Verbal questions from any Manhattan Prep GMAT Computer Adaptive Test. Topic subject should be the first few words of your question.
contact.sumeshn
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Really confusing

by contact.sumeshn Mon Aug 09, 2010 11:16 am

Both the below mentioned answer choices are from mgmat CAT exams

Rather than accept the conventional wisdom that the earth was flat, Christopher Columbus sailed west to see whether he could reach India, having been sent by the king and queen of Spain. - This option is the OA

Classical guitar was neither prestigious nor played often in concert halls until it was revived by Andres Segovia in the mid-twentieth century, having been won over by the instrument's sound despite its relative obscurity. - This option has been marked incorrect for its incorrect usage of the modifier "having been won over.."

Can someone please explain why "having been " usage in sentence 1 is correct, whereas the usage in sentence 2 is incorrect?

Thanks!
chitrangada.maitra
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Re: Really confusing

by chitrangada.maitra Thu Aug 26, 2010 7:34 pm

Hi,

Let me take a shot at this.

In the first sentence, the subject is Christopher Columbus. The modifier 'having been sent by the king and queen of Spain' is modifying the subject, Christopher Columbus. There is no other plausible antecedent. So, the modifier is modifying the subject as intended by the author.

However, in the second sentence, the subject is 'guitar'. The modifier is 'having been won over'. So, the modifier is inadvertently modifying the subject - this is not the intended meaning of the author. The guitar was not won over by its own sound; Andres was. So, the structure of the sentence should be changed to accurately reflect who / what is being modified.

Hope that helps!
mschwrtz
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Re: Really confusing

by mschwrtz Fri Sep 24, 2010 10:30 pm

That explanation is almost right.

Actually neither having been sent nor having been won over is a noun modifier. In general, -ing words after commas modify the preceding clause or the verb in that clause. One way to modify a clause is to attribute action to its subject, perhaps in order to explain the subject's behavior. Having been sent attributes something to CC, though it in fact modifies the entire clause of which he is the subject. Having been won over attributes something to classical guitar, nonsensically.

I don't mean to logical chop, but it's very important to remember that noun modifiers must touch the nouns they modify.