Alpacas’ fleece is worth surprisingly little compared to their market

Question

Alpacas’ fleece is worth surprisingly little compared to their market value; a top breeding specimen bringing upwards of $100,000 even if five pounds of fleece fetches  only $80 to $240.

A. Alpacas’ fleece is worth surprisingly little compared to their market value; a top breeding specimen bringing upwards of $100,000 even if five pounds of fleece fetches

B. Alpacas’ fleece is worth surprisingly little in comparison with its market value; a top breeding specimen bringing upwards of $100,000 while five pounds of fleece fetches

C. The fleece of the alpaca is worth surprisingly little compared to its market value, while a top breeding specimen can bring upwards of $100,000 even though five pounds of fleece fetch

D. The fleece of the alpaca is worth surprisingly little compared to the animal’s market value; a top breeding specimen can bring upwards of $100,000 while five pounds of fleece fetch

E. The worth of the alpaca’s fleece is surprisingly little compared to the animal’s market value; a top breeding specimen can bring upwards of $100,000 even though five pounds of fleece fetches

Jp27 · Accepted Answer

here is my take on this problem. pls feel free to correct me.

1/ Possessive cannot be used as an elimination criteria here 
for example : Jane’s first novel was so well received that that her skeptical husband also started appreciating her writing style
here both "her" can be replaced with JANE's 
Full version : Jane’s first novel was so well received that that JANE's skeptical husband also started appreciating JANE's writing style
Same deal with the original sentence.

2/ Some nouns can be singular or plural, which totally depends on the context. For example "FISH" - this is both sig and plural so only context / non-underlined portion can tell you. but here
Alpacas, watever that is, can be both sig and plural, but since there is no such context hence we cannot use plurality here as an issues.

3/ Stuffs after semi colon needs to follow clause

4/ Eventhough / although / even / as are used as conjunction. For example : Even If I  knock  down 10 beers, I  will  be able to drive my car. (both the left and right are clauses)

BACK TO THE ANSWER CHOICE IN THEIR ENTIRETY

• Alpacas’ fleece is worth surprisingly little compared to their market value; a top breeding specimen bringing
upwards of $100,000 even if five pounds of fleece fetches only $80 to $240.

We are comparing fleece's worth vs Alpacas's worth so the 1st half would be ;-> Alpacas’ fleece is worth surprisingly little compared to Alpacas 'market value - this is legit (we dont know whether Alpacas is sing of plural so cant use its/their to kill any options)
But the 2nd half is a problem :we don't have a clause -> even if five pounds of fleece fetches only $80 to $240,  a top breeding specimen bringing
upwards of $100,000  - So drop this one.

• Alpacas’ fleece is worth surprisingly little in comparison with its market value; a top breeding specimen bringing
upwards of $100,000 while five pounds of fleece fetches only $80 to $240.
(we dont know whether Alpacas is sing of plural so cant use its/their to kill any options) and same reason as A, no clause afer semicolon.

• The fleece of the alpaca is worth surprisingly little compared to its market value, while a top breeding specimen
can bring upwards of $100,000 even though five pounds of fleece fetch only $80 to $240.
Again problem after semi-colon cant use both "while" and "eventhough" in 1 sentence because of this there is no independent clause!

• The fleece of the alpaca is worth surprisingly little compared to the animal’s market value; a top breeding specimen
can bring upwards of $100,000 while five pounds of fleece fetch only $80 to $240.
Makes sense in all aspect.

• The worth of the alpaca’s fleece is surprisingly little compared to the animal’s market value; a top breeding
specimen can bring upwards of $100,000 even though five pounds of fleece fetches only $80 to $240

5 pounds doesn't agree with "fetches". Also "worth" is placed in the wrong location.

Side note : 100 pounds of chicken "IS" enough to feed 100 Siberian tigers. (I dont think "are" would make sense here, on the similar lines "five pounds of fleece fetches" also makes sense.... little iffy here abt this! )

Word up!

cheers

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

Meaning is crucial to solving this problem: 
Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this sentence is that alpaca fleece is worth surprisingly little compared to the market value of an alpaca, and, to elaborate, a top breeding specimen can bring upwards of $100,000 while five pounds of fleece fetch only $80 to $240.

Concepts tested here:   Subject - Verb Agreement + Pronouns + Meaning + Idioms + Awkwardness/Redundancy

• “if” is used to refer to phrases that lead to a “then” clause and “whether" is used for showing alternatives; "whether" generally wins over "if" on GMAT.
• “while” is used for actions that take place simultaneously, irrespective of whether these actions are positive, negative, or neutral.
• "compared/comparison with" is used for comparing similar things and "compared/comparison to" is used for comparing different things.

