|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
03 Sep 2021, 02:00
Kudos
Bookmarks
A
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
85%
(hard)
Question Stats:
28% (01:08) correct
72%
(01:13)
wrong
based on 464
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
The Queensway Tunnel was built in the 1930s, but by the early 1960s, it was becoming clear that it was carrying much more traffic than had ever been envisaged when it was first opened.
(A) it was becoming clear that it was
(B) it was becoming clear that they were
(C) they were becoming clear that it was
(D) it was
(E) it was clearly
(A) it was becoming clear that it was
(B) it was becoming clear that they were
(C) they were becoming clear that it was
(D) it was
(E) it was clearly
05 Sep 2021, 02:00
Kudos
Bookmarks
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
The Queensway Tunnel was built in the 1930s, but by the early 1960s, it was becoming clear that it was carrying much more traffic than had ever been envisaged when it was first opened.
(A) it was becoming clear that it was
This answer choice uses both functions of the word it: first, as a subject replacement; second, as a pronoun referring to a previously mentioned noun (the tunnel).
(B) it was becoming clear that they were
This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. The plural pronoun they does not agree in number with the singular noun Tunnel to which it refers.
What helps us identify this question as a Pronoun question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign:
- Every pronoun in the underlined part of the sentence or after it
(C) they were becoming clear that it was
This answer choice replaces the original it with they. The original it functions as a subject replacement, not as a pronoun, a function unique to it, and therefore cannot be replaced by any pronoun. Also, they can refer to a plural noun, so using it implies that they means the 1930s or 1960s: the 1930s/1960s were becoming clear. This not only twists the original meaning but also creates an illogical sentence.
What helps us identify this question as a Pronoun question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign:
- Every pronoun in the underlined part of the sentence or after it
(D) it was
While this answer choice is grammatically correct, the omission of the phrase it was becoming clear that results in some meaning loss.
(E) it was clearly
While this answer choice is grammatically correct, it changes the meaning of the original sentence.
General Discussion
03 Sep 2021, 03:50
Kudos
Bookmarks
My answer is (D). It took me 01:17. I certainly hope that official GMAT questions would not and should not ask us to guess what the author intends to say.
The original sentence should be treated no different from other sentences. Each sentence should be evaluated on its own merit. Option (A) is by no means the arbiter of the intended meaning.
(A) The first "it" represents "that it was ..." clause; the second "it“ refers to "The Queensway Tunnel". In one sentence, it is a good idea not to switch the antecedent of any pronoun.
Besides, the use of "it was becoming" and "it was carrying" gives this sentence an informal style which is unusual in formal writing that GMAT questions focus on.
Keep for now.
(B) eliminated because antecedent for "they" cannot be found.
(C) See above.
(D) Shortest
(E) = (D) + clearly. Traffic amount can be easily measured. Do we need to emphasize such finding is conspicuous?
If we choose (E), we are saying that a GMAT-quality sentence should almost always add "clearly" in reporting findings that are not vague. That is an untenable, if not ridiculous, rule. (Certainly, an author should feel free to emphasize that the finding is so evident. But we do not know what the author thinks.)
If we choose (A), we are saying that GMAT prefers wordy / chatty sentences over clear and concise ones.
So, we choose (D).
The original sentence should be treated no different from other sentences. Each sentence should be evaluated on its own merit. Option (A) is by no means the arbiter of the intended meaning.
(A) The first "it" represents "that it was ..." clause; the second "it“ refers to "The Queensway Tunnel". In one sentence, it is a good idea not to switch the antecedent of any pronoun.
Besides, the use of "it was becoming" and "it was carrying" gives this sentence an informal style which is unusual in formal writing that GMAT questions focus on.
Keep for now.
(B) eliminated because antecedent for "they" cannot be found.
(C) See above.
(D) Shortest
(E) = (D) + clearly. Traffic amount can be easily measured. Do we need to emphasize such finding is conspicuous?
If we choose (E), we are saying that a GMAT-quality sentence should almost always add "clearly" in reporting findings that are not vague. That is an untenable, if not ridiculous, rule. (Certainly, an author should feel free to emphasize that the finding is so evident. But we do not know what the author thinks.)
If we choose (A), we are saying that GMAT prefers wordy / chatty sentences over clear and concise ones.
So, we choose (D).
