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Of the Thirteen Samples of Skin Cells, Only Two, having Intact Cell GMAT Sentence Correction

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Question: Of the thirteen samples of skin cells, only two, having intact cell walls, could be used by the team of researchers for an analysis of the effects of various chemicals on healthy skin.

  1. Of the thirteen samples of skin cells, only two, having intact cell walls,
  2. Of the thirteen samples of skin cells, only two, which had intact cell walls,
  3. Only two of the thirteen samples of skin cells, with cell walls that were intact
  4. Only two of the thirteen samples of skin cells, which has intact cell walls
  5. Only two of the thirteen samples of skin cells, being that their cell walls are intact

Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
In choice B, the modifiers are non-essential modifiers referring to "only two (of the thirteen samples of skin cells)". However, the simple past tense, which means "could be used," is used in the part of the phrase that is not underlined. And although "could" may potentially be used to denote a hypothetical in the present tense. The sentence's more reasonable interpretation and meaning is that it is reporting on an analysis that the research team conducted at some point in the past. Therefore, in indirect reported communication, the word that would have been a "can" in direct speech becomes a "could." As a result, there should also be agreement over the tense of the non-essential modifier. Option B effectively communicates this point by utilising the simple past tense in "had."

Of the thirteen samples of skin cells, only two, which had intact cell walls,- This is correct. The ‘had' is a simple past tense verb. Let’s examine the other available options.

Option A
Of the thirteen samples of skin cells, only two, having intact cell walls,- Incorrect. The verb utilised and the verb having are not equivalent. parallel building. Typically, the word "had" refers to two consecutive activities. A comma separates "having intact cells" from "only two." The passage's overall message is that just two of the thirteen samples are fit, not all of them. Before having, a comma must be present; otherwise, the present participle will immediately modify the two. Therefore this choice is not correct.

Option C
Only two of the thirteen samples of skin cells, with cell walls that were intact- Incorrect. It's unclear from the modifying phrase only two preceding the phrase of the thirteen samples of skin cells whether the two or the thirteen samples had undamaged cell walls. To make sure that the subject "Only two" has an independent verb, there should be a comma after "were intact."

Option D
Only two of the thirteen samples of skin cells, which has intact cell walls. Incorrect. It is uncertain since the phrase is only found in two of the thirteen samples of skin cells and the verb has is not parallel to the verb employed. Whether the cell walls of the two or the thirteen samples were undamaged. As opposed to the past tense verb used, it employs the present tense verb has.

Option E
Only two of the thirteen samples of skin cells, being that their cell walls are intact- Incorrect. Errors in parallel construction and misplaced modifiers. Being is one of just two modifiers used here. It utilises the present tense verb being, which is not the same as the word used in the past tense. It is uncertain since the phrase is only found in two of the thirteen skin cell samples and the verb being is not parallel to the verb that is utilised.

“Of the thirteen samples of skin cells, only two, having intact cell”- is a GMAT sentence correction question. These sorts of questions come up with grammatical errors in the underlined part of the sentence. The candidates need to select the correct statement given in the options. The GMAT sentence correction section demands good skills in grammar since the candidate has to identify common grammatical errors. GMAT sentence correction is a part of GMAT verbal.

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