A:  This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun "pounds" with the singular verb "fetches". Further, Option A fails to form a complete sentence; as "bringing" is a present participle ("verb+ing" - "bringing" in this sentence) and "fetches" is part of a modifying phrase, there is no active verb to act upon the subject "specimen". Additionally, Option A incorrectly uses "if" to refer to concurrent actions, a "top breeding specimen" earning $100,000 and "five pounds of fleece" fetching only $80 to $240; please remember, "while" is used to refer to actions that take place simultaneously, and "if" is only used to refer to phrases that lead to a “then” clause. Besides, Option A uses the passive voice construction "Alpaca’s fleece", rendering it awkward and needlessly indirect.

B:  This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun "pounds" with the singular verb "fetches". Moreover, Option B incorrectly refers to the plural noun "Alpacas'" with the singular pronoun "its". Further, Option B fails to form a complete sentence; as "bringing" is a present participle ("verb+ing" - "bringing" in this sentence) and "fetches" is part of a modifying phrase, there is no active verb to act upon the subject "specimen". Additionally, Option B incorrectly uses "comparison with" to compare two dissimilar elements, "Alpacas’ fleece" and "its market value"; please remember, "comparison with" is used for comparing similar things, and "comparison to" is used for comparing different things. Besides, Option B uses the passive voice construction "Alpaca’s fleece", rendering it awkward and needlessly indirect.

C:  This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "its market value"; the construction of this phrase illogically implies that the alpaca fleece is worth surprisingly little compared to   its own   market value; the intended meaning is that alpaca fleece is worth surprisingly little compared to the market value   of an alpaca  . Moreover, Option C further alters the meaning of the sentence through the modifying phrase "while a top breeding specimen...only $80 to $240"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that alpaca fleece being worth surprisingly little compared to its market value and a top breeding specimen bringing in upwards of $100,000 are   two simultaneous actions  , even   though   five pounds of fleece fetch only $80 to $240; the intended meaning of this sentence is that alpaca fleece is worth surprisingly little compared to the market value of an alpaca,   and, to elaborate,   a top breeding specimen can bring upwards of $100,000   while   five pounds of fleece fetch only $80 to $240.

D:   Correct.  This answer choice correctly refers to the plural noun "pounds" with the plural verb "fetch". Moreover, Option D avoids the pronoun error seen in Option B, as it uses no pronouns. Further, Option D acts upon the independent noun "specimen" with the active verb "can bring" to form a complete thought, leading to a complete sentence. Additionally, Option D uses the phrase "the animal’s market value" and the independent clause "a top breeding specimen...$100,000", conveying the intended meaning - that alpaca fleece is worth surprisingly little compared to the market value of an alpaca, and, to elaborate, a top breeding specimen can bring upwards of $100,000 while five pounds of fleece fetch only $80 to $240. Besides, Option D correctly uses "while" to refer to concurrent actions, a "top breeding specimen" earning $100,000 and "five pounds of fleece" fetching only $80 to $240. Additionally, Option D correctly uses "compared to" to refer to two dissimilar elements, "Alpacas’ fleece" and "market value". Besides, Option D is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.

E:  Trap. This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun "pounds" with the singular verb "fetches". Further, Option E uses the passive voice construction "worth of the alpaca’s fleece", rendering it awkward and needlessly indirect.

Hence, D is the best answer choice.

To understand the concept of "If" vs "Whether" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VARhmMp4gY

To understand the concept of "Compared with" vs "Compared to" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G_e5knHG50

All the best!
Experts' Global Team

Bluelagoon · Answer

Alpacas’ fleece is worth surprisingly little compared to their market value; a top breeding specimen bringing
upwards of $100,000 even if five pounds of fleece fetches only $80 to $240.
• Alpacas’ fleece is worth surprisingly little compared to their market value; a top breeding specimen bringing
upwards of $100,000 even if five pounds of fleece fetches
• Alpacas’ fleece is worth surprisingly little in comparison with its market value; a top breeding specimen bringing
upwards of $100,000 while five pounds of fleece fetches
• The fleece of the alpaca is worth surprisingly little compared to its market value, while a top breeding specimen
can bring upwards of $100,000 even though five pounds of fleece fetch
• The fleece of the alpaca is worth surprisingly little compared to the animal’s market value; a top breeding specimen
can bring upwards of $100,000 while five pounds of fleece fetch
• The worth of the alpaca’s fleece is surprisingly little compared to the animal’s market value; a top breeding
specimen can bring upwards of $100,000 even though five pounds of fleece fetches

Possessive noun's are not good antecedents. => eliminate a,b and c. Five pounds of fleece is plural => D wins.

aditi1903 · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION:

The original sentence contains several errors. First, the pronoun "their" logically refers to alpacas; however, since the word alpacas' is in possessive form, it is an awkward antecedent for any pronoun (although it is technically legal to refer to a possessive noun with a possessive pronoun such as "their").

