Scientists have recently discovered that

by **RonPurewal** Mon Apr 14, 2014 9:35 am

For your sentence to be a proper analogy here, you'd have to include two unrelated observations about the color of the flower.

The color of the flower is easily noticed by insects, making it look like a small sun from afar.
You can probably see that this sentence is nonsense. "Making it look like a small sun..." has no business modifying the previous part.
Choice C has the same problem.

by **lmavriqi** Tue Oct 14, 2014 5:45 am

RonPurewal Wrote:
akhp77 Wrote:What would be the construction of D.

Scientists have recently discovered that the ultrathin, layered construction of a butterfly's wings"”the same construction that makes some butterflies shimmer via the phenomenon of iridescence"”also enables the insect to control how much heat energy is absorbed by its wings and how much is reflected away.

Is all red part a modifier?

the ultrathin also enables the insect to control how much heat energy is absorbed by its wings and how much is reflected away.

nope. only the part between the dashes is a modifier.

"ultrathin" and "layered" are both adjectives. normally, when two or more adjectives precede a noun, those adjectives are separated by commas.
the only exception occurs in cases when the adjectives are very short, e.g., "a big red dog". even in those cases, a comma could still be used -- "a big, red dog" -- but it normally wouldn't be used.

so, in determining the main subject and verb of this sentence:

* you can ignore "scientists have recently discovered that" -- this is a 'warmup'

* you can ignore the two adjectives

* you can ignore the prepositional phrase ("of a butterfly's wings")

* you can ignore the modifier between the dashes

so the main subject and verb are "construction" and "enables".

I have a follow-up question. After we ignore all the parts that you note above, we get a sentence as follows: "Construction also enables the insect..." I dont understand how "also" makes sense in this sentence? Can you please explain. thanks

by **RonPurewal** Wed Oct 22, 2014 6:32 am

remember, modifiers are things that don't affect grammar/mechanics. they very much affect the meaning of the sentence!

thus, "ignore modifiers" applies ONLY to grammatical analysis: subject-verb, overall structure (vs. run-on or fragment), and so on.

by **RonPurewal** Wed Oct 22, 2014 6:34 am

...although, don't forget, you can ignore "also" just as you can ignore all those other modifiers. adverbs are modifiers too.

by **750plus** Tue Nov 03, 2015 7:54 am

Mr. Purewal,

I have one question for you. Can you please tell whether the usage of 'the same as the one' in option A and 'the same one' in option B correct ?

Thank You

by **RonPurewal** Mon Nov 09, 2015 12:31 am

the correct answer also has 'the same as the one...', so you already have the answer to your first question.

the version in part B is not fine, but this is not an issue here. these things are here to distract you from MUCH easier, and MUCH more fundamental, problems.
namely:
• choice A has subject-verb agreement,
• choice B is not a sentence (it's just a noun followed by a string of modifiers).

quite often, when there are BIG problems like these, the writers will toss in some random variations—just to see who gets distracted by them.

by **750plus** Tue Nov 10, 2015 2:42 pm

RonPurewal Wrote:the correct answer also has 'the same as the one...', so you already have the answer to your first question.

the version in part B is not fine, but this is not an issue here. these things are here to distract you from MUCH easier, and MUCH more fundamental, problems.
namely:
• choice A has subject-verb agreement,
• choice B is not a sentence (it's just a noun followed by a string of modifiers).

quite often, when there are BIG problems like these, the writers will toss in some random variations—just to see who gets distracted by them.

Thanks ! I have understood. Though I could locate the bigger problems, I thought let me take a good takeaway by learning about this split (the same as the one)

Well, that's somehow we can do without.

Thanks!

by **RonPurewal** Thu Nov 12, 2015 5:45 am

yeah.

don't forget the point of this entire exam!
SC is a test of whether you can isolate MAJOR problems. it is NOT a test of whether you have memorized fifty thousand random nuances.

by **aflaamM589** Mon Jun 06, 2016 4:04 am

Hello Ron,
Apart from ,ving issue, Is following also an error in C?

C. wings is the same as the one that makes some butterflies shimmer via the phenomenon of iridescence, enabling

This construction seems wrong as one tries to stand for construction, but the word construction is not there in the sentence.

However, had it been something like,

C. wings is the same construction as the one that makes some butterflies shimmer via the phenomenon of iridescence, enabling

now that particular construction is correct, because one now stands for construction.

Is my reasoning valid?

If not please help me understand this particular construction in C

C. wings is the same as the one that makes some butterflies shimmer via the
phenomenon of iridescence, enabling

Thanks

by **RonPurewal** Wed Jun 08, 2016 4:03 am

"the one" is weird writing, but it's not incorrect. (the word "construction" is there, before the underline.)

the HUGE problem with choice C is the modifier "enabling".
that modifier makes no sense, because the following words have nothing to do with shimmering/iridescence.

Scientists have recently discovered that

Re: Scientists have recently discovered that

Re: Scientists have recently discovered that

Re: Scientists have recently discovered that

Re: Scientists have recently discovered that

Re: Scientists have recently discovered that

Re: Scientists have recently discovered that

Re: Scientists have recently discovered that

Re: Scientists have recently discovered that

Re: Scientists have recently discovered that

Re: Scientists have recently discovered that