Question
Unlike the original National Museum of Science and Technology in Italy, where the models are encased in glass or operated only by staff members, the Virtual Leonardo Project, an online version of the museum, encourages visitors to “touch” each exhibit, which thereby activates the animated functions of the piece.
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 structure of the sentence is: Unlike X, Y encourages visitors to touch each exhibit, and the touch activates the animated functions of the piece.
X: The original National Museum of Science and Technology in Italy. In this museum, the models are encased in glass or are operated only by staff.
Y: The Virtual Leonardo Project, which is an online version of X.
The meaning of the sentence is clear. There is one error in the sentence: “which” refers to the closest noun ‘exhibit’. Thus, the sentence, illogically, means that the exhibit activates the animated functions of itself. We understand that logically, the sentence wants to say that the action of touching activates the animated functions.
Option Analysis
(A) Incorrect. For the error described above.
(B) Incorrect. “an activation of the animated functions of the piece” is a noun. The way it is presented in the sentence, it seems that the exhibit is an activation of the animated functions of the piece. Clearly, illogical.
(C) Incorrect. The pronoun ‘it’ cannot refer to verb ‘touch’. As is, ‘it’ refers to either “The Virtual Leonardo Project” or “exhibit”. However, either of these references will produce an illogical meaning.
(D) Correct. In this option, “activate” is a verb parallel to “touch”. The sentence says that “…encourages visitors to
- ‘touch’ each exhibit
- and thereby ‘activate’
the animated functions of the piece”. In this option, visitors are activating the functions of the piece by touching the exhibit.
(E) Incorrect. Same error as in the original sentence.
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HI CJ,
In option C:
Since pronoun “it” acts as the subject of the 2nd IC, shouldn’t it refer back to the subject “the Virtual Leonard Project” of the first IC? Is this understanding correct or should I be open to other possibilities of pronoun reference when a pronoun act as the subject of an IC?
P.s – I acknowledge that the reference still leads to illogical meaning since it is not the VLP that activates the function but a “touch” that does.
Yes, you are right. It should ‘ideally’ refer to the subject of the preceding clause. However, this is not a deterministic issue. In some cases, the subject pronoun may refer to other nouns. However, ideally, this shouldn’t happen.
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