An interesting trend that has been observed over the past few years is

Question

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An interesting trend that has been observed over the past few years is  of enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, who make extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter, to foster  a public conversation about key issues.

A) of enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, who make extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter, to foster

B) of enterprising freelance reporters who are making extensive use of social media including blogs and Twitter, newly funded by non-profits, and fostering

C) of enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, making extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter, for fostering

D) that enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, are making extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter, to foster

E) that enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, make extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter, for fostering

generis · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC1) THE PROMPT • Verb tense? We use present progressive to describe a trend: are making is correct—and better than this option's simple present make . • In this sentence, that = the fact that → is is a linking verb → just after the linking verb comes a subject complement, which is almost always a noun, pronoun, or adjective. → A subject complement is almost never a prepositional phrase unless the phrase is locative, this way: The best time of night is after midnight . This sentence is a fairly rare example in which a prepositional phrase is a subject complement. "After midnight" is "locative" because it locates the subject in time. → the subject complement is the fact that enterprising reporters . . . are making extensive use of social media . → Invert the sentence: that reporters are making extensive use of social media is an interesting trend that has been observed over the past few years. → Try inverting with "of reporters." Of enterprising reporters who are making extensive use of social media is an interesting trend that has been observed over the past few years.

UGH. Upshot: in this context, trend should logically be followed by that. • Idiom Correct: to foster Wrong: for fostering THE OPTIONS • To describe a trend, use present progressive are making rather than simple present make • Meaning - kinda nonsensical → How do you have a trend OF reporters? The word "of" anchors the phrase. → That is, the use of the words of and who illogically suggest that the trend is of freelance reporters and not that freelance reporters are doing something . • the insertion of newly funded by non-profits between reporters and who is okay. Sometimes that- and who-clauses are separated from their noun by a short intervening phrase. This phrase is actually a relative clause that has been reduced. Newly funded by non-profits means WHO ARE newly funded by non-profits. → In a "reduced relative clause," the relative pronoun (who) is removed; the "to be" verb (are) is removed; and the past participle is left where it is (newly funded). → Stylistically, the shortened phrase newly funded by non-profits is sleek. There is no absolute rule against separating a relative pronoun from its noun. Such separation is not common, but it is not ipso facto wrong. As I mentioned, short phrases can intervene between a noun and its who-clause. ELIMINATE A • Meaning → same problem as that in option A • Ambiguity/Confusion Is Twitter newly funded by non-profits? (If so, which ones? The NRA? The Hoover Foundation? AEI? The Heritage Foundation?) Or are the reporters newly funded by non-profits? ELIMINATE B • Verb? Probably okay. Making is probably a reduced relative clause. From this: reporters .. . who are making extensive use of social media To this: reporters . . . making extensive use of social media • Meaning → How do we understand a trend OF freelance reporters? Similar to the problem in options A and B, the phrasing is nonsensical. • for fostering is unidiomatic ELIMINATE C • I do not see any errors • This option uses that to describe the trend, a description that makes a lot more sense than do those that begin with "of." • correct verb tense → The verb are making signifies that the reporters have been doing something on an ongoing basis. • To foster is the correct idiomatic expression. KEEP • to describe a trend, are making (present progressive) is preferred to simple present ( make ). → The simple present tense verb make muddies the meaning of the sentence by omitting reference to the fact that the reporters have been doing something on an ongoing basis. • incorrect idiom → The use of for fostering is unidiomatic. ELIMINATE E The answer is D. COMMENTS @AtashM , you wrote: No. That modifier is in the same place in every option except B. I explained above that a short phrase can intervene between a noun and its who-clause. The use of who, in fact, tells us that the modified noun cannot be non-profits. The word who is used only for people. True pronoun ambiguity exists when there is more than one noun that could logically be the antecedent or referent of the pronoun. That situation is not the case here. Non-profits are not eligible to be modified with who . True pronoun ambiguity is rare on the GMAT. Just because something could theoretically be ambiguous does not make that thing actually ambiguous. Yes. I've explained above. Also, read Fdambro294 's post. Not really. I can understand what you are saying, but it sounds strange to me. This sentence makes sense: An interesting trend . . . is THAT OF enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, making extensive use of social media . . . or, better, An interesting trend is the fact that enterprising reporters ARE making extensive use of social media. I've explained this issue in as many ways as I can and used examples. I have a challenge for any or all of you: explain to me why answer ____ is better than answer D. One of the best ways to get good at SC is to figure out why the correct answer is correct. What small or large thing sets it apart? In the OGs , what patterns do you see? Making the case for incorrect answers is not terribly helpful. Ask yourself: what is right about the correct answer? What do I need to learn from that correct answer to put into my arsenal? I hope that the analysis helps. This question appears to be harder than I thought to parse. Kudos to all. Nicely done.

ravigupta2912 · Answer

Extremely difficult imo.

B is eliminated due to incorrect modifier placement of “newly funded”.

A is eliminated because “who” is illogically modifying “non profits”. It has to reach quite far to modify “reporters”.

Finally, eliminated E and C on the basis of “for fostering” since to foster better reflects purpose as is contained in the sentence.

Not confident at all about this POE. Waiting for OA and OE.

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zhanbo · Answer

My answer is  (D) . It took me 01:06.

(A) The placement of "who make extensive use of social media" is problematic as, at first glance, readers may think it modifies "non-profits" as opposed to "reporters".

(B) The placement of "newly funded by non-profits" is problematic as, at first glance, readers may think it modifies "blogs and Twitter" instead of "reporters".

(C) Make use of A  to  do B. Or Use A  to  do B. It is unidiomatic to replace "to do" with "for doing".

