When a ton of wheat was being moved from Buffalo to New York

Question

When a ton of wheat was being moved from Buffalo to New York City before the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, it took three weeks and cost $100, but when the canal was used, it  took less than eight days and cost less than $6.

(A) When a ton of wheat was being moved from Buffalo to New York City before the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, it took three weeks and cost $100, but when the canal was used, it

(B) Moving a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City before the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, it took three weeks and cost $100; using the canal, it

(C) Before the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, moving a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City took three weeks and cost $100; on the canal the move

(D) In 1825, before opening the Erie Canal, to move a ton of wheat took three weeks from Buffalo to New York City, which cost $100; moving it on the canal

(E) To move a ton of wheat in 1825 from Buffalo to New York City took three weeks before the opening of the Erie Canal, costing $100, but in using the canal, the move

daagh · Accepted Answer

A. When a ton of wheat was being moved from Buffalo to New York City before the opening of the
Erie Canal in 1825, it took three weeks and cost $100, but when the canal was used, it ----  was being moved from buffalo, gives the implication that all the description related to a function being performed at a particular time; The actual intent is not a specific instance but a general observation, which entails a simple past tense 
 
B. Moving a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City before the opening of the Erie Canal in
1825, it took three weeks and cost $100; using the canal, it ----  the pronoun- first ‘ it ‘ is redunda nt.

C. Before the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, moving a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York
City took three weeks and cost $100; on the canal the move ---  the best

D. In 1825, before opening the Erie Canal, to move a ton of wheat took three weeks from Buffalo to
New York City, which cost $100; moving it on the canal ---  the prepositional phrase in 1825, implies that the description is relevant to only 1825, not before.

E. To move a ton of wheat in 1825 from Buffalo to New York City took – The same problem as in D

AlHindi · Answer

I re-read the whole sentence again. Did proper analysis and here is what I found out. Critisisms of this analysis are welcome ( we all can learn by relevantly critisizing each other). The "of" is missed accidently and that is not being tested here.
My style is top-down approach for these long sentences. Start from clauses and phrases. I have clauses(independent/dependent) as bold, phrases(all kinds as italics).If everything is right with clauses,phrases(placement and sense), I go after sub-verb,pronoun agreement etc.

Option A:
 When a ton of wheat was being moved from Buffalo to New York City   before the opening the Erie Canal in 1825 , it  took three weeks and cost $90 ,  but when the canal was used ,  it took eight days and cost $4.  

This choice can be broken down like this:

b]When a ton of wheat was being moved from Buffalo to New York City   before the opening the Erie Canal in 1825 , it  took three weeks and cost $90 , 

AND 

 but when the canal was used ,  it took eight days and cost $4.  

These are two "independent" ideas in one sentence. The second one is correct in structure. "it" clearly refers to "ton".The first one has one problem. The phrase before the opening ... modifies what?. New York City or "it" after it?. There is a "comma" missing. The first independent idea would have made sense with an extra comma:

b]When a ton of wheat was being moved from Buffalo to New York City   ,  before the opening the Erie Canal in 1825 , it  took three weeks and cost $90 , ---> Now it makes sense, and so does the whole sentence.
A IS THUS GRAMATICALLY WRONG.


Now Choice B:
B)   Moving a ton of wheat    from Buffalo to New York City   before the opening the Erie Canal in 1825 ,   it took three weeks  ,  costing $90 ; using the canal, it (rest of the sentence here)

The independent clause is underlined, its broken to confuse us.Italics are all modifiers. If we remove phrases the clause would be:
Moving a ton of wheat it took three weeks --> it is redundant, our first problems. There are then problems with modifier placements.
,costing $90; ---semicolon indicates end of clause, so costing 90 is part of previous clause not the one following. If that is true costing 90 is modifying weeks not "it".
No need to go furthur in rest of the sentence. 
B IS WRONG

Now lets see C:
C)   Moving a ton of wheat    from Buffalo to New York City   before the opening the Erie Canal in 1825    took three weeks and cost $90  ; on the canal, the move 