Second, the singular verb "fetches" is paired with the plural noun phrase "five pounds of fleece." Third, the use of the semicolon is improper. A semicolon can correctly be - 90 -
used to separate two independent clauses (subject + verb). Here, however, what follows the semicolon is not a clause since it can not stand alone as a sentence.

(A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence.

(B) This choice does not remedy the pronoun issue, merely replacing "their" with "its". The "its" now seems to refer to "fleece"; however, it is not the market value of the fleece to which the Alpacas' fleece is being compared. This choice also does not correct the subject-verb or semicolon problems.

(C) This choice does not remedy the pronoun issue, merely replacing "their" with "its". The "its" now seems to refer to "fleece"; however, it is not the market value of the fleece to which the Alpacas' fleece is being compared. This choice does fix the semicolon issue. Nevertheless, the construction "while... even though..." is awkward, since it presents two successive contrasts. The subject-verb issue ("pounds fetch") has been corrected.

(D) CORRECT. The pronoun issue is solved by replacing the pronoun "the animal's." The semicolon correctly separates two independent clauses. The "while" correctly separates two contrasting ideas, and the verb "fetch" agrees with "pounds."

(E) The subject-verb disagreement remains ("pounds fetches)". Moreover, describing "worth" as "little" is awkward in this context; a better choice would be "low." Nonetheless, the pronoun issue is remedied by replacing "their" with "the animal's". The semicolon is used correctly here (two clauses).

abhimahna · Answer

Alpacas’ fleece is worth surprisingly little compared to their market value; a top breeding specimen bringing upwards of $100,000 even if five pounds of fleece fetches only $80 to $240.
• Alpacas’ fleece is worth surprisingly little compared to their market value;  a top breeding specimen bringing
upwards of $100,000 even if five pounds of fleece fetches   RUN on SENTENCE 
• Alpacas’ fleece is worth surprisingly little in comparison with its market value;  a top breeding specimen bringing
upwards of $100,000 while five pounds of fleece fetches   RUN on SENTENCE 
• The fleece of the alpaca is worth surprisingly little compared to its market value,  while  a top breeding specimen
can bring upwards of $100,000  even though  five pounds of fleece fetch  Redunandcy.  
 • The fleece of the alpaca is worth surprisingly little compared to the animal’s market value; a top breeding specimen
can bring upwards of $100,000 while five pounds of fleece fetch 
• The worth of the alpaca’s fleece is surprisingly little compared to the animal’s market value; a top breeding
specimen can bring upwards of $100,000 even though five pounds of fleece  fetches   Agreement Error

shekyonline · Answer

Alpacas’ fleece is worth surprisingly little compared to their market value; a top breeding specimen bringing
upwards of $100,000 even if five pounds of fleece  fetches  only $80 to $240.
• Alpacas’ fleece is worth surprisingly little compared to their market value; a top breeding specimen bringing
upwards of $100,000 even if five pounds of fleece  fetches 
• Alpacas’ fleece is worth surprisingly little in comparison with its market value; a top breeding specimen bringing
upwards of $100,000 while five pounds of fleece  fetches 
• The fleece of the alpaca is worth surprisingly little compared to its market value, while a top breeding specimen
can bring upwards of $100,000 even though five pounds of fleece fetch
  'it'  refers to  'The fleece of the alpaca '
It changes the meaning of the statement. Wrong

• The fleece of  the alpaca  is worth surprisingly little compared to  the animal’s  market value; a top breeding specimen
can bring upwards of $100,000 while five pounds of fleece  fetch

Correct.
• The worth of the alpaca’s fleece is surprisingly little compared to the animal’s market value; a top breeding
specimen can bring upwards of $100,000 even though five pounds of fleece  fetches

Shrey08 · Answer

Hello Abhimahna

Can you please explain how A and B are a run-on ? The clauses are separated by a semicolon not comma.

I rejected A and B for the S-V error (five  pounds  of fleece  fetches ) but I would like to know if there are more errors, which I did not notice.

VerbalBot · Answer

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Alpacas’ fleece is worth surprisingly little compared to their market

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Alpacas’ fleece is worth surprisingly little compared to their market

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