Modifiers

1. What is a modifier? A modifier is a phrase of two or more words that describe a noun. In the following example, the modifier is marked in blue, and the noun it describes is marked in green: Using a stethoscope, the doctor listened to John's heartbeat. Most modifiers are characterized by a Verb+ing (e.g., using, wearing) or verb in the 3rd form (e.g., mistaken, forgotten, based).

2. Dangling modifier mistakes in Sentence Correction questions Since a modifier describes a certain noun, it should be next to it. The modifier can come before the noun it describes or after it, but in any case should be right next to the noun it describes, with nothing else between them. If you encounter a sentence in which the modifier is not right next to the noun it describes, it means that the modifier is misplaced, that is, in the wrong place. This is a dangling modifier mistake. Example: Wearing a flattering red top, all the men in the room looked at Jane.

3. Correcting dangling modifier mistakes A. Changing the location of the modifier and/or the noun so that they're right next to each other Example: Wearing a flattering red top, Jane was looked at by all the men in the room. B. Rephrasing the sentence so that it no longer uses a modifier. Example: All the men in the room looked at Jane, who was wearing a flattering red top.

4. Stop Sign A modifier, characterized by all of the following: 1. Verb+ing or Verb in 3rd form 2. Separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma 3. Appears at the very beginning of the sentence Whenever you see this Stop Sign, focus on the modifier: check whether the noun right after the modifier is indeed the noun that the modifier describes. If it doesn't - you found your mistake.

While German engineering ☺undeniably maintains one of the highest standards in the world, Italian design is renowned for its creative insight as it inspires the imagination of designers in a wide range of manufacturing industries throughout the world.☺ undeniably maintains one of the highest standards in the world, Italian design is renowned for its creative insight as it inspires the imagination of designers in a wide range of manufacturing industries throughout the world maintains undeniable one of the highest standards in the world, Italian design is renowned for its creative insight as throughout the world it inspires the imagination of designers in a wide range of manufacturing industries undeniably maintains one of the highest standards in the world, Italian design is renowned for its creative insight as the imaginations of designers in a wide range of manufacturing industries throughout the world are being inspired by it undeniably maintains one of the highest standards in the world, Italian design is renowned for its creativity insight as it inspires the imagination of designers in a wide range of manufacturing industries throughout the world undeniably maintains one of the highest standards in the world, Italian design is renowned for its creative insight as it inspires the imagination of designers in a widely range of manufacturing industries throughout the world

A Close enough - you took 1 minutes and 52 seconds to answer this question. Bravo! This answer choice avoids committing a Parts of Speech error by using adverbs to describe verbs, and adjectives to describe nouns. ++++++++++++++ B Incorrect. This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. An adverb should be used to describe a verb. In this sentence, an adjective (undeniable) is used to describe a verb (maintains). C Incorrect. Although this answer choice is grammatically correct, it is stylistically flawed. Using the passive form (are being) instead of the active creates redundancy. Since there is another grammatically correct answer choice that doesn't use the passive form, it is preferable to this one. D Incorrect. This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. The word creativity is a noun. The adjective form of this word should be used to describe the noun insight. E Incorrect. This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. An adjective should be used to describe a noun. In this sentence, an adverb (widely) is used to describe a noun (range).

Premiering off-Broadway in 1967, the creators of the musical Hair were songwriting duo James Rado and Gerome Ragni and composer Galt MacDermot, who won a Grammy award for his song African Waltz in 1960. Premiering off-Broadway in 1967, the creators of the musical Hair were songwriting duo James Rado and Gerome Ragni and composer Galt MacDermot, who won a Grammy award for his song African Waltz in 1960 Composer Galt MacDermot, who won a Grammy award for his song African Waltz in 1960, and songwriting duo James Rado and Gerome Ragni, creators of the musical Hair which premiered off-Broadway in 1967 The musical Hair was created by songwriting duo James Rado and Gerome Ragni and by composer Galt MacDermot, who had won a Grammy award for his song African Waltz in 1960, and it premiered off-Broadway in 1967 Premiering off-Broadway in 1967, the musical Hair was created by composer Galt MacDermot, who had won a Grammy award for his song African Waltz in 1960, and by songwriting duo James Rado and Gerome Ragni Premiering off Broadway in 1967, the songwriting duo of James Rado and Gerome Ragni were the creators of the musical Hair, along with composer Galt Macdermot, who won a Grammy award for his song African Waltz in 1960

