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16 Jan 2022, 00:20
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E
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
45%
(medium)
Question Stats:
56% (01:05) correct
44%
(01:19)
wrong
based on 331
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Any real estate professional will tell you that the value of a parcel of land is most directly affected by the extent of its development and how close it is to a major business center.
A) the extent of its development
B) whether it had been developed extensively
C) how extensively it has developed
D) the extent to which it has developed
E) how extensively it has been developed
16 Jan 2022, 00:23
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OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
THE PROMPT
Two factors most directly affect the value of a parcel of land:
(1) how much the land has been developed, and
(2) how close the land is to a major business center.
• Parallelism
→ The word and is a parallelism marker.
One factor that affects the value of a parcel of land is how close the land is to a major business center.
The other factor should be parallel.
One factor is described by something called a noun clause.
(It is also called a substantive clause or a nominal clause.)
That noun clause begins with how and contains a subject and verb.
For a good question that involves noun clauses, click here. (It's a Butler question from May 2020 that I posted.)
To read my explanation of that question, which largely consists of explaining noun clauses and presenting examples, click here.
• Diction -- choice of word(s), placement of word(s)
→ Parallelism does not require that two items be structured identically.
A noun phrase (noun + modifiers) and a substantive clause (what I've just described) could conceivably work together.
Often, though, as a matter of diction, two items that are structured very similarly deliver more rhetorical force than two items that, say, are both nouns but are structured differently.
In other words, if you can find another noun clause as the other part of the parallel construction, you are likely to have picked the most rhetorically effective sentence.
• Pronoun ambiguity? (Not a decision point because all options contain it, but the issue is important enough to flag.)
→ Nope. Its refers to land, not to value.
The nonunderlined portion states, "how close it is to a major business center."
The value is not close to a major business center.
The land (or parcel of land) is close to a major business center.
The only logical antecedent for it is land.
THE OPTIONS
• Parallelism is kinda weak
→ this noun phrase (extent of its development) lacks a subject and verb, for example, and thus is not very similar to the noun clause "how close it is to a major business center."
• Play it safe. Keep, but look for a better answer
→ Past perfect (in passive voice) is not parallel with the two instances of the present tense verb is, both of which are in the nonunderlined portion of the sentence.
→ We need present perfect (HAS been developed) in order to parallel to the present tense "is" verb in the sentence.
Eliminate B
→ land does not develop itself.
There are often instances in which inanimate objects can be paired with verbs that seem to require human agency.
This is not one of those times.
In this construction, the land is actively doing something that, as a matter of logic and idiom, it cannot do.
The land cannot develop itself.
Eliminate C
→ Land does not develop itself, nor does land develop as a matter of course.
(I mention "as a matter of course, because we could analogize a situation such as "I was surprised by how much the garden had grown." That sentence is okay. This option D is not okay.)
• not strictly parallel
→ okay, "the extent to which" is a noun clause, but for the sake of diction, I would prefer to pair "how" and "how."
Eliminate D
→ Parallelism satisified.
This option uses a noun clause that begins with how and thus is parallel with "how close it is to a major business center."
In addition to more precise parallelism, this option delivers better diction.
→ The only correct verb construction
-- the verb tense is correct
-- the verb is correctly rendered in the passive voice.
That is, the land has been developed [by someone else acting upon the land].
(In this case, we do not need to match the present tense verb "is," and in fact need the passive voice construction of "has been developed."
Option A? No contest. Option E wins.
Eliminate A.
THe answer is E.
COMMENTS
Well, ElninoEffect , you are proving a brave soul.
None of you need be fearful.
And all of you should remember that if you post, you are explaining.
Furthermore, if you can explain something (teach it), then you will assimilate the concept into the deep recesses of your mind.
Takeaway: better GMAT score.
Bravery is good. And admirable.
ElninoEffect , very nicely done.
Keep up the hard work, everyone.
THE PROMPT
Quote:
• Meaning?
Two factors most directly affect the value of a parcel of land:
(1) how much the land has been developed, and
(2) how close the land is to a major business center.
