorter (Red Sea yellow saddle goatfish) is not better (than Yellow saddle goatfish in the Red Sea)
→ The phrase Red Sea yellow saddle goatfish forces me to wonder whether the yellow saddle goatfish are exclusively from the Red Sea; they are best left with the location placed afterwards, following the word in.
→ The other construction (yellow saddle goldfish IN the Red Sea in options A and D) allows me to avoid the issue;
-- "in" the Red Sea does not mean only in the Red Sea.
-- indeed, in English, when we talk about something exclusive, we indicate as much by using the word "only" or by placing the exclusive identification words (what would be "Red Sea" in this case) before the noun.
→ In general, do not shorten prepositional phrases that modify nouns. See Notes, below.
• as in option A, the word groups is repeated. The same concerns apply.
I cannot eliminate (B) within 3-5 seconds of my having read it. What is my decision about indecision? Keep moving.
KEEP, but look for a better option
Quote:
• As in option B, the noun-adjective phrase Red Sea yellow saddle goatfish makes me wonder whether these goatfish live only in the Red Sea
→ see Notes, below, about noun-adjectives
• the noun-laden phrase have the capability to hunt is not as crisp, effective, or concise as the verb-based phrase are capable of hunting (see option A)
• designated and chosen are redundant. Ickily redundant. designated chosen is similar to close proximity. Ugh.
ELIMINATE C
Quote:
• I see no errors
• The phrase yellow saddle goatfish in the Red Sea is better left as it is without collapsing it into a noun-adjective phrase (Red Sea yellow saddle goatfish).
I am not forced to wonder whether these fish live exclusively in the Red Sea.
• Choice D eliminates the comma and possibly unnecessary repetition of "groups" by combining the appositive groups with designated members that with the rest of the sentence.
→ I can now decide quickly that options A and B are not as good as option D.
ELIMINATE A and B
KEEP D
Quote:
• designated chosen is redundant
• Just as in options B and C, the phrase Red Sea yellow saddle goatfish creates logical problems.
I don't know whether the yellow saddle goatfish are exclusively from the Red Sea; these fish are better followed by their location, after the word in.
• possess the capability to hunt has the same problems as have the capability to hunt
ELIMINATE E
The correct answer is D.
NOTES
Noun-adjectives
Nothing is ungrammatical about the phrase Red Sea yellow saddle goatfish.
That phrase creates meaning, not grammar, problems.
Red Sea is a noun that turns into an adjective without the use of an apostrophe because possession is inappropriate.
In English, one noun is often used to modify another:
Chemistry teacher, sports track, race car, country music
In these cases, although the first word is a noun, it functions as an adjective.
That noun-adjective always comes before the noun it describes. No exceptions.
A noun-adjective is also called a modifier noun.
In options B, C, and E, Red Sea is a noun functioning as an noun-adjective.
SPOILER ALERT: I discuss nouns as noun-adjectives in a very tricky official question that you can find by clicking here.
My explanation can be found by clicking here.
In the phrase Red Sea yellow saddle goldfish, the word Red Sea does not need to be possessive.
It stays in straight-up noun form. But it acts as an adjective.
Correct: He is a middle school English teacher.
→ the two words in blue are noun-adjectives
Prepositional phrases: when is short too short?
• in order to be concise, we may be tempted to "collapse" the prepositional phrase into the noun it describes, this way:
a collector of stamps → a stamp collector
Both phrases are correct.
The second phrase is more concise.
• As a general rule, combining a prepositional phrase with its noun is okay when the preposition is OF, unless the initial word is a quantity, measurement, or time period.
• On the other hand, if a prepositional phrase includes a preposition other than of, try to avoid combining the phrase with its noun.
In these examples, it is best to keep the longer phrase to avoid confusion:
→ the amount of salt instead of the salt amount
→ scuff marks on the kitchen floor instead of kitchen floor scuff marks
→ coal from the Allegheny region instead of Allegheny region coal
In other words, if the prepositional phrase describes a noun, think twice about choosing an option that collapses the prepositional phrase unless the preposition is OF.
As we saw, the noun phrase Yellow saddle goldfish in the Red Sea is better left alone.
"Collapsing" the first phrase into the noun-adjective phrase Red Sea yellow saddle goldfish creates meaning problems.
(Red Sea is the noun that acts as an adjective and is called a "noun-adjective.")
Takeaways:
• a noun-adjective is a thing (see the official question to which I linked)
• shorter is often better (are capable of hunting is better than have the capability to hunt) and sometimes the shorter version is achieved by using the verb rather than the noun form of the word
• almost always, verbs beat nouns in style contests
• sometimes shorter is not better, such as when we cope with nouns and their prepositional modifiers
COMMENTS
tyildirim92 , dinesh2392 , zhanbo , ravigupta2912 (I liked your phrase "weird construction in the beginning"
), and winterschool ,I am happy to see some very resourceful and creative thinking in these posts.
In different "pieces," your reasoning is similar to that which I've written here. Kudos to all.
General Discussion
03 Oct 2020, 23:47
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Bookmarks
Yellow saddle goatfish in the Red Sea have the capability to hunt in groups, groups with designated members that spread out to cut off the escape routes of the prey.
A) Yellow saddle goatfish in the Red Sea have the capability to hunt in groups, groups with designated members that spread out to cut off the escape routes of the prey. // "capability of" is idiomatic!
B) Red Sea yellow saddle goatfish are capable of hunting in groups, groups with designated members that spread out to cut off the prey’s escape routes. // unnecessary absolute phrase.
C) Red Sea yellow saddle goatfish have the capability to hunt in groups with designated chosen members that spread out to cut off the prey’s escape routes. "capability of" is idiomatic!
D) Yellow saddle goatfish in the Red Sea are capable of hunting in groups with designated members that spread out to cut off the prey’s escape routes. // fine
E) Red Sea yellow saddle goatfish possess the capability to hunt in groups, groups with designated chosen members that spread out to cut off the escape routes of the prey. "capability of" is idiomatic!
Posted from my mobile device
A) Yellow saddle goatfish in the Red Sea have the capability to hunt in groups, groups with designated members that spread out to cut off the escape routes of the prey. // "capability of" is idiomatic!
B) Red Sea yellow saddle goatfish are capable of hunting in groups, groups with designated members that spread out to cut off the prey’s escape routes. // unnecessary absolute phrase.
C) Red Sea yellow saddle goatfish have the capability to hunt in groups with designated chosen members that spread out to cut off the prey’s escape routes. "capability of" is idiomatic!
D) Yellow saddle goatfish in the Red Sea are capable of hunting in groups with designated members that spread out to cut off the prey’s escape routes. // fine
E) Red Sea yellow saddle goatfish possess the capability to hunt in groups, groups with designated chosen members that spread out to cut off the escape routes of the prey. "capability of" is idiomatic!
Posted from my mobile device