(E) See above.

Fdambro294 · Answer

I’ll try to start with the first split that begins the underline: “is of” vs. “is that”

Cutting out the relative pronoun “that” noun modifier following the subject noun “trend”, as well as other non-essential modifiers, we have:

(A) “An interesting trend is of enterprising freelancing reporters who make extensive use of social media to foster a public conversation.”

(D) “An interesting trend is that enterprising freelancing reporters are making extensive use of social media to foster a public conversation.”

The preposition “of” is generally used to attribute some kind of quality to the prior noun. It shows up in very sophisticated, Nee York Times-type of writing.

“The vaccine is of great interest to me.”

Here, what is “of” great interest is the vaccine.

“The question provided is of great quality.”

The question “has” the characteristic of “great quality”

In this given problem,saying:

“An interesting trend is OF enterprising freelancing reporters..”

does not seem logical. I don’t believe the author’s intent is to say the trend has the attribute or characteristic of “enterprising freelancing reporters.”

For this reason, I believe you can eliminate answers A through C. There are many other issues with answers B and C. I’m sure many people will post detailed analysis.

That leaves us with (D) and (E).

From an idiom standpoint, someone “makes use of social media TO foster a public conversation.”

Making use of social media “FOR fostering a public conversation” does not appear to be the correct idiom.

For these reasons (and others), we are left with answer (D) as the correct answer

This is a tricky question and I don’t have that warm, fuzzy confidence feeling lol
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TarunKumar1234 · Answer

An interesting trend that has been observed over the past few years is of enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, who make extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter, to foster a public conversation about key issues.

A) of enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, who make extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter, to foster Incorrect

that require after is,
after of sentence fragment - enterprising freelance reporters what?

B) of enterprising freelance reporters who are making extensive use of social media including blogs and Twitter, newly funded by non-profits, and fostering Incorrect

that require after is,
after of sentence fragment - enterprising freelance reporters what?

C) of enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, making extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter, for fostering Incorrect

that require after is,

D) that enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, are making extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter, to foster Correct

E) that enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, make extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter, for fostering Incorrect

for fostering wrong, infinitive form require

winterschool · Answer

An interesting trend that has been observed over the past few years is of enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, who make extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter, to foster a public conversation about key issues.

A)  of   enterprising freelance reporters , newly funded by non-profits, who make extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter,  to foster   Incorrect

that require after is, 
after of sentence fragment - enterprising freelance reporters what?

B)  of   enterprising freelance reporters  who are making extensive use of social media including blogs and Twitter, newly funded by non-profits, and fostering  Incorrect

that require after is, 
after of sentence fragment - enterprising freelance reporters what?

C)  of  enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, making extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter, for fostering  Incorrect

that require after is,

D)  that enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, are making extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter, to foster   Correct

E) that enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, make extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter,  for fostering   Incorrect

for fostering wrong, infinitive form require

jhavyom · Answer

An interesting trend that has been observed over the past few years is  of enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, who make extensive use of social media, including  blogs and Twitter, to foster a public conversation about key issues.

to foster vs. for fostering
Here the intent of the sentence is 'to promote'. So, the use of 'to foster' is correct.
Eliminate B, C, and E

A) of enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, who make extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter, to foster
Here is the base sentence:
 An interesting trend that has been observed over the past few years is of enterprising freelance reporters 
This sentence does not imply the intended meaning.

D) that enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, are making extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter, to foster
Correct

Choice D is the answer.

AkashM · Answer

Eliminate A because,

1. An interesting trend cannot be just enterprising freelance reporters (EFRs), it should be something they are doing. 
2. The modifier 'who make extensive use of social media' is supposed to modify the EFRs. The way it is placed, just besides non profits, creates a certain ambiguity. 
3. To foster doesn't gel with the rest of the sentence.

Eliminate B because,

1. Same as point 1 above. 
2. The modifier 'newly funded by non profits' is modifying social media. I am sure Jack Dorsey would like to disagree with that. 
 
C: Although I really don't want this to be the right answer, I can't find anything concrete to rule it out.

E: Although I have a verb to work with now, 'make extensive use of social media' has a generalized feeling to it. Also, 'to foster' is better than 'for fostering'.

D: Its a significant improvement over C and a fair good amount of better than E.

D is the answer.

generis ,

I have couple of questions,

1. Is it right to use the below reason to eliminate A?

'The modifier 'who make extensive use of social media' is supposed to modify the EFRs. The way it is placed, besides non profits, creates an ambiguity as to what it is trying to modify'

2. Is 'of' vs 'that' a split that can be used? Doesn't the below sentence make sense?

An interesting trend that has been observed over the past few years is  of enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, making extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter, to foster  a public conversation about key issues

Thanks in advance for the clarification! Looking forward to the OE.

carouselambra · Answer

IMO D

An interesting trend that has been observed over the past few years is of enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, who make extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter, to foster a public conversation about key issues.

A) of enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits,  who make extensive  use of social media, including blogs and Twitter, to foster

B) of enterprising freelance reporters who are making extensive use of social media including blogs and Twitter, newly funded by non-profits,  and fostering

C) of enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, making extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter,  for fostering

D)  that  enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits,  are making  extensive use of social media,  including  blogs and Twitter,  to foster

E) that enterprising freelance reporters, newly funded by non-profits, make extensive use of social media, including blogs and Twitter,  for fostering

generis · Answer

The official explanation is  here .

An interesting trend that has been observed over the past few years is

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GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

An interesting trend that has been observed over the past few years is

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