The independent clause(underlined portion with bold) will make perfect sence without the portion in italics.
Moving a ton of wheat took three weeks and cost $90. A perfect sentence, or an independent clause.The italics modify as follows:
( Moving a ton of wheat )-modifies by-(from Buffalo to New York City )
( (Moving a ton of wheat)--(from Buffalo to New York City ) )--modified by --before the opening the Erie Canal in 1825 
Perfect, no problems.
C IS RIGHT:
**I am not going furthur, but you can continue the same analysis and see that D and E are wrong.

D) Before the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, to move a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City took three weeks and cost $90; using it, the move 

E) To move a ton of wheat took three weeks and cost $90 from Buffalo to New York City before the opening the Erie Canal in 1825; on the canal, it

emmak · Answer

When a ton of wheat was being moved from Buffalo to New York City before the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, it took three weeks and cost $100, but when the canal was used, it  took less than eight days and cost less than $6.

A.  When  a ton of wheat was being moved from Buffalo to New York City before the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825,  it  took three weeks and cost $100, but when the canal was used,  it  -  No antecedent of "IT", use of WHEN is redundant as the time period is clearly mentioned, 1825 
 
B.  Moving a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City before the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 ,  it  took three weeks and cost $100; using the canal,  it  -  No antecedent of "IT"

C. Before the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, moving a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City took three weeks and cost $100; on the canal the move -  CORRECT

D. In 1825, before  opening the Erie Canal , to move a ton of wheat took three weeks  from Buffalo to New York City ,  which  cost $100; moving it on the canal -  "From Buffalo to New York City" is wrongly placed, and thus this placement distorts the meaning (Now, It means that X took 3 weeks from buffalo to New york). "opening the Erie Canal" should be "opening  OF  the Erie Canal". How can New york city cost $100?

E. To move a ton of wheat in 1825 from Buffalo to New York City took -  Out-rightly incorrect

thinktank · Answer

The question posted was incorrect , find below the actual GMAT prep Q

When a ton of wheat was being moved from Buffalo to New York City
 before the opening of the  Erie Canal in 1825, it  took three weeks and cost
$100, but when the canal was used, it took less than eight days and cost
less than $6.
A. When a ton of wheat was being moved from Buffalo to New York City  before
the opening of the  Erie Canal in 1825, it took three weeks and cost $100, but
when the canal was used, it
B. Moving a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City  before the opening of the 
Erie Canal in 1825, it took three weeks and cost $100; using the canal, it
C.  Before the opening of the  Erie Canal in 1825, moving a ton of wheat from
Buffalo to New York City took three weeks and cost $100; on the canal the
move
D. In 1825,  before opening the Erie Canal , to move a ton of wheat took three
weeks from Buffalo to New York City, which cost $100; moving it on the canal
E. To move a ton of wheat in 1825 from Buffalo to New York City took three weeks
 before the opening of the Erie Canal , costing $100, but in using the canal, the
move .

Thanks 
TT

mejia401 · Answer

A) When a ton of wheat was being moved from Buffalo to New York City before the opening the Erie Canal in 1825, it took three weeks and cost $90, but when the canal was used, it  "was being" is redundant; relative pronoun "when" should be "before" or "after"

B) Moving a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City before the opening the Erie Canal in 1825, it took three weeks, costing $90; using the canal, it  "it" has no referent, so the opening modifier is dangling

C) Moving a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City before the opening the Erie Canal in 1825 took three weeks and cost $90; on the canal, the move  OK

D) Before the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, to move a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City took three weeks and cost $90; using it, the move  "it" does not have a referent

E) To move a ton of wheat took three weeks and cost $90 from Buffalo to New York City before the opening the Erie Canal in 1825; on the canal, it  "it" does not have a referent

mejia401 · Answer

A) When a ton of wheat was being moved from Buffalo to New York City before the opening the Erie Canal in 1825, it took three weeks and cost $100, but when the canal was used, it  "was being" is redundant' "it" has no logical referent

B) Moving a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City before the opening the Erie Canal in 1825, it took three weeks, costing $90; using the canal, it  "it" has no referent; "costing" is misplace modifier (describes a cause-effect relationship OR the something in the previous clause?); "it" cannot use the canal (since there's no logic referent)

C) Moving a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City before the opening the Erie Canal in 1825 took three weeks and cost $90; on the canal, the move  OK - Perhaps "moving" and "move" are not parallel so as to trick into eliminating answer choice.

