2016 MP SC Problem Set Chapter 4 Question

[JeffreyB581]

Hi,

First time to post in these forums. Just started a GMAT class a few weeks ago and am doing the SC homework for week 3. I am focusing on verbal as it is my weaker section. I have a question regarding the problem set in chapter 4, specifically question 5.

The question reads "People that are well-informed know that the Bordeaux region whose most famous export is the wine which bears its name".

The question asks the reader to check whether the modifiers (underlined) are used correctly.

The first is incorrect because "that" should be "who" as it modifies people.

The second is correct because "whose" can modify non-human entities.

I am having a problem understanding the third. The explanation reads "Incorrect. The context of the sentence calls for an essential clause to modify the wine, since the point of the clause is to identify the wine. If the sentence ended in wine, it would be incomplete. The clause should therefore begin with that rather than which".

I am having difficulty understanding why which is incorrect and why if the sentence ended with wine it would be incomplete. Is it because which must modify the noun immediately before it? Or does which not signal an essential clause?

Any explanation would be much appreciated.


Thanks!

[JeffreyB581]

Chirp chirp...

[tim]

Well, the sentence as you've written it is incomplete either way. But that's not the point. The issue is that because you *need* a modifier after "wine", you should start that modifier with "that" rather than "which". Let me give you an example:

"Palo Alto is adjacent to Stanford University, which Leland Stanford founded." We could have stopped after "University", because there is only one Stanford University. Anything further is just additional optional information, so we use a ",which".

"Palo Alto is adjacent to the university that Leland Stanford founded." We can't stop after "university", because there are thousands of universities. We need more information to clarify which one we're talking about, so we use a "that".

[SalmanA641]

Well, the sentence as you've written it is incomplete either way. But that's not the point. The issue is that because you *need* a modifier after "wine", you should start that modifier with "that" rather than "which". Let me give you an example:

"Palo Alto is adjacent to Stanford University, which Leland Stanford founded." We could have stopped after "University", because there is only one Stanford University. Anything further is just additional optional information, so we use a ",which".

"Palo Alto is adjacent to the university that Leland Stanford founded." We can't stop after "university", because there are thousands of universities. We need more information to clarify which one we're talking about, so we use a "that".

In the problem set of questions for this chapter (chapter 4), the answers to question 5 (discussed above) and question 7 (typed out below) replace the word 'which' with the word 'that' in order to make it an essential clause. Does this mean an essential clause cannot start with the word 'which'? Also, does this mean that clauses that start with the word 'that' are always essential clauses?

Question 7: Of all the earthquakes in European history, the earthquake, which destroyed Libson in 1755, is perhaps the most famous.
Correct Answer: Of all the earthquakes in European history, the earthquake that destroyed Libson in 1755 is perhaps the most famous.

Appreciate the help!

[cgentry]

A ", which" always introduces a non-essential clause modifier. A "that" modifier is always an essential clause modifier.

But, of course, there are wrinkles.

Here are a few examples (I heard them from Steph Moyerman, but I don't know if she's the original source):

Turn left at the 3rd house that is red.
Turn left at the 3rd house, which is red.

The first is an essential modifier: If I remove it, you lose some necessary meaning. The second is a non-essential modifier: the sentence could transmit all essential meaning without the modifier.

In the first one, You'll turn left at the 3rd red house. You may pass 10 houses by the time you hit that 3rd red house, but you won't turn until then.
In the second one, you'll turn left at the 3rd house you pass. The fact that this house is red is not pertinent to when you'll turn.

BUT...

You don't always have a ", which". Sometime the which clause is the object of a preposition.

The car in which I'm sitting is a Nissan. This construction does not behave the same as a ", which".

And sometimes "that" acts as a pronoun, and not as a modifier.

The car was speeding, and that is why the officer pulled it over. Here, the 'that' is a pronoun.

Good luck--you've hit on one of the more complicated areas of SC grammar!

[abhisheks901]

"People that are well-informed know that the Bordeaux is a french region whose most famous export is the wine which bears its name". sc guide page 74, 6th edition, question 5

correct ans: Well- informed people know that bordeaux is a french region whose most famous export is the wine that bears its name.

in explanation it is mentioned that " whose most.....its name" clause modifies "region". but in my opinion it should modify "bordeaux". please help.


Thanks

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

Sure, the information is about Bordeaux, but, in grammatical terms, the word 'whose' is modifying the noun before it. That's totally fine, since we're told that Bordeaux is a region with the attribute mentioned, so the sentence makes sense. In mathematical terms, it's like saying "B has a certain quality" and "A = B", so that A has that quality. Perhaps a simpler example is:
Fido is the dog that bit me.
Here, the modifier 'that bit me' refers to 'the dog' (although it's clear that Fido bit me), because the word 'that' is modifying the noun before it.