SC:Imported into Massachusetts form Europe

[jlucero]

C)To cross gypsy moths with adult silkworms, in attempting the development of a strong strain of silk-producing insects, a French scientist in 1869 imported the gypsy moth into Massachusetts from Europe.

1) modifier, modifier, clause is an awkward construction when both modifiers are describing the clause.

2) in attempting is un-idiomatic; attempting to develop would be better

3) "a French scientist in 1869 imported the gypsy moth" isn't the same as "a French scientist imported the gypsy moth in 1869"

[gbyhats]

Hi dear Manhattan instructors ; )

(I'm sorry... if any of you elaborate this issue already...)

Regarding instructor Joe's post right above me:
What is the differences between "a French scientist in 1869 imported the gypsy moth" and "a French scientist imported the gypsy moth in 1869"?

"a French scientist in 1869 imported the gypsy moth" isn't the same as "a French scientist imported the gypsy moth in 1869"

[RonPurewal]

the first one is nonsense, because "a french scientist in 1869" isn't a thing.

"in 1869" should follow the thing that actually happened in 1869.

[gbyhats]

Hi Ron, thank you for your respond!

the first one is nonsense, because "a french scientist in 1869" isn't a thing.

"in 1869" should follow the thing that actually happened in 1869.

Now I got you!

[RonPurewal]

excellent.

[harika.apu]

C)To cross gypsy moths with adult silkworms, in attempting the development of a strong strain of silk-producing insects, a French scientist in 1869 imported the gypsy moth into Massachusetts from Europe.

1) modifier, modifier, clause is an awkward construction when both modifiers are describing the clause.

2) in attempting is un-idiomatic; attempting to develop would be better

3) "a French scientist in 1869 imported the gypsy moth" isn't the same as "a French scientist imported the gypsy moth in 1869"

Hello Joe,

In attempting .., A french did x
Just as an analogy ,

completing 10 questions,I met my target - this looks goods
In completing 10 questions,I met my target - is this correct ?

Thanks.

[RonPurewal]

those two have different meanings.

in the first one, 'completing 10 questions' describes the main sentence ('i met my target').
so, according to this sentence, your 'target' involved COMPLETING 10 QUESTIONS.

in the second one, 'In completing...' describes something that occurred during, or as part of, 'completing...'.
so, in this sentence, your 'target' probably involved FEWER than 10 questions.
so, you did 10 questions... and, along the way ('IN completing 10 questions'), you met the target.

of course, this difference is WAY too small to be essential on this exam.

[RonPurewal]

in the sentence at hand, though, 'in attempting' just doesn't make sense. the scientist did not import the moth as part of the attempt to do xxxxx.

so, here, we have a clear-cut case of right and wrong (as opposed to your two sentences, which are both fine in different contexts—you won't be responsible for such nuances).

[harika.apu]

in the sentence at hand, though, 'in attempting' just doesn't make sense. the scientist did not import the moth as part of the attempt to do xxxxx.

so, here, we have a clear-cut case of right and wrong (as opposed to your two sentences, which are both fine in different contexts—you won't be responsible for such nuances).

Ron,
when i compare with the correct answer choice
Even it tells the same meaning
The purpose of importing moth is to use it in the development of producing something
Though I see In attempting to do Y,scientist imported x - "In attempting " is not convincing.
Sorry Ron , if it looks am stretching it too much

Thanks

[RonPurewal]

are you asking a question? if so, then i'm afraid i have no idea what you're trying to ask.

please clarify, thanks.

[harika.apu]

are you asking a question? if so, then i'm afraid i have no idea what you're trying to ask.

please clarify, thanks.

Hello Ron,
what i meant in my previous post was option C conveys the meaning properly
The purpose of importing moth is to use it in the development of producing something
So, In attempting to do Y,scientist imported x sounds correct

Thanks:)

[tim]

You still haven't asked a question! Try again, and make sure your next post has a (properly used) question mark.

[RonPurewal]

So, In attempting to do Y,scientist imported x sounds correct

Thanks:)

no, because the importation was not PART OF the attempt.

analogy:
In eating the pasta, I cooked it in boiling water.
you see the problem here, right?
'in attempting...' has exactly the same problem.

[ShriramC110]

Hi there .....

Is OA indeed d ???

yes.

The gypsy moth was imported into Massachusetts from Europe in 1869 by a French scientist attempting to develop a strong strain of silk-producing insects by crossing gypsy moths with adult silkworms.

Isnt this altered intent as per SC guide ??
Did the Frence scientist import the moth ??? Or did he just use it for his expt ??

perhaps the meaning is changed a little bit, but this doesn't matter -- the other four choices are all grammatically incorrect.
remember, [b]you should not worry about differences in meaning, unless there are two or more choices that are grammatically correct.
if there are four grammatically incorrect answers and only one grammatically sound answer, then it actually doesn't matter what is in the grammatically sound answer -- it's the only one that is correct!

Also it appears as if the Scientist was importing the moth into Massachusetts from Europe in 1869 by crossing gypsy moths with adult silkworms which is nonsensical !![/b]

nope -- that modifier ("by crossing...") applies to the closest action, which is "to develop a strong strain of silk-producing insects..."
this is usually (though not always) how these essential modifiers work: if there is a conflict between two or more actions that they can modify, they normally modify the closest action. generally, if the context is obvious enough, these modifiers are ok.

Moreover, i find the sentence to be a very long single one without any commas in between ... making it very complex and wordy.

well, sure, but there are plenty of official answers that are written like that.
it's actually not "wordy"; "wordy" means that there is an unnecessarily large number of words. that's not the case here (do you think you can get rid of some words in the correct answer? if so, which ones?)
...and almost ALL of the correct answers in sentence correction are "complex", especially if you are scoring above a certain level on the verbal section.

I would rather go with option A ... can't "attemt at" be used at all ????

Some help here please!

the biggest problem with choice (a) is actually not an idiom issue -- it's the gross misuse of the COMMA + -ING modifier.
see:
the gypsy moth was used by a French scientist in an attempt at developing a strong strain of silk-producing insects, crossing gypsy moths with...

when you use COMMA -ING modifiers:
* they modify the action of the preceding clause, and
* the SUBJECT of the preceding clause should be the agent of the -ING action

the second of these rules, if applied to choice (a), tells us that the gypsy moth itself (the subject of the preceding clause) is the one who is "crossing gypsy moths...". that is most certainly not true, so choice (a) is ungrammatical.

Hi Ron,
I have came across some questions in which , the modifiers some times doesn't make sense with the subject but still they are the correct answer.
Can you please put some light on this issue??

Thanks,
Shriram

[RonPurewal]

please do not quote huge selections of irrelevant text. unless you are citing or responding to something, do not quote it.

thank you.