A Very good! You took 2 minutes and 15 seconds to answer this question. Incorrect. This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. The original sentence begins with a modifier: Premiering off-Broadway in 1967. A modifier should be placed right next to the noun it describes. The only noun that this modifier can logically modify is the musical Hair. However, what immediately follows the modifier is the creators and creators cannot premiere. What helps us identify this question as a Dangling Modifier question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign: A modifier, characterized by all of the following: 1. Verb+ing or Verb in 3rd form 2. Separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma 3. Appears at the very beginning of the sentence Whenever you see this Stop Sign, focus on the modifier: check whether the noun right after the modifier is indeed the noun that the modifier describes. If it isn't - you've found your mistake. D Well done! This answer choice corrects the Dangling Modifier mistake in the original question, by placing the noun being described (the musical Hair) directly after the modifier describing it (Premiering off-Broadway). ++++++++++++++++++++ Composer Galt MacDermot, who won a Grammy award for his song African Waltz in 1960, and songwriting duo James Rado and Gerome Ragni, creators of the musical Hair which premiered off-Broadway in 1967 Incorrect. This answer choice is grammatically incorrect because it is a fragment, lacking a conjugated verb. The only conjugated verbs in this sentence (won, premiered) are part of relative clauses, (who won..., which premiered), leaving the main clause beginning with the subject Composer Galt Macdermot, without a conjugated verb. The musical Hair was created by songwriting duo James Rado and Gerome Ragni and by composer Galt MacDermot, who had won a Grammy award for his song African Waltz in 1960, and it premiered off-Broadway in 1967 Incorrect. While this answer choice corrects the Dangling Modifier mistake in the original question, by changing the modifier premiering, etc. to a conjugated verb premiered, it is stylistically flawed. The pronoun it is ambiguous, as it can refer to either African Waltz or the musical Hair. Premiering off Broadway in 1967, the songwriting duo of James Rado and Gerome Ragni were the creators of the musical Hair, along with composer Galt Macdermot, who won a Grammy award for his song African Waltz in 1960 Incorrect. This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. This answer choice repeats the Dangling Modifier mistake in the original question and creates another grammatical mistake. The original sentence begins with a modifier: Premiering off-Broadway in 1967. A modifier should be placed right next to the noun it describes. The only noun that this modifier can logically modify is the musical Hair. However, what immediately follows the modifier is songwriting duo and a songwriting duo cannot premiere. In addition, the plural verb were does not agree with the singular subject the songwriting duo (of James Rado and Gerome Ragni).

In which of the following sentences do you identify a verb precedes subject Stop Sign? Deep between two mountain ranges flows the river Brine. Curious to understand the nature of lightning, Benjamin Franklin conducted an experiment to draw electricity from a thunderstorm. Rarely observed by ornithologists, the large-billed reed warbler was once thought to be extinct. Introduced into the market last fall, the price of the new soap brand fell by two dollars within four weeks.