D) Before the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, to move a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City took three weeks and cost $90; using it, the move  ""it" has no referent

E) To move a ton of wheat took three weeks and cost $90 from Buffalo to New York City before the opening the Erie Canal in 1825; on the canal, it  "it" has no referent; "from Buffalo to NYC before..." all describe "cost", thereby making the sentence illogical

Amit0507 · Answer

A: "Was being moved" a continuous action is unnecessary here. 
B: "using " must refer to a Noun. "It" cannot work here as a Noun because of lack of a referent. 
C-OK
D:The canal was opened in 1825, not the action was done in that year
E: Same as above. 1825 must refer to the year of opening

daagh · Answer

The issues are parallelism, incorrect word order leading to altered intent and pronoun ambiguity

A. When a ton of wheat was being moved from Buffalo to New York City before the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, it took three weeks and cost $100, but when the canal was used, it ----  'It' lacks clear antecedence. It must refer to moving but has no such word in the text. In addition was being is ugly and does not refer to the generalization but to a specific instance 
 
B. Moving a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City before the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, it took three weeks and cost $100; using the canal, it ---  This is a fragment because of the redundant use the pronoun ‘it’ .

C. Before the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, moving a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City took three weeks and cost $100; on the canal the move --  looks like error-free.

D. In 1825, before opening the Erie Canal, to move a ton of wheat took three weeks from Buffalo to New York City, which cost $100; moving it on the canal ----–  Pushing the prepositional modifier ‘in 1825’ is wrong order. Now it modifies the entire following clause, thereby implying that all the events pertain to only the year 1825 only, neither before nor after .

E. To move a ton of wheat in 1825 from Buffalo to New York City took three weeks before the opening of the Erie Canal, costing $100, but in using the canal, the move --- Parallelism is missing between the infinitive clause and the prepositional clause around the conjunction ’but’. In addition, the expression ‘three weeks before the opening of the Erie Canal’ alters the intent that it pertains to a single event that happened three weeks before the opening ceremony.

Nevernevergiveup · Answer

When a ton of wheat was being moved from Buffalo to New York City before the opening the Erie Canal in 1825, it took three weeks and cost $90, but when the canal was used, it took eight days and cost $4.

A) same

B) Moving a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City before the opening the Erie Canal in 1825, it took three weeks, costing $90; using the canal, it

C) Moving a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City before the opening the Erie Canal in 1825 took three weeks and cost $90; on the canal, the move

D) Before the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, to move a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City took three weeks and cost $90; using it, the move

E) To move a ton of wheat took three weeks and cost $90 from Buffalo to New York City before the opening the Erie Canal in 1825; on the canal, it

) But indicates the contrast but used incorrectly here. So A is wrong for reasons as mentioned above. B. Moving a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City before the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, it took three weeks and cost $100; using the canal, it There is no proper verb for the 1st sentence and no proper relation between the independent clause and dependent clause. It does not refer to noun instead refers to action(moving sth). Pronoun error as in A. Improper usage of it is contd in 2nd sentence also. C. Before the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, moving a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City took three weeks and cost $100; on the canal the move Here Moving becomes a gerund and all errors are corrected. D. In 1825, before opening the Erie Canal, to move a ton of wheat took three weeks from Buffalo to New York City, which cost $100; moving it on the canal. Before opening Erie canal incorrectly modifies 1825 thereby indicates wrong meaning. It means as if The movement if wheat took place in 1825 and starting a sentence with infinitive is not preferred. It implies that City costs 100$. There is an error of pronoun ambiguity even though it appears to refer to wheat. E. To move a ton of wheat in 1825 from Buffalo to New York City took three weeks before the opening of the Erie Canal, costing $100, but in using the canal, the move errors in D repeated here. It means as if The movement if wheat took place in 1825 and starting a sentence with infinitive is not preferred. It implies that Canal costs 100$. but in using the canal is improper again.

