Last visit was: 23 Apr 2024, 13:20 It is currently 23 Apr 2024, 13:20

Close
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

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
SORT BY:
Date
Tags:
Show Tags
Hide Tags
User avatar
Manager
Manager
Joined: 08 Nov 2008
Posts: 152
Own Kudos [?]: 1139 [26]
Given Kudos: 7
Send PM
Most Helpful Reply
SVP
SVP
Joined: 14 Apr 2009
Posts: 2261
Own Kudos [?]: 3670 [16]
Given Kudos: 8
Location: New York, NY
Send PM
User avatar
Retired Moderator
Joined: 16 Jun 2012
Posts: 871
Own Kudos [?]: 8553 [9]
Given Kudos: 123
Location: United States
Send PM
General Discussion
User avatar
Manager
Manager
Joined: 08 Nov 2008
Posts: 152
Own Kudos [?]: 1139 [0]
Given Kudos: 7
Send PM
Visby is the largest city on the Swedish island of Gotland; arguably [#permalink]

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION:



(C). This question tests your recognition of misplaced modifiers, changes in meaning, wordiness and sentence fragments. The original sentence contains a semi-colon; the clause on either side of the colon must be independent. Also, the second clause is a fragment and contains a misplaced modifier: ‘arguably the best preserved….’ This modifier must modify Visby. In this case, it modifies nothing. Choice (B) corrects both problems but is excessively wordy: ‘and, as a result of this.’ Choice (D) does not refer back to the subject in the second part of the sentence: ‘and arguably…’, and (E)also omits the subject by beginning with ‘is.’ Only (C) corrects the original problems, indicates the cause of the World Heritage marker, and maintains concision.
User avatar
Director
Director
Joined: 18 May 2008
Posts: 696
Own Kudos [?]: 2798 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: Visby is the largest city on the Swedish island of Gotland; arguably [#permalink]
Now im more confused. If C is the OA then can we say that the sentence after semicolon is an independent clause?
User avatar
Director
Director
Joined: 07 Nov 2007
Posts: 718
Own Kudos [?]: 3077 [2]
Given Kudos: 5
Location: New York
Send PM
Re: Visby is the largest city on the Swedish island of Gotland; arguably [#permalink]
1
Kudos
1
Bookmarks
ritula wrote:
Now im more confused. If C is the OA then can we say that the sentence after semicolon is an independent clause?



Yes C is alsow independent clause.

arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, it has become a World Heritage Site.

rewrite the above sentence..

Visby has become a World Heritage Site ,arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia


Blue part is independent clause
Red part is modifier which modfies subject it (Visby)..
User avatar
Manager
Manager
Joined: 22 Dec 2009
Posts: 179
Own Kudos [?]: 944 [1]
Given Kudos: 48
Send PM
Re: SC - 800score [#permalink]
1
Kudos
Its a clear cut C....

My Explanation:
A is out as the correction should be an independent clause which isnt the case with A...
B is too wordy
D says that is has become the world heritage site... and is the best preserve medivial town... this is not correct as this option states that it became the best preserve medivial town after it had become a world heritage site.
E has the same problem as A... not an independent clause...

And in C.... 'it' refers to 'the best preserved medivial town in Scandinavia'... and not 'Scandinavia'
avatar
Intern
Intern
Joined: 20 Oct 2009
Posts: 11
Own Kudos [?]: 4 [0]
Given Kudos: 2
 Q49  V37
Send PM
Re: Visby is the largest city on the Swedish island of Gotland; arguably [#permalink]
gmatpill wrote:
Quote:
Visby is the largest city on the Swedish island of Gotland; arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, and has become a World Heritage Site.

A. arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, and has become a World Heritage Site.
B. it is arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, and, as a result of this, has become a World Heritage Site.
C. arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, it has become a World Heritage Site.
D. it has become a World Heritage Site, and arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia.
E. is arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, a World Heritage Site.


The answer is C. The person who posted the OA as D did it by mistake--according to another source...

