Instructors please help

[navdeep_bajwa]

source GMAT prep and this sentence is the Official answer

The Sloth hangs from trees by its long rubbery limbs, sleeping 15 hours a day and moving so infrequently that the two species of algae grow on its coat and between its toes.

1 Why sleeping is modifying "the sloth" and not the whole clause
2 How hangs, sleeping and moving are parallel
3 Is hangs a verb, sleeping and moving partciples

Also what is the difference between
The Sloth hangs from trees by its long rubbery limbs, sleeping 15 hours a day
The Sloth hangs from trees by its long rubbery limbs sleeping 15 hours a day

[RonPurewal]

source GMAT prep and this sentence is the Official answer

The Sloth hangs from trees by its long rubbery limbs, sleeping 15 hours a day and moving so infrequently that the two species of algae grow on its coat and between its toes.

1 Why sleeping is modifying "the sloth" and not the whole clause
2 How hangs, sleeping and moving are parallel
3 Is hangs a verb, sleeping and moving partciples

Also what is the difference between
The Sloth hangs from trees by its long rubbery limbs, sleeping 15 hours a day
The Sloth hangs from trees by its long rubbery limbs sleeping 15 hours a day

hi -

please post the whole problem, including all answer choices.

i'll be nice and give brief answers, even though you've violated the forum rules:
(1) it's not. it modifies the whole clause.
(2) they aren't, and they aren't supposed to be. the first is the main verb, and the latter two are a modifier.
(3) yes.

i can give more detailed explanations, but only if you follow the rules (i.e., post the WHOLE PROBLEM, with ALL ANSWER CHOICES).

[navdeep_bajwa]

Found throughout Central and South America, sloths hang from trees by long rubbery limbs and sleep 15 hours a day, moving infrequently enough that two species of algae grow on its coat and between its toes.

(A) sloths hang from trees by long rubbery limbs and sleep 15 hours a day, moving infrequently enough
(B) sloths hang from trees by long rubbery limbs, they sleep 15 hours a day, and with such infrequent movements
(C) sloths use their long rubbery limbs to hang from trees, sleep 15 hours a day, and move so infrequently
(D) the sloth hangs from trees by its long rubbery limbs, sleeping 15 hours a day and moving so infrequently
(E) the sloth hangs from trees by its long rubbery limbs, sleeps 15 hours a day, and it moves infrequently enough

[navdeep_bajwa]

source GMAT prep and this sentence is the Official answer

(1) it's not. it modifies the whole clause.
(2) they aren't, and they aren't supposed to be. the first is the main verb, and the latter two are a modifier.

how it is modifying the whole clause and not "the sloth" and if sleeping modifies the whole clause what sense it makes.

Why they aren't suppossed to be parallel

Also what is the difference between
The Sloth hangs from trees by its long rubbery limbs, sleeping 15 hours a day
The Sloth hangs from trees by its long rubbery limbs sleeping 15 hours a day
what is sleeping modifying in above

Also if we remove "it" from E which is better E or D

[RonPurewal]

source GMAT prep and this sentence is the Official answer

(1) it's not. it modifies the whole clause.
(2) they aren't, and they aren't supposed to be. the first is the main verb, and the latter two are a modifier.

[/quote]

how it is modifying the whole clause and not "the sloth" and if sleeping modifies the whole clause what sense it makes.[/quote]

COMMA + -ING modifiers ALWAYS modify the entire preceding clause. they cannot be used in any other way, ever.

one of the ways that they can be used is to introduce an action that took place during the action described in the main clause. for instance: johnny ran down the street, flapping his arms wildly.

for more details on COMMA + -ING modifiers, see here:
post30766.html#p30766

Why they aren't suppossed to be parallel

"sleeping..." and "moving..." are things that the sloth does AS it "hangs from trees by its long rubbery limbs".

these actions are in a modifier; actions in modifiers don't have to be (and, in most cases, can't be) parallel to the action of the main clause.

Also what is the difference between
The Sloth hangs from trees by its long rubbery limbs, sleeping 15 hours a day
The Sloth hangs from trees by its long rubbery limbs sleeping 15 hours a day

if you have COMMA + -ING, the usage is as described in the link above: the entire preceding clause is modified.

if you have NO COMMA + -ING, then the preceding noun is modified. so, your second example above doesn't make sense.
here's a legitimate example of that:
Rey pointed a picture of a dolphin swimming in a blue lagoon.
in this case, it's just the dolphin that swims, so we use a NO COMMA + -ING structure to modify "dolphin".
(check your understanding: make sure you can explain why COMMA + swimming... would be incorrect.)

what is sleeping modifying in above

Also if we remove "it" from E which is better E or D

if you remove "it", then the parallelism in (e) would become legitimate.

it has a slightly different meaning, though. in that case, all three of the verbs would be parallel, meaning that these are three separate actions of equal importance. there isn't sufficient context to decide between this meaning and the meaning of (d).

also, even with this correction, (e) would still exhibit an idiom error ("enough that...")

[parveenjain]

Why the option (C) is wrong here.
It seems to show perfect parallelism.Can't we consider these as the options.

[salman30]

Why the option (C) is wrong here.
It seems to show perfect parallelism.Can't we consider these as the options.

"c" is wrong because of pronoun issues i.e. use THEIR long rubbery. However, end of the sentence clearly shows that (its coat and between its toes) sloth is singular here.

[RonPurewal]

Why the option (C) is wrong here.
It seems to show perfect parallelism.Can't we consider these as the options.

"c" is wrong because of pronoun issues i.e. use THEIR long rubbery. However, end of the sentence clearly shows that (its coat and between its toes) sloth is singular here.

perfect explanation.

[zhongshanlh]

hi Ron and Manhattan experts,
i have a question about the parallelism in option.

i think that there are two ways to regard the parallelism in option C

1st:sloths use their long rubbery limbs to
hang from trees,
sleep 15 hours a day,
and move so infrequently

2nd:
sloths
use their long rubbery limbs to hang from trees,
sleep 15 hours a day,
and move so infrequently

of course , the 1st version doesn't make sense because we cann't say that slot use limbs to sleep...

but since the 2nd version works well, i think the only thing wrong in option C is the pronoun its cann't refer to cloths.

however, the explanation provided by OG says the the parallelism in option C is also incorrect.

so please clarify and thank you.

[jlucero]

If you're reading an OG explanation, this question is probably not from GMAT Prep and we can no longer discuss. Search through our forums for other threads on the question, especially in the OG Verbal to see if there is an answer to your question.

If anyone has a screenshot of this problem from GMAT Prep, please post and we can answer future questions.

[duyng9989]

Hi
I have a question. I know that Ron does not like to question the correct answer but i just want to know why is that.

I question the article "the" in the choice D and E. It seems to me that a single sloth is found throughout Central and South America. It seems not very realistic :D

The first time I looked at the question, I thought that: what thingS are found throughout Central and South AMerica. Accordingly, i cross out choice D and E.

After the correct answer is D because the non-underlying portion indicate singular, a sloth.

Anyone can shed some light on the usage of article "the" in this problem?

Thank you

[RonPurewal]

duying9989, the great thing about the correct answers is that you can "shed light on" them, all by yourself. after, all, they have to be correct -- meaning that everything appearing in them must work correctly and logically.

because "the sloth" appears in the correct answer, you know for sure -- regardless of whether you knew this previously -- that "the sloth" (singular) is allowed to stand for the collective of all sloths. again, don't question it; just learn it.

this is very common and normal usage, by the way; it's not just a "gmac thing". for instance,
the footrace is a universal form of human competition --> this sentence is ok; clearly, it doesn't refer to just one footrace involving all mankind.