A Well done! The subject of the sentence is the river Brine, which comes after the verb flows. The other answer choices did have verbal forms before the subject of the sentence, but those were not conjugated verbs and therefore not the main verbs of the sentence. ++++++++++++++++ Curious to understand the nature of lightning, Benjamin Franklin conducted an experiment to draw electricity from a thunderstorm. Incorrect. The subject of this sentence is Benjamin Franklin. The main verb conducted follows rather than precedes the subject. You may have been confused by the verbal form to understand that appears in the first part of the sentence. However, this form is a part of a modifier. Hence, it is not the main verb of the sentence. Rarely observed by ornithologists, the large-billed reed warbler was once thought to be extinct. Incorrect. The subject of this sentence is the large-billed reed warbler. The main verb was...thought follows rather than precedes the subject. You may have been confused by the verbal form observed that appears in the first part of the sentence. However, this form is a part of a modifier. Hence, it is not the main verb of the sentence. Introduced into the market last fall, the price of the new soap brand fell by two dollars within four weeks. Incorrect. The subject of this sentence is the price of the new soap brand. The main verb fell follows rather than precedes the subject. You may have been confused by the verbal form Introduced that appears in the first part of the sentence. However, this form is a part of a modifier (in this case a dangling modifier). Hence, it is not the main verb of the sentence.

In reaction to King Charles I's attempt to arrest five parliament members in 1642, the House of Commons maintained that ☺it had a right to question the right of the sovereign to enter its chamber.☺ it had a right to question the right of the sovereign to enter its chamber they have a right to question the sovereign's right to enter their chamber they will have the right to question the sovereign's right to enter their chambers it was their right to question the sovereign's right to enter their chamber it has the right to question the sovereign's right to enter its chambers

A Well done! This answer choice correctly uses a Past tense (had) after a Reported Speech verb in the Past tense (maintained), and uses the pronouns it and its to correctly refer to the singular noun the House of Commons. +++++++++++++ they have a right to question the sovereign's right to enter their chamber Incorrect. This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. The pronouns they and their do not agree with the noun House of Commons to which they refer. In addition, in Reported Speech, when the reporting verb is in the Past tense (maintained), the following conjugated verbs should also be in the Past. However, have is in the Present. What helps us identify this question as a Reported Speech question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign: Reported Speech with a reporting verb in Past tense they will have the right to question the sovereign's right to enter their chambers Incorrect. This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. The pronouns they and their do not agree with the noun House of Commons to which they refer. In addition, in Reported Speech, when the reporting verb is in the Past tense (maintained), the following conjugated verbs should also be in the Past. However, will have is in the Future. What helps us identify this question as a Reported Speech question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign: Reported Speech with a reporting verb in Past tense it was their right to question the sovereign's right to enter their chamber Incorrect. This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. The pronoun their does not agree with the noun House of Commons to which it refers. it has the right to question the sovereign's right to enter its chambers Incorrect. This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. In Reported Speech, when the reporting verb is in the Past tense (maintained), the following conjugated verbs should also be in the Past. However, has is in the Present. What helps us identify this question as a Reported Speech question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign: Reported Speech with a reporting verb in Past tense

☺Using the latest technology and trendy designs, electronics companies develop one gadget after another as doing so☺ can be extremely profitable. Using the latest technology and trendy designs, electronics companies develop one gadget after another as doing so Using the latest technology and trendy designs, one gadget after another is developed by electronics companies as doing so Using the latest technology and trendy designs, electronics companies develop one gadget after another as it Using trendy designs and the latest technology, one gadget after another is developed by electronics companies because doing so Electronics companies, using the latest technology and trendy designs, develop one gadget after another because it

A You're right! This answer choice correctly uses doing so to refer to a previously mentioned verb (develop one gadget after another). It also places the noun (electronics companies) directly after the modifier that describes it (Using the latest technology and trendy designs).