Here's my recommended approach to this question:
Step 1: Scan the sentence and notice a semi colon that is NOT part of the underlined portion of the sentence. That means the underlined portion must read just like a full regular sentence.

Step 2: So now that we pretend the entire first part of the sentence before the semicolon is not there---we notice that the underlined portion does not make sense. "Arguably...., " is the phrase that should describe the subject on the other side of the comma. Instead, we have "and has become..."--which does not make sense in A.

Step 3: Eliminate A and look at other alternatives in the answer choices.

With (B), it's quite wordy "and, as a result of this..."---NOT GOOD

With (C), "arguably" describes the word next to the comma "it"--so that makes sense. seems OK

With (D), you don't need the comma before "and"----if you use a comma, then there needs to be a subject on the right side of the comma. --seems IFFY

With (E), where's the subject? It starts with "is"--which does not make sense. Remember the underlined portion should read as a complete sentence so it cannot start with "is"---NOT GOOD

Step 4: Only answer choice (C) makes sense. Read it again..does it make sense as a sentence by itself?

"Arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, it has become a World Heritage Site."

It's OK to have "it" refer back to the portion on the other side of the semicolon way back in the beginning.

You can also reread it like this:
"Arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, [Visby] has become a World Heritage Site."


:-D Choose C and move on! :-D


My understading when we use semi-colon then the two clauses separated by semicolon should be independent. The option C does not allow this. Therefore option C can not be the best option.

Only B and D satisfies the condition above. In case of B there is un-necessary extra wordings and commas before and after 'and' hence eliminated.

We can safely go ahead with D.

Any other views?
SVP
SVP
Joined: 14 Apr 2009
Posts: 2261
Own Kudos [?]: 3670 [0]
Given Kudos: 8
Location: New York, NY
Send PM
Re: Visby is the largest city on the Swedish island of Gotland; arguably [#permalink]
shivganar wrote:
gmatpill wrote:
Quote:
Visby is the largest city on the Swedish island of Gotland; arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, and has become a World Heritage Site.

A. arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, and has become a World Heritage Site.
B. it is arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, and, as a result of this, has become a World Heritage Site.
C. arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, it has become a World Heritage Site.
D. it has become a World Heritage Site, and arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia.
E. is arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, a World Heritage Site.


The answer is C. The person who posted the OA as D did it by mistake--according to another source...

Here's my recommended approach to this question:
Step 1: Scan the sentence and notice a semi colon that is NOT part of the underlined portion of the sentence. That means the underlined portion must read just like a full regular sentence.

Step 2: So now that we pretend the entire first part of the sentence before the semicolon is not there---we notice that the underlined portion does not make sense. "Arguably...., " is the phrase that should describe the subject on the other side of the comma. Instead, we have "and has become..."--which does not make sense in A.

Step 3: Eliminate A and look at other alternatives in the answer choices.

With (B), it's quite wordy "and, as a result of this..."---NOT GOOD

With (C), "arguably" describes the word next to the comma "it"--so that makes sense. seems OK

With (D), you don't need the comma before "and"----if you use a comma, then there needs to be a subject on the right side of the comma. --seems IFFY

With (E), where's the subject? It starts with "is"--which does not make sense. Remember the underlined portion should read as a complete sentence so it cannot start with "is"---NOT GOOD

Step 4: Only answer choice (C) makes sense. Read it again..does it make sense as a sentence by itself?

"Arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, it has become a World Heritage Site."

It's OK to have "it" refer back to the portion on the other side of the semicolon way back in the beginning.

You can also reread it like this:
"Arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, [Visby] has become a World Heritage Site."


:-D Choose C and move on! :-D
_________________
Zeke Lee
Founder of the GMAT Pill Study Method
Take a preview look and FREE 4-step video lesson here: https://www.gmatpill.com


My understading when we use semi-colon then the two clauses separated by semicolon should be independent. The option C does not allow this. Therefore option C can not be the best option.

