The list of animals

[jlucero]

In this SC question, we have to choose the answer based on the verb(exhibit/exhibits) and we donot know what "that" refers to.

Also, is it wrong to say..."either using the right or (using implied)the left" ?

These two point confused me a lot, hope you guys can help me.

(A) This one depends on you being able to understand the correct meaning of the sentence. What follows "that" could refer to list or animal, so you need to make sure you find what the following clause is referring to:

The list of animals (that is in my computer) is over 5 pages.
The list of animals (that are over 5 lbs.) is found on my computer.

Since lists can't use left or right hands, we are forced to make the verb agree with the plural "animals". This is one of those places where you need to avoid over-analyzing grammatical rules and make sure that the sentence just makes sense.

(B) No. With two parallel markers, the rules of parallelism become more strict. What comes immediately after those markers needs to be parallel.

[nitestr]

neeha: late reply -
mechanical approach :exhibits is near animals which is plural.
meaning approach : list cant exhibit a preference, only animal in this case.

[jnelson0612]

neeha: late reply -
mechanical approach :exhibits is near animals which is plural.
meaning approach : list cant exhibit a preference, only animal in this case.

The meaning approach is correct. It's a list of:
animals that exhibit a preference . . .

In this case the modifying phrase "that exhibit a preference" is describing the animals.

Thanks for posting!

[TooLong150]

So is absolutely incorrect to say preference in ?

well, i could create a sentence in which "preference" is followed by "in"; they just wouldn't be part of the same idiom.

e.g.,
past studies have shown that cats prefer to use the right paw for eating, but cats showed no such preference in the most recent study.

this is a correct sentence.
obviously, "preference" and "in" are components of two completely different constructions (color-coded for emphasis), but they do occur consecutively.

Experts, would it be safe to assume that in this sentence the only valid Idiom for preference is that used in D, making it the only correct answer?

[RonPurewal]

the best response to that question is actually a non-response: the gmat doesn't test little-known idioms. (it did once upon a time, many years ago. for instance, lesser-known idioms play a role in some problems in the OG verbal supplement--but all of those problems are 10-11 or more years old.)

if you see an idiom that's not VERY basic, look for easier eliminations.
here, the first two choices have subject-verb disagreement, and (c) and (e) have very clear non-parallelism (either using... or the right hand).

prioritizing is key.

[RonPurewal]

also, as usual, context matters. for example, the following sentence is perfectly correct:
Many left-handed people strongly prefer to write with the left hand, but express no such preference in other routine activities, such as opening doors or gesturing.

in this context, "preference for" would actually be wrong. make sure you understand why.

most importantly, prioritize. lesser-known idioms are a distraction, not a priority.

[RichaChampion]

Subject verb agreement.

List- singular, hence has been

Animals-plural, hence exhibit

Down to C & D. exhibit a preference for using is the correct idiom..

perfect.

Apart from Preference for is there any other correct form of this idiom.?

[RonPurewal]

well, you could have preferences in doing something, but that wouldn't be the same thing.
e.g., "preferences in writing..." would refer to things you prefer to do when you're writing (as opposed to "a preference for writing" -- similar to the correct idiom here -- which would mean that you'd rather write than do other things).

[CocoonC230]

How does one know whether 'that' refers to the 'animals' (plural) and not to the 'list' (singular).

this is determined by the following verb. if the verb is singular, then "that" refers to "the list". if the verb is plural, then "that" refers to "animals".

Hi Ron, (not sure if you still answer questions in the forum now, but I am a big fan!)

If it depends on the following verb, then (B) can also make sense by referring to list. To me, "the list exhibit the preference of ..." and "animals exhibit a preference of..." both make sense.

And I am a bit curious can we use "a preference" for plural noun (here is animals)?

[esledge]

Hi Ron, (not sure if you still answer questions in the forum now, but I am a big fan!)

If it depends on the following verb, then (B) can also make sense by referring to list. To me, "the list exhibit the preference of ..." and "animals exhibit a preference of..." both make sense.

Ron's no longer here, but I'll give it a shot! I'd say the following:
(1) A list can't have a preference of any kind, because a list is an inanimate object. The people or animals (or even plants, etc.) on a list can have a preference, but not the list itself. For example:

The list of plants that exhibit a preference for infrequent rain over steady precipitation includes many plants that thrive in the desert.

This sentence has two subject verb pairs:
(1) in the main clause: The list...includes
(2) in the subordinate clause/modifier: plants ... exhibit.

(2) Even if a list could have a preference in general, the list could not have the particular preference in this sentence, for using either the right or the left hand (i.e. claw, paw, or foot). This preference must be exhibited by the animals, which have "hands"; this preference cannot be exhibited by the list, which doesn't have hands.

And I am a bit curious can we use "a preference" for plural noun (here is animals)?

Yes, you can. Subject Verb Agreement is a rule, but there is no rule about object-verb agreement or subject-object agreement. For example:

Correct: Dogs that have a keen sense of smell can be trained to do many important tasks.
Incorrect, even though plural/plural match: Dogs that have keen senses of smell can be trained to do many important tasks.
--->In the second example, there's an unclear meaning: could there be more than one "sense of smell"? No, "of smell" is one type of sense that all of the dogs have.