While the thorns of all roses are protective

[AnupamaW260]

While the thorns of all roses are protective, dissuading predators from feeding on the flowers’ blooms, unlike roses that grow in temperate climates, though, the thorns of desert roses also serve as reservoirs for water to forestall the ever-present threat of dehydration.

a) While the thorns of all roses are protective, dissuading predators from feeding on the flowers’ blooms, unlike roses

b) All roses’ protective thorns dissuade predators from feeding on their blooms; unlike those

c) The thorns of all roses are protective, dissuading predators from feeding on the flowers’ blooms; unlike those of roses

d) While all roses’ thorns are protective, they dissuade predators from feeding on the flowers’ blooms; unlike those of roses

e) The thorns of all roses are protective and dissuade predators feeding on their blooms, however, unlike those

OA is C
My question is about D....usage of while - I don't understand usage of "while" here.
"While" is used to show simultaneous actions. But explanation says that "while" is used for contrast.
I am too confused about option D. Could you please help to explain more about issues in option D.
Thank you

[Chelsey Cooley]

There are a couple of different ways to use the word "while". One, as you mentioned, is to show simultaneous action:

While I ate breakfast, the children threw cereal around the room.

But another "while" is used to show contrast. It's used similarly to the word "although":

While she has terrible food allergies, she still enjoys the local cuisine.

Both of them are correct, and which one you're dealing with just depends on context. Assuming that the "while" in (D) is the "contrast" while, can you work out why this makes (D) incorrect?

[AnupamaW260]

There are a couple of different ways to use the word "while". One, as you mentioned, is to show simultaneous action:

While I ate breakfast, the children threw cereal around the room.

But another "while" is used to show contrast. It's used similarly to the word "although":

While she has terrible food allergies, she still enjoys the local cuisine.

Both of them are correct, and which one you're dealing with just depends on context. Assuming that the "while" in (D) is the "contrast" while, can you work out why this makes (D) incorrect?

Thank you so much.
Can you correct my understanding? why while will not work here.....

they dissuade predators from feeding on the flowers’ blooms this sentence is used to describe how all roses’ thorns are protective , how these thorns protect roses. "While" can not be used to show this "how" aspect.

while walking in the garden, I ate ice-cream.
but while can be used for simultaneous actions or contrasting or even not related actions ----- is this correct now?

[NeilS178]

Is there rule that if there is a Those/That / These /This after a semicolon these pronouns can not refer back to the previous sentence before the semi colon?

[Chelsey Cooley]

Thank you so much.
Can you correct my understanding? why while will not work here.....

they dissuade predators from feeding on the flowers’ blooms this sentence is used to describe how all roses’ thorns are protective , how these thorns protect roses. "While" can not be used to show this "how" aspect.

while walking in the garden, I ate ice-cream.
but while can be used for simultaneous actions or contrasting or even not related actions ----- is this correct now?

Exactly right. "While" doesn't have a "how" meaning. That's what makes this sentence wrong, for example:

While Orin arrives home at 7:00 every evening, he rides the bus.

Presumably, the sentence is trying to tell us that Orin gets home at seven by riding the bus home. Instead, it sounds like it's saying that he gets home and rides the bus simultaneously, which is very strange.

[Chelsey Cooley]

Is there rule that if there is a Those/That / These /This after a semicolon these pronouns can not refer back to the previous sentence before the semi colon?

No. But there is a general rule against using those terms by themselves as pronouns. 'These cats', 'those who don't like mushrooms', etc.. are all fine, but these examples aren't:

I like going to the animal shelter to pet cats, because those are very soft and fluffy.

I planted a seed five years ago, and this has grown into a majestic tree.

[Everything OR Nothing]

that grow in temperate climates, though, the thorns of desert roses also serve as reservoirs for water to forestall the ever-present threat of dehydration.

In the above non underlined portion what is the use of though is not clear to me. because of this though even option C looked not very convincing sentence to me ,while I agree C looks the best among all choices.Kindly help me

[sahilmalhotra01]

Hi Expert,

I have a doubt regarding the option choice C.

The explanation for option choice A states that usage of both while and though is redundant.

Further I understand that the contrast expressed in the sentence is

The thorns of all roses are protective though the thorns of desert roses also serve as reservoir for water.


Now coming back to the option choice C. Sentence Structure of option choice C is as follows :

Independent Clause : The thorns of all roses are protective, dissuading predators from feeding on the flowers’ blooms

Independent Clause : unlike those of roses that grow in temperate climates, though, the thorns of desert roses also serve as reservoirs for water to forestall the ever-present threat of dehydration.


Is the contrast, as explained above, expressed in option Choice C?

Can we express the contrast between the two parts of the sentence when the are joined by a semicolon?

Please clarify.

Thanks
Sahil Malhotra

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

We certainly can! We could even use two separate sentences if we wanted (although GMAT SC problems contain only a single sentence). Be careful not to impose an over-simplistic grammar rule. I encourage you think "what is this sentence trying to say?" when you're approaching SC problems in order to engage with the meaning.