* GMAT Prep SC Question

[aps_asks]

In a previous design, the weight of the discus used in track
competition is concentrated in a metal center, but now it is lined with lead
around the perimeter, thereby improving stability in flight and resulting in
longer throws.
A. In a previous design, the weight of the discus used in track competition is
concentrated in a metal center, but now it is
B. According to a previous design, the weight of the discus used in track
competition was concentrated in a metal center, but now it is
C. Once designed with its weight concentrated in a metal center, the discus used
in track competition is now
D. The discus used in track competition, once designed with its weight
concentrated in a metal center, but now
E. The discus used in track competition was once designed having its weight
concentrated in a metal center and now

Answer is C) ...Why is Choice D) not trhe best choice?

Is it because....The Coordinating conjunction But connects two independant clauses and there is no main clause after But

Also , for Choice D) does the past participle lined requires a helping verb ?

Also , does a past participle always require a helping verb ?

[RonPurewal]

this is an official guide question; we are not allowed to put official guide questions on the forum.
therefore, unfortunately, we will have to delete this thread unless you can prove, with a screenshot, that this problem is actually in the gmat prep software.

please do so within the next week or two, or we will have to kill the thread. thank you.

[pilar20]

This question is in GMAT Prep2 #41
The answer is C but i thought it was B. What is the problem with B?...i think that C change the meaning of the sentence because it starts with "once...." that make me understand that the previous design (metal center) was immediately changed by the other one (around the perimeter).
Thanks in advance for the reply.

[RonPurewal]

This question is in GMAT Prep2 #41
The answer is C but i thought it was B. What is the problem with B?

two things:

* "according to..." doesn't make sense in this context. that's a phrase you use when you name the person or source from which some information/opinion/etc. comes.
according to GMAC, the GMAT exam is designed to measure test-takers' reasoning abilities, not their knowledge of particular content.

[RonPurewal]

In a previous design, the weight of the discus used in track
competition is concentrated in a metal center, but now it is lined with lead
around the perimeter, thereby improving stability in flight and resulting in
longer throws.
A. In a previous design, the weight of the discus used in track competition is
concentrated in a metal center, but now it is
B. According to a previous design, the weight of the discus used in track
competition was concentrated in a metal center, but now it is
C. Once designed with its weight concentrated in a metal center, the discus used
in track competition is now
D. The discus used in track competition, once designed with its weight
concentrated in a metal center, but now
E. The discus used in track competition was once designed having its weight
concentrated in a metal center and now

Answer is C) ...Why is Choice D) not trhe best choice?

Is it because....The Coordinating conjunction But connects two independant clauses and there is no main clause after But

Also , for Choice D) does the past participle lined requires a helping verb ?

Also , does a past participle always require a helping verb ?

the problem with (d) is that it's not a sentence at all -- there's no verb. it's just a noun phrase followed by a bunch of modifiers.

[madhav.munagapati]

Hi Ron,

the problem with (d) is that it's not a sentence at all -- there's no verb. it's just a noun phrase followed by a bunch of modifiers.

C. Once designed with its weight concentrated in a metal center, the discus used in track competition is now
D. The discus used in track competition, once designed with its weight concentrated in a metal center, but now

I'm confused whether 'designed' is a verb? Could you please elaborate more on this.

--
OR
Can we rule out D for modifier error i.e Once designed modifies track competition ?

D. The discus used in track competition, once designed with its weight concentrated in a metal center, but now

--
OR
can we rule out option D as the sentence " The discus used in track competition,..,but now lined with lead around the perimeter, thereby improving stability in flight and resulting in longer throws." does not make sense with out the non-restrictive clause?

Is it a right approach to rule out the choices?

Thank you,

[RonPurewal]

I'm confused whether 'designed' is a verb? Could you please elaborate more on this.

you have to use context. the -ed things can be verbs -- but they can also *not* be verbs.
e.g.
Yves Saint Laurent designed women's jackets with internal pockets, a feature previously found only on men's jackets.
--> here, "designed" is a verb.

Women's jackets with internal pockets, first designed by Yves Saint Laurent, reflected the growing presence of women in the workplace.
--> here, "designed" is a modifier, not a verb.

Can we rule out D for modifier error i.e Once designed modifies track competition ?

no, you can use a modifier like that to describe "the discus used in xxxxx".

can we rule out option D as the sentence " The discus used in track competition,..,but now lined with lead around the perimeter, thereby improving stability in flight and resulting in longer throws." does not make sense with out the non-restrictive clause?

i'm sorry, i don't understand the question here. could you please try to phrase it without using the terminology? thanks.

again, the major problem with that choice is that it's not a sentence.
if you are already 100% clear on that point, and are just trying to learn some other things about it, then good.
however, if you are concentrating on these minor points rather than on the fact that this choice is not even a sentence in the first place, then that's not a good choice of priorities.

[tim60288]

So the error of (E) The discus used in track competition was once designed having its weight concentrated in a metal center and now

I removed (E) as per below errors, could you please help to see whether these are correct ? Thanks : )

1. and -> We should use but to present the contrast
2. the use of "having"
3. and now - without is before now.

[RonPurewal]

1. and -> We should use but to present the contrast

yes.

2. the use of "having"

without an explanation of why you think 'having' is incorrect, it's impossible to say whether you are right.

[RonPurewal]

3. and now - without is before now.

since there's no verb in that part, the previous verb ('was') applies to it as well. that's nonsense, because 'was' can't describe the current situation.
if that's what you mean, then, yes.
if that's not what you mean, then ... i can't tell what you mean.

[DiJ92]

Dear Ron

I think that in choice E. the use of "having..." is wrong, because it followed "is designed", a verb. However, if we put a comma before "having", this usage may be right, because I create a Comma ing to modify how the discus was designed previously. Am I right? Thanks in advance.

[RonPurewal]

no, that sentence wouldn't make sense, because it would present 'The discus used in track competition was once designed' as a stand-alone sentence.
(when modifiers are separated by commas, the meaning of the sentence without the modifiers must still make sense, and the remaining parts must have the same meaning as in the original sentence.)

[RonPurewal]

MUCH more importantly—

DO NOT 'make your own versions' of GMAC's sentences.
really.
don't do it.

the GMAT only tests 1-2% of the things that can actually go wrong with english sentences (and even that may be an overestimate).
when random users try to 'edit' these sentences, the result is almost always incorrect—for reasons that the GMAT doesn't test.

making your own examples is good, but they should be...
...1/ your own examples,
...2/ SIMPLE examples, each illustrating only ONE concept (that is actually tested on this exam).

as far as the official problems are concerned, the given answer choices should offer more than enough challenges already.
(:

[charmanineW924]

Can we rule out D for modifier error i.e Once designed modifies track competition ?

no, you can use a modifier like that to describe "the discus used in xxxxx".


I don't understand here , can you explain it more clearly ? I think it can modifies "competition" and ”discus“,but "once designed " is next to "competition", so it must modify "competiton", so the sentence is wrong.

[sahilk47]

Is option A wrong because of the use of present tense verb ?

Thanks