Only B and D satisfies the condition above. In case of B there is un-necessary extra wordings and commas before and after 'and' hence eliminated.

We can safely go ahead with D.

Any other views?



shivganar,
With semicolons, you should be able to read both sides separately and they should still make sense. Look carefully at (C) and reassess:

You can also reread it like this:
"Arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, [Visby] has become a World Heritage Site."


Ask yourself: Does this sound like a complete sentence? You should arrive at: YES
The structure is "[Phrase], [Main Sentence]"
The main sentence = "Visby has become a World Heritage Site." ---makes sense.
The phrase: "Arugably the best preserved medieval town in Scandinavia"---correctly describes "Visby"
So why wouldn't this read like an "independent clause"?

(C) is fine. Do you see this?

With (D), can you explain why there is a comma before the "and"? How can you justify that when the words to the right of the word "and" only make up a phrase?

(C) is the best answer.
GMAT Club Legend
GMAT Club Legend
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Status: enjoying
Posts: 5265
Own Kudos [?]: 42102 [0]
Given Kudos: 422
Location: India
WE:Education (Education)
Send PM
Re: Visby is the largest city on the Swedish island of Gotland; arguably [#permalink]
Expert Reply
It is accepted that what follows the semi-colon should be a somewhat related clause and should be a full fledged one with it is own subject and verb.

A. arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, and has become a World Heritage Site……. Lacks subject- hence wrong


B. it is arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, and, as a result of this, has become a World Heritage Site. ….. It may be grammatically correct but the expression 'as a result of this' is not intended in the original. Ther is no cause and effect relationship between the two factors; the intent is distorted and hence wrong.

C. arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, it has become a World Heritage Site. …..Many might think that this is not a full clause. Sorry! The second part is a full fledged clause with the participial modifier ‘arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia’ modifying the clause starting with ‘it has become’. Right Choice

D. it has become a World Heritage Site, and arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia. ….. Grammatically wrong. There is no proper subject for the second part of the clause that follows the conjunction ‘and’. It can not take ‘it has become’ as the elliptical subject and verb. Such an assumption renders the clause meaningless.


E. is arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, a World Heritage Site. ……. Lacks a subject. Secondly ‘a World Heritage Site’ modifies Scandinavia.

C is the most precise and structurally correct choice
User avatar
Manager
Manager
Joined: 20 Dec 2009
Status:Can't give up
Posts: 142
Own Kudos [?]: 66 [0]
Given Kudos: 34
GPA: 3.5
Send PM
Re: Visby is the largest city on the Swedish island of Gotland; arguably [#permalink]
Daagh - are you saying in C "it" is the subject?

if yes what type of subject is this? :shock:
GMAT Club Legend
GMAT Club Legend
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Status: enjoying
Posts: 5265
Own Kudos [?]: 42102 [0]
Given Kudos: 422
Location: India
WE:Education (Education)
Send PM
Re: Visby is the largest city on the Swedish island of Gotland; arguably [#permalink]
Expert Reply
@amma4u: Normally haven’t we seen in two part sentences a pronoun standing for the subject of the first part? In this case, the pronoun 'it' stands for Visby, the subject of the first clause.

But then, I just don't know what exactly you mean by asking for the type of the pronoun. The word 'it' is just an ordinary third person singular pronoun. But certainly it is not expletive in the given context.
User avatar
Senior Manager
Senior Manager
Joined: 23 Dec 2010
Status:Making every effort to create original content for you!!
Posts: 442
Own Kudos [?]: 5415 [0]
Given Kudos: 82
Location: United States
Concentration: Healthcare, Social Entrepreneurship
GMAT 1: 660 Q48 V34
GMAT 2: 750 Q49 V42
Send PM
Re: Visby is the largest city on the Swedish island of Gotland; arguably [#permalink]
Expert Reply
Quote:
Visby is the largest city on the Swedish island of Gotland; arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, and has become a World Heritage Site.