☺An amphictyony is a term used by ancient Greek historians, meaning a league of neighbors that was forming an alliance of city-states and together supported the rites and traditions of a regional sanctuary.☺ An amphictyony is a term used by ancient Greek historians, meaning a league of neighbors that was forming an alliance of city-states and together supported the rites and traditions of a regional sanctuary Used by ancient Greek historians, an amphictyony, meaning a league of neighbors that formed an alliance of city-states and together supported the rites and traditions of a regional sanctuary Forming an alliance of city-states and together supporting the rites and traditions of a regional sanctuary, the term amphictyony used by ancient Greek historians was a league of neighbors Used by ancient Greek historians, the term amphictyony means a league of neighbors that formed an alliance of city-states and supported the rites and traditions of a regional sanctuary An alliance formed of city-states that together supported the rites and traditions of a regional sanctuary was referred to by the term amphictyony or "league of nations" and used by ancient Greek historians

B You grossly underestimated the time this question took you. You actually solved it in 3 minutes and 32 seconds. Incorrect. While this answer choice corrects the Tense mistake in the original question, by changing was forming in the Past Progressive to formed in the Past Simple, it is grammatically incorrect. The corrected sentence is a fragment, lacking a conjugated verb. The conjugated verbs formed and supported are not part of the main clause, but part of the relative clause that follows the relative pronoun that. D Well done! This answer choice corrects the Tense mistake in the original question by changing was forming in the Past Progressive to formed in the Past Simple. It also correctly places the modifier Used by ancient Greek historians before the noun it modifies (the term amphictyony), and correctly matches the verb means with the subject the term. What helps us identify this mistake in the original sentence is the following Stop Sign: The word/term... (it) is... +++++++++++++++++++++++ An amphictyony is a term used by ancient Greek historians, meaning a league of neighbors that was forming an alliance of city-states and together supported the rites and traditions of a regional sanctuary Incorrect. This answer choice is grammatically incorrect because it makes incorrect use of the Past Progressive (was forming) to indicate an action that occurred in the finished past. The Past Progressive should only be used to describe an action that was in progress (a) at a certain point in the past; (b) when another action occurred; or (c) while another action was taking place at the same time. However, the formation of an alliance was not an action in progress at a specific time, nor did it occur at the same time as another action; it is a completed action. Forming an alliance of city-states and together supporting the rites and traditions of a regional sanctuary, the term amphictyony used by ancient Greek historians was a league of neighbors Incorrect. While this answer choice corrects the Tense mistake in the original question, by removing the incorrect use of the past progressive tense was forming, it is grammatically incorrect and illogical. The use of the non-conjugated verb forming (and the parallel ...and supporting) now transforms the beginning of the sentence into a modifier. A modifier should be placed right next to the noun it describes. However, what immediately follows the modifier is the term amphictyony and the term itself cannot form an alliance of city states or support rites. Furthermore, the remainder of the sentence illogically suggests that the term amphictyony was itself a league. The word amphictyony can only refer to/describe/define/mean something or other, not be a league of neighbors . What helps us identify this mistake in the original sentence is the following Stop Sign: The word/term... (it) is... An alliance formed of city-states that together supported the rites and traditions of a regional sanctuary was referred to by the term amphictyony or "league of nations" and used by ancient Greek historians Incorrect. While this answer choice corrects the Tense mistake in the original question by changing the conjugated verb was forming (Past Progressive) to the non-conjugated V3 form formed, it is illogical, changes the meaning of the original sentence, and is stylistically flawed. In the corrected sentence, the subject An alliance formed of city-states, etc. is completed by two parallel verbs in passive construction: was referred to by the term amphictyony and (was) used by ancient Greek historians. While items A and B are grammatically parallel, they are not logically parallel. A is logical in the context of the sentence, but B is not. It is not logical to say that an alliance...was used by ancient Greek historians. In addition, the use of the passive makes the corrected sentence stylistically inferior to a more active one.

