Question
Most efforts to combat such mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue have focused either on the vaccination of humans or on exterminating mosquitoes with pesticides.
Option A
Option B
Option C
Option D
Option E
(This question is from Official Guide. Therefore, because of copyrights, the complete question cannot be copied here. The question can be accessed at GMAT Club)
Solution
Sentence Analysis
The sentence essentially means that most efforts to combat diseases have focused on either of the two things:
- vaccination of humans
- exterminating mosquitoes with pesticides
The first problem with the sentence is that it uses “like” with “such”. Even though “like” can be used to offer examples (OG17 Q685 uses like to offer examples), it cannot be used in conjunction with “such”. You either use “such as” or “like”; don’t mix them together. It’s incorrect.
Also, since we are using action noun “vaccination” in one part of the “either or” structure, it is highly preferable to use action noun instead of the currently used gerund “exterminating”. Or we can have both in the form of gerunds.
Therefore, the original sentence has one major error and one area of improvement.
Option Analysis
(A) Incorrect. For the errors mentioned above.
(B) Incorrect. Incorrect. For the following reasons:
- “Such like” is idiomatically incorrect.
- “Vaccinating” is not entirely parallel to “the extermination”. When we have an action noun for a verb, it is always recommended to use the action noun to make it parallel to an action noun or another noun. Therefore, it is highly preferable to use “vaccination” instead of “vaccinating”. In addition, “vaccinating of humans” should be preceded by “the”. Please note that we should never use an article in front of the construction “vaccinating humans” (i.e. simple gerund). However, in constructions such as “vaccinating of humans” (complex gerunds), we generally have an article.
(C) Incorrect. The part after “either” – vaccinating – and the part after “or” – on exterminating – are not parallel. One is a gerund; the other is a prepositional phrase. In addition, they are not even logically parallel. One cannot replace the list with the second element of the list.
(D) Incorrect. The part after “either” – vaccinating – and the part after “or” – on extermination – are not parallel. One is a gerund; the other is a prepositional phrase. In addition, they are not even logically parallel. One cannot replace the list with the second element of the list.
(E) Correct. This option uses the correct idiom “such as”. Also, “vaccinating” and “exterminating” are parallel.
I found this sentence to be a good example to understand parallelism w.r.t different noun constructions. Please could you check if my understanding of the original sentence is correct?
(A) The vaccination of humans – Simple noun cannot be parallel to “Exterminating mosquitoes” – Gerund
Either Simple noun is parallel to Simple noun OR Simple noun is parallel to Complex Gerund (The verb-ing of construction)
Doubts –
(A) Can be corrected by changing it to “the vaccination of humans or on the exterminating of misquotes” right?
(B) If we correct the idiom error and remove “on” after “the extermination” won’t the option be correct? i.e…
Can’t “Vaccinating of humans” be parallel to “the extermination of” OR do we need “the” before “vaccinating of” in order to make it a complex gerund?
(C) you mentioned “In addition, they are not even logically parallel. One cannot replace the list with the second element of the list.” Could you help me understand what do you mean by this statement.
(D) If I remove “on” before “extermination” would the option be correct? i.e…
Vaccinating of humans – Complex gerund (without the) and “extermination of” simple noun –> would these two be parallel?
Or do I need “the” before vaccinating and “the” before extermination?
We know that a complex gerund is parallel to a simple noun. But can complex gerund be parallel to a simple gerund. I don’t think so but please let me know what you think
In the error analysis you mentioned “action noun” do you mean “Simple Gerund”
(A) By changing to “the extermination of mosquitoes”
(B) Since there’s a proper noun “vaccination”, we’ll need “the vaccination” to be parallel to “the extermination”
(C) Since “on” is outside “either or” structure, if I put the second element with the prior part of the sentence, it’d be “focused on on exterminating” – there will be two “on”s.
(D) Refer explanation for (B) above.
I don’t think a complex gerund can be parallel to a simple gerund. Besides, when a proper noun form exists, we prefer it over the complex gerund form.
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