Problem with the usage of which

by **Shib** Sat Jun 16, 2007 8:32 am

Source:ARCO GMAT

<<A substance from the licorice plant,50 times sweeter than sucrose,was recently discovered>>,is not only a natural sweetener but also prevents tooth decay.

The solution is given as:

(C) A substance from the licorice plant,which was recently discovered to be 50 times sweeter than sucrose,

My doubt is about the use of which.Which needs an antecedent which according to me is the "licorice plant" and not the substance from the licorice plant.How do I know the correct antecedent for "which"?

by **esledge** Tue Jun 19, 2007 9:45 pm

Hi Shib,

Generally, the "which" must refer back to the noun immediately preceding it. There are exceptions to the touching rule, though; for instance, a short prepositional phrase can sometimes intervene (especially in a set phrase, such as "a work of art, which is hanging on my wall"). The "from the licorice plant" prepositional phrase does not really qualify as a similar exception, in my opinion.

Clearly, this question intends to refer to "a substance" as the thing that is 50 times sweeter than sucrose, but I agree with you that it is referring to the "plant." In order to use the which clause correctly, I think they should have worded this "A licorice plant substance, which was recently discovered to be..." in order to place "substance" next to "which" and also keep "substance" as the subject of the verb "is."

by **city boy** Wed Jun 20, 2007 2:07 am

Another problem with this sentence is that not only X but also Y here X and Y are not parallel

by **StaceyKoprince** Thu Jun 21, 2007 6:11 pm

I am not the biggest fan of Arco's work and wouldn't use it myself to study for the GMAT (or any standardized test). This is my personal opinion and does not reflect official company policy in any way.

(And I'm not just saying it because they are a competitor. I like the work produced by some of our other competitors, though my CEO would kill me if I specified who here :D