Benefiting from the popularity of prior entertainment genres such as minstrelsy, animal shows, and ☺magic acts, Vaudeville theater not only appealed to audiences of diverse gender and class backgrounds, but the widespread success it enjoyed in 19th and 20th century America is attributed to the incorporation☺ of sophisticated financial management. magic acts, Vaudeville theater not only appealed to audiences of diverse gender and class backgrounds, but the widespread success it enjoyed in 19th and 20th century America is attributed to the incorporation magic acts, Vaudeville theater in 19th and 20th century America enjoyed widespread success not only due to its appeal to audiences of diverse gender and class backgrounds, but also due to the incorporation magicians, the widespread success of Vaudeville theater in 19th and 20th century America is attributed not only to its appeal to audiences of diverse gender and class backgrounds, but also to the incorporation magical shows, Vaudeville theater not only appealed to audiences of diverse gender and class backgrounds, but also its widespread success in 19th and 20th century America is attributed to the incorporation magic acts, Vaudeville theater had widespread success not only because it appealed to audiences of diverse gender and class backgrounds, but also because it incorporated

B You grossly underestimated the time this question took you. You actually solved it in 4 minutes and 1 seconds. Well done! This answer choice corrects the original Parallelism mistake in two ways: 1. It corrects the grammatical form by complementing not only with but also. 2. By changing but to but also, the corrected sentence fixes the sentence's logic (as but also does not imply a contrast between items). Both items in the parallelism are reasons for Vaudeville's success: not only due to A (its appeal) but also due to B (the incorporation, etc.). Although the corrected sentence contains a stylistic flaw of ambiguity (its can refer to the 20th century or to America), it is the only answer choice that is both logical and grammatically correct. ++++++++++++++++ magic acts, Vaudeville theater not only appealed to audiences of diverse gender and class backgrounds, but the widespread success it enjoyed in 19th and 20th century America is attributed to the incorporation Incorrect. This answer choice is grammatically incorrect and illogical. In the GMAT, not only must be complemented by but also. Due to the Parallelism mistake this answer choice is also illogical. The connector but should be used to describe a contrast between two clauses or items. However, here but connects two clauses which both make similar positive statements about Vaudeville theater's appeal and success. Look for another answer choice that constructs the parallelism logically. magicians, the widespread success of Vaudeville theater in 19th and 20th century America is attributed not only to its appeal to audiences of diverse gender and class backgrounds, but also to the incorporation Incorrect. This answer choice corrects the original Parallelism mistake by complementing not only with but also. It also corrects the logical mistake in the original sentence, by constructing a logical parallelism of two reasons for the success of Vaudeville theater (attributed not only to A but also to B). However, the corrected sentence creates a new Parallelism mistake by changing magic acts to magicians. Although magic acts and magicians are grammatically parallel (both are nouns), they are not logically parallel: a magic act is an example of an entertainment genre, while magicians is not. In addition, by changing the subject of the sentence from Vaudeville theater to the widespread success of Vaudeville theater, this answer choice creates a new logical mistake. The modifier Benefiting from...magic acts should logically modify Vaudeville theater, but it is followed by the widespread success. What helps us identify this question as a Dangling Modifier question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign: A modifier, characterized by all of the following: 1. Verb+ing or Verb in 3rd form 2. Separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma 3. Appears at the very beginning of the sentence Whenever you see this Stop Sign, focus on the modifier: check whether the noun right after the modifier is indeed the noun that the modifier describes. If it isn't - you've found your mistake. magical shows, Vaudeville theater not only appealed to audiences of diverse gender and class backgrounds, but also its widespread success in 19th and 20th century America is attributed to the incorporation Incorrect. This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. The same part of speech that follows not only must also follow but also. In this answer choice, not only is followed by the verb appealed. But also, however, is followed by by a noun phrase its widespread success. Look for another answer choice that constructs the parallelism grammatically and logically. magic acts, Vaudeville theater had widespread success not only because it appealed to audiences of diverse gender and class backgrounds, but also because it incorporated Incorrect. While this answer choice corrects the Parallelism mistake in the original sentence by complementing not only with but also, and creating a logical parallelism between the reasons for Vaudeville's success, it is grammatically incorrect and stylistically flawed. By changing incorporation to incorporated, the corrected sentence does not fit into the original sentence - it is not grammatically correct to say because it incorporated of. In addition, the phrase Vaudeville theater had widespread success is awkward. The idiom enjoyed success is stylistically superior.