(A) arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, and has become a World Heritage Site.
(B) it is arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, and, as a result of this, has become a World Heritage Site.
(C) arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, it has become a World Heritage Site.
(D) it has become a World Heritage Site, and arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia.
(E) is arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, a World Heritage Site.


Hi,

I received a PM regarding this question.

Out of the given choices (C) sounds the best. the "it" in (C) is correct and correctly refers to "town". The prepositional phrase "in Scandinavia" is correctly placed next to "town". It is essential to the meaning and can not be placed elsewhere in the sentence.

If you see the other contender (D). A comma before "and " is used; it is used in two occasions, to present three or more things in a list or to connect two independent clauses. In (D) "and" is being used used to connect (or coordinate, in grammatical terms) a clause "it has become..." and a phrase "arguably the best preserved....". This is clearly incorrect.

However in GMAT, these type of questions are very rare.

Please also see the question in the post below. This question also has a critical modifier essential to the meaning of the sentence.

during-hot-summer-days-to-reduce-new-700-question-147529.html

I hope it clears your doubt,

Vercules
avatar
Manager
Manager
Joined: 21 May 2015
Posts: 197
Own Kudos [?]: 345 [0]
Given Kudos: 57
Concentration: Operations, Strategy
GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V41
Send PM
Re: SC - 800score [#permalink]
Visby is the largest city on the Swedish island of Gotland; arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, and has become a World Heritage Site.

(A) arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, and has become a World Heritage Site.
Wrong. - reference error

(B) it is arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, and, as a result of this, has become a World Heritage Site.
Wrong. - Wrong syntax and usage

(C) arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, it has become a World Heritage Site.
Correct. it correctly reference to Visby in the sentence , the meaning of the independent clause is clear

(D) it has become a World Heritage Site, and arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia.
Wrong. - the sentence means that Visby has become the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia

(E) is arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, a World Heritage Site.
Wrong. - reference error
avatar
Intern
Intern
Joined: 05 Jul 2015
Posts: 4
Own Kudos [?]: 5 [2]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: SC - 800score [#permalink]
2
Kudos
(B) it is arguably the best-preserved medieval town in Scandinavia, and, as a result of this, has become a World Heritage Site.

The above option is wrong because a comma was kept before the conjunction and. however, if we keep the subject "it" before the " has become ... " it would be correct. check the below sentences.
rani went to school and later she went to market - wrong
rani went to school, and later she went to market - right
rani went to school and later went to market - right

source - manhattan gmat
GMAT Club Legend
GMAT Club Legend
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Status: enjoying
Posts: 5265
Own Kudos [?]: 42102 [0]
Given Kudos: 422
Location: India
WE:Education (Education)
Send PM
Re: SC - 800score [#permalink]
Expert Reply
Top Contributor
The official explanation that choice C brings out a cause and effect relationship is illogical. Please note the word, arguably. It is still debatable whether the town is the best-preserved medieval town. While so, how can we take that it was granted a status of World Heritage. Does anyone give a site a heritage status, because it is still argued to be whether best preserved or not.
In addition, a World Heritage title is given not because a site is well maintained but because it is ancient.
Manager
Manager
Joined: 24 Mar 2018
Posts: 198
Own Kudos [?]: 41 [0]
Given Kudos: 288
Location: India
GMAT 1: 680 Q50 V31
Send PM
Re: SC - 800score [#permalink]
I choose OA as D
But C is given as OA , it is debatable in C
User avatar
Non-Human User
Joined: 01 Oct 2013
Posts: 17206
Own Kudos [?]: 848 [0]
Given Kudos: 0
Send PM
Re: Visby is the largest city on the Swedish island of Gotland; arguably [#permalink]
Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.
GMAT Club Bot
Re: Visby is the largest city on the Swedish island of Gotland; arguably [#permalink]
Moderators:
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
6917 posts
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
238 posts

Powered by phpBB © phpBB Group | Emoji artwork provided by EmojiOne