• Parallelism
→ The word and is a parallelism marker.
One factor that affects the value of a parcel of land is how close the land is to a major business center.
The other factor should be parallel.
One factor is described by something called a noun clause.
(It is also called a substantive clause or a nominal clause.)
That noun clause begins with how and contains a subject and verb.
For a good question that involves noun clauses, click here. (It's a Butler question from May 2020 that I posted.)
To read my explanation of that question, which largely consists of explaining noun clauses and presenting examples, click here.
• Diction -- choice of word(s), placement of word(s)
→ Parallelism does not require that two items be structured identically.
A noun phrase (noun + modifiers) and a substantive clause (what I've just described) could conceivably work together.
Often, though, as a matter of diction, two items that are structured very similarly deliver more rhetorical force than two items that, say, are both nouns but are structured differently.
In other words, if you can find another noun clause as the other part of the parallel construction, you are likely to have picked the most rhetorically effective sentence.
• Pronoun ambiguity? (Not a decision point because all options contain it, but the issue is important enough to flag.)
→ Nope. Its refers to land, not to value.
The nonunderlined portion states, "how close it is to a major business center."
The value is not close to a major business center.
The land (or parcel of land) is close to a major business center.
The only logical antecedent for it is land.
THE OPTIONS
Quote:
• Parallelism is kinda weak
→ this noun phrase (extent of its development) lacks a subject and verb, for example, and thus is not very similar to the noun clause "how close it is to a major business center."
• Play it safe. Keep, but look for a better answer
Quote:
• Not parallel
→ Past perfect (in passive voice) is not parallel with the two instances of the present tense verb is, both of which are in the nonunderlined portion of the sentence.
→ We need present perfect (HAS been developed) in order to parallel to the present tense "is" verb in the sentence.
Eliminate B
Quote:
• nonsensical
→ land does not develop itself.
There are often instances in which inanimate objects can be paired with verbs that seem to require human agency.
This is not one of those times.
In this construction, the land is actively doing something that, as a matter of logic and idiom, it cannot do.
The land cannot develop itself.
Eliminate C
Quote:
• nonsensical - same problem as that in option C
→ Land does not develop itself, nor does land develop as a matter of course.
(I mention "as a matter of course, because we could analogize a situation such as "I was surprised by how much the garden had grown." That sentence is okay. This option D is not okay.)
• not strictly parallel
→ okay, "the extent to which" is a noun clause, but for the sake of diction, I would prefer to pair "how" and "how."
Eliminate D
Quote:
• Bingo
→ Parallelism satisified.
This option uses a noun clause that begins with how and thus is parallel with "how close it is to a major business center."
In addition to more precise parallelism, this option delivers better diction.
→ The only correct verb construction
-- the verb tense is correct
-- the verb is correctly rendered in the passive voice.
That is, the land has been developed [by someone else acting upon the land].
(In this case, we do not need to match the present tense verb "is," and in fact need the passive voice construction of "has been developed."
Option A? No contest. Option E wins.
Eliminate A.
THe answer is E.
COMMENTS
Well, ElninoEffect , you are proving a brave soul.
None of you need be fearful.
And all of you should remember that if you post, you are explaining.
Furthermore, if you can explain something (teach it), then you will assimilate the concept into the deep recesses of your mind.
Takeaway: better GMAT score.
Bravery is good. And admirable.
ElninoEffect , very nicely done.
Keep up the hard work, everyone.
General Discussion
16 Jan 2022, 00:57
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generis
Parallelism marker: ..... and .....
A) the extent of its development
Bold part and how close. |not parallel
B) whether it had been developed extensively
Same as A.
C) how extensively it has developed
Parallelism is restored but the use of past tense to describe a trait that is still present is wrong.
D) the extent to which it has developed
Same as A.
E) how extensively it has been developed
Everything looks great.
Note there can be other ways to find out why each option is wrong or right but when it's a race against time it's better to narrow down on probable answers quickly and then spend time choosing among them.