Misinformed about the true nature of illegal substances, severe psychological and physical damage, or even death, can be suffered by teenagers who become helpless addicts. severe psychological and physical damage, or even death, can be suffered by teenagers who become helpless addicts teenagers who become helpless addicts can suffer severe psychological and physical damage or even death severe psychological and physical damage, sometimes even death, can be suffered by teenagers who become helpless addicts teenagers, who are helpless addicts, can suffer severe psychological and physical damage or even death severe psychological damage, physical damage, or even death can be suffered by teenagers who become helpless addicts

B You slightly overestimated the time this question took you. You actually solved it in 1 minutes and 11 seconds. Outstanding! This sentence begins with a modifier: Misinformed about... substances. A modifier should be placed right next to the noun it describes. The only noun that this modifier can logically modify is teenagers, which in this answer choice indeed immediately follows the modifier. .+++++++++++++++++ severe psychological and physical damage, sometimes even death, can be suffered by teenagers who become helpless addicts This answer choice repeats the original mistake. The sentence begins with a modifier: Misinformed about...substances. A modifier should be placed right next to the noun it describes. The only noun that this modifier can logically modify is teenagers. However, what immediately follows the modifier is severe psychological and physical damage. What helps us identify this question as a Dangling Modifier question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign: A modifier, characterized by all of the following: 1. Verb+ing or Verb in 3rd form 2. Separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma 3. Appears at the very beginning of the sentence Whenever you see this Stop Sign, focus on the modifier: check whether the noun right after the modifier is indeed the noun that the modifier describes. If it isn't - you've found your mistake. teenagers, who are helpless addicts, can suffer severe psychological and physical damage or even death Although this answer choice corrects the original Dangling Modifier mistake, it changes the meaning of the original sentence by replacing the verb become with are. Teenagers are not helpless victims to start off with. They can become helpless victims by using illegal substances. severe psychological damage, physical damage, or even death can be suffered by teenagers who become helpless addicts This answer choice repeats the original mistake. The sentence begins with a modifier: Misinformed about...substances. A modifier should be placed right next to the noun it describes. The only noun that this modifier can logically modify is teenagers. However, what immediately follows the modifier is severe psychological and physical damage. What helps us identify this question as a Dangling Modifier question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign: A modifier, characterized by all of the following: 1. Verb+ing or Verb in 3rd form 2. Separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma 3. Appears at the very beginning of the sentence Whenever you see this Stop Sign, focus on the modifier: check whether the noun right after the modifier is indeed the noun that the modifier describes. If it isn't - you've found your mistake.

In the American legal system, ☺the jury have to decide whether or not the defendant is guilty.☺ the jury have to decide whether or not the defendant is guilty the jurors has to make a decision about the defendant's guilt the jury has to decide on whether or not the defendant is guilty jurors have to decide if the defendant is guilty a jury has to decide whether the defendant is guilty or not

C Incorrect. While this answer choice corrects the original mistake, by changing the plural verb have to the singular verb has, it is stylistically flawed. Adding the word on after decide creates redundancy. It is true that stylistic mistakes are not always corrected on the GMAT. However, since there is an answer choice which is both grammatically correct and stylistically superior to this one, it is preferable to this one. E Excellent! This answer choice corrects the original grammatical mistake by correctly pairing the singular subject a jury with the singular verb has. What helps us identify this question as a Subject Verb Agreement question as well as identify this mistake is the following Stop Sign: A pseudo-plural singular subject Jury is a confusing subject. It refers to more than one person, which makes us think of it as a plural subject, but it is, in fact, singular. This answer choice still includes a redundancy error (whether...or not). But since B, the only answer choice which corrects this redundancy error, also includes the original grammatical error (the jury have), we must live with the redundancy.

