It is called a sea, but the

Adam

Hi Eva,

This is sort of a gray area. "on Earth" is only a vital modifier if we assume that without it, we might be confused and think that we could be talking about the largest lake on some other planet. Chances are, most people know that we're talking about Earth already, so this shouldn't be considered a vital modifier.

Feb 23, 2017 • Reply

Cydney Seigerman, Magoosh Tutor

Hi Abhisek,

In Choice C, the participle phrase "called a sea" is a modifier that modifies the noun phrase "the landlocked Caspian." It would therefore be redundant to include the noun in the first part of the sentence, as you suggest.

For more on how participle phrases can be used as modifiers, definitely check out this post from our blog:

http://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/participle-phrases-on-the-gmat/

I hope that helps! :)

Apr 23, 2016 • Reply

Adam

Hi Shray,

I think you're referring to option (D), not (C):

D. Though called a sea but it actually is the largest lake on Earth, the landlocked Caspian covers

You're right -- "though... but" is redundant here and is cause for concern!

The use of "it" here is also problematic. It's not really clear whether the "it" refers to "sea" or "the landlocked Caspian." In general, when a sentence throws in an unnecessary "it," it's a hint that we're getting wordy and probably incorrect.

Nov 13, 2015 • Reply

Jonathan , Magoosh Tutor

Hi Gal!
When we have a modifier that begins with a participle such as an -ing verb, the participle modifies the subject of the previous clause, NOT the closest noun.

Here is another simple example:

"Bob is very generous with his car, driving his friends around often."

"driving..." refers to "Bob," the subject.

Returning to our question:

"the largest lake on Earth" is not a modifier here; we have an

"X is Y" type structure, a statement that two things are the same.

We could say "on Earth" is a vital modifier to "lake."

If, instead of "covering," (C) had "which covers," the "which" could refer to "Earth," the closest noun, or "the largest lake on Earth," since "on Earth" is a vital modifier.

Jul 27, 2015 • Reply

sumedh inamdar

"When we have a modifier that begins with a participle such as an -ing verb, the participle modifies the subject of the previous clause, NOT the closest noun"

Could you give more details on this rule? It's not covered in your lessons!

Apr 6, 2016 • Reply

Cydney Seigerman, Magoosh Tutor

Hi Sumedh,

Happy to clarify :) There are three main ways to use a participle as a modifier:

1. [participle phrase] + , + [main clause]
2. [main clause] [participle phrase]
3. [main clause] + , + [participle phrase]

When a participle phrase concludes a main clause and is modifying the word right in front of it, you don't need punctuation to connect the two sentence parts (2). Conversely, when the participle phrase is modifying the subject, which is not right next to the participle phrase, you will see a comma between the main clause and participle (3). Likewise, when the participle phrase introduces or comes before the main clause, we need to separate the two components with a comma (1).

I hope this helps!

Apr 18, 2016 • Reply

Elias Toulany

"largest lake on Earth" Can you clear this part up? Is Earth not considered a vital modifier to "the largest lake"?

Mar 1, 2017 • Reply

Adam

Hi Elias,

Did you see my