felippemed · Answer

Hi guys,

Can someone clarify why there is no need for comma in the underlined portion??

C. Before ...  on the canal the move took less than eight days and cost less than $6.

sayantanc2k · Answer

Do you mean a comma after "canal"? Comma after an opening prepositional phrase is used if the phrase is long (more than 3-4 words according to some grammarians).

kivalo · Answer

Is modifier 'costing $100' correctly used in E? I thought it awkwardly modifies 'to move a ton of wheat...'

abhimahna · Answer

yes, that is also an issue with E. It is very awkward. To be precise, it is called a dangling modifier.

anairamitch1804 · Answer

A and B: "it took three weeks"
Here, "it" lacks a clear antecedent. 
Eliminate A and B.

D: "before opening the Erie Canal, to move a ton of wheat took 3 weeks"
Here, it is unclear who or what is opening the Erie Canal. 
Eliminate D.

E: "in using the canal, the move took less than eight days"
Here, "using" seems to refer to "the move", implying that THE MOVE was USING the canal. 
Not the intended meaning. 
Eliminate E. 
The correct answer is C.

Example :-
"Before attending law school, John studied at the local college". 
Here, "before attending" serves to refer to "John" -- the subject of the following clause -- conveying that JOHN was ATTENDING law school.

If in the OA we replace "before the opening of the Erie Canal" with "before opening the Erie Canal", we get: 
"Before opening the Erie Canal in 1825, "moving a ton of wheat" from Buffalo to New York City took three weeks". 
Here, "before opening" seems to refer to moving a ton of wheat -- the subject of the following clause -- implying that MOVING A TON OF WHEAT was OPENING the Erie Canal. 
This meaning is nonsensical.

pikolo2510 · Answer

Hello Experts, In option C "moving" is used as a GERUND here right? please confirm or let me know if I am wrong

egmat · Answer

Hello pikolo2510 , I will be glad to help you out with this one.

Yes indeed, the word moving in Choice C is the verb-ing noun form or the gerund. Hope this helps.

Thanks. Shraddha

Prashant10692 · Answer

abhimahna  Could you please explain why B is wrong?

How is B acting as a fragmat?

Why can't It be dummy pronoun here?

abhimahna · Answer

Hi Prashant10692 , B is a disaster here. Let's discuss how: B) Moving a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City before the opening the Erie Canal in 1825, Error 1: it took three weeks, --> Moving took two weeks or Opening tool two weeks? Not clear. Error 2: costing $90; --> Remember , ing form? It is used either to show cause and effect or to descrive something in the clause before comma. Are we saying? Taking 3 weeks was costing or the result of taking three weeks was costing? Error 3: using the canal, it took less than eight days and cost less than $6. --> What is it referring to? Canal? Really? Hence, B is wrong for so many reasons. I would worry about only one and I am done.

egmat · Answer

Hello nahid78 , I will be glad to help you out with this one.

The article the is used to present a definite noun. This official sentence talks about moving a ton of wheat from Buffalo to New York City on two occasions: i. Before the Erie Canal opened ii. After the Erie Canal opened Since, the sentence talks about the same move = transporting a ton of wheat from point A to point B in two different time periods, usage of the before move is correct as it talks about that particular move the sentence has already mentioned previously. Hope this helps.

Thanks. Shraddha

When a ton of wheat was being moved from Buffalo to New York

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When a ton of wheat was being moved from Buffalo to New York

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