Rice and noodles ☺forms the basis of Japanese cuisine, and one is expected to eat what one is served as a part of dining etiquette.☺ forms the basis of Japanese cuisine, and one is expected to eat what one is served as a part of dining etiquette forms the basis of Japanese cuisine, and as a part of dining etiquette one is expected to eat what one is served form the basis of Japanese cuisine, and one is expected to eat what one is served as a part of dining etiquette form the basis of Japanese cuisine, and one is expected to eat what they are served as a part of dining etiquette form the basis of Japanese cuisine, and one is expected to eat what he is served as a part of dining etiquette

C That's exactly right! In this answer choice, the plural subject Rice and noodles agrees with the plural verb form.

Faced with the dubious victory over the Russian armies at Borodino, and with Moscow ablaze, Napoleon Bonaparte could choose to either pursue the Russians further ☺and sacrifice the remainder of his troops to the harsh winter and possible starvation rather than retreat☺ to France and face political humiliation. and sacrifice the remainder of his troops to the harsh winter and possible starvation rather than retreat and sacrifice the remainder of his troops to the harsh winter and possible starvation rather than retreating and sacrifice the remainder of his troops to the harsh winter and possible starvation or retreat or, sacrificing the remainder of his troops to the harsh winter and possible starvation, retreat or sacrifice the remainder of his troops to the harsh winter and possible starvation and a retreat

C Very good! You took 2 minutes and 3 seconds to answer this question. Well done! This answer choice corrects the Parallelism mistake in the original question by changing than to or, completing the either...or parallel construction. What helps us identify this question as a Parallelism question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign: (n)either... (n)or... +++++++++++++++++ A Incorrect. This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. Either must be followed by or. B Incorrect. This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. Either must be followed by or. Retreating (V+ing) and face (base form) violate the parallelism at the end of the sentence. D Incorrect. While this answer choice corrects the Parallelism mistake in the original question by complementing either with or, it is illogical and changes the meaning of the original sentence. In the original question, continuing to pursue (=chase after) the Russian army, would result in sacrificing the troops. This is implied by the parallelism to pursue...and sacrifice. In the corrected sentence, sacrificing the remainder of his troops, etc. modifies the verb retreat. This means that to retreat (=go back), rather than pursue the Russians, would involve sacrificing the troops. This doesn't make sense, because the purpose of retreating is to save the army, not to sacrifice it. E Incorrect. While this answer choice corrects the Parallelism mistake in the original question by complementing either with or, it is illogical and grammatically incorrect. In the original question, the alternatives are to pursue the Russians and sacrifice the troops or (rather than) retreat. In the corrected sentence, the alternatives are to pursue the Russians or sacrifice the troops. In addition, by changing retreat to a retreat, the corrected sentence creates an incorrect parallelism at the end of the sentence: a retreat (noun) to France, and face (verb) political humiliation.

As Captain Cook's ship, the HMS ☺Resolution, navigated in a clockwise route around the Island of Hawai'i, coinciding with the time of the Makahiki festival, it reinforced the local worshipers' view of him as a manifestation of the Polynesian God Lono.☺ As Captain Cook's ship, the HMS Resolution, navigated in a clockwise route around the Island of Hawai'i, coinciding with the time of the Makahiki festival, it reinforced the local worshipers' view of him as a manifestation of the Polynesian God Lono Coinciding with the time of the Makahiki festival, Captain Cook's ship, the HMS Resolution, navigated in a clockwise route around the Island of Hawai'i; this reinforced the local worshipers' view of him as a manifestation of the Polynesian God Lono Coinciding with the time of the Makahiki festival, the navigation of Captain Cook's ship, the HMS Resolution, in a clockwise route around the Island of Hawai'i reinforced the local worshipers' view of him as a manifestation of the Polynesian God Lono Captain Cook's ship, the HMS Resolution, had coincidentally navigated in a clockwise route around the Island of Hawai'i during the time of the Makahiki festival; it reinforced the local worshipers' view of him as a manifestation of the Polynesian God Lono As Captain Cook navigated his ship, the HMS Resolution, in a clockwise route around the Island of Hawai'i at a time that coincided with the time of the Makahiki festival, the local worshipers' view of Cook as a manifestation of the Polynesian God Lono was reinforced

C You underestimated the time this question took you. You actually solved it in 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Excellent! This answer choice corrects the original mistake by turning the main action of the sentence, navigated, into a noun, navigation. This way the dangling modifier at the beginning correctly refers to the navigation coinciding with the festival, and a pronoun (this, it) is not necessary in the second part of the sentence. +++++++++++++++++++ A Incorrect. This answer choice is grammatically incorrect and stylistically flawed. First, the pronoun it is incorrectly used to refer to a situation, or else it illogically describes the ship, the island, or the festival as what reinforced the locals view of Captains Cook as Lono's manifestation. Second, the phrase coinciding with the time of the Makahiki festival is ambiguous. It is unclear what this phrase describes (the island? the ship?). B The explanation for this answer involves multiple interactive steps and therefore cannot be displayed here. D Incorrect. While this answer choice corrects the stylistic flaw in the original sentence, it repeats the grammatical mistake: the pronoun it is incorrectly used to refer to a situation, or else it illogically describes the ship, the island, or thefestival as what reinforced the locals view of Captains Cook as Lono's manifestation. In addition, this answer choice incorrectly uses the Past Perfect tense, had...navigated, to refer to an action that took place at a specified time in the past and hence should be in the Past Simple tense. E Incorrect. While this answer choice corrects the original grammatical mistake and stylistic flaw, it introduces two new stylistic issues: The phrase at a time that coincided with the time of is wordy and repetitive and therefore redundant. Using the passive form (was reinforced) also creates redundancy. Since there is another grammatically correct answer choice that does not use the passive form, it is preferable to this one.

☺The Blue Whale, African Elephant, and Indian Elephant are three heaviest animals in the world.☺ The Blue Whale, African Elephant, and Indian Elephant are three heaviest animals in the world The three heaviest animals are the Blue Whale, African Elephant, and Indian Elephant The Blue Whale, African Elephant, and Indian Elephant are the three heaviest animals in the world The three heaviest animals in the world is the Blue Whale, African Elephant, and Indian Elephant The Blue Whale, African Elephant, and Indian Elephant are the three heaviest animals

C You're right! The superlative form, indicated here by the use of the word heaviest, must be preceded by the word the.

Reading reports and comparing statistical analyses, ☺authorities gather information about the weather along a flight route, but in some cases they find it particularly difficult to decide whether to approve a flight or not.☺ authorities gather information about the weather along a flight route, but in some cases they find it particularly difficult to decide whether to approve a flight or not authorities gather information about the weather along a flight route, but in some cases they find it particularly difficult to decide if a flight should be approved information about the weather along a flight route is gathered by authorities, but in some cases they find it particularly difficult to decide whether to approve a flight authorities gather information about the weather along a flight route, but in some cases they find it particularly difficult to decide whether to approve a flight authorities gather information about the weather along a flight route, but in some cases they find it particularly difficult to decide whether or not to approve a flight

D Nice work! In the GMAT, the addition of the phrase or not at any point after the word whether is considered redundant and, therefore, a stylistic error.

Made of tons of steel and glass, ☺Donald Trump built Trump Tower in 1983.☺ Donald Trump built Trump Tower in 1983 Donald Trump built the Trump Towers in 1983 Trump Towers was built by Donald Trump in 1983 Trump Tower were built by Donald Trump in 1983 Trump Tower was built by Donald Trump in 1983

E Good!

Having had a big lunch, John only wanted soup for dinner. Which part of the sentence is a modifier? 1st 2nd A Correct!

Who or what does the modifier describe? John soup dinner I don't know A You're right! John is the one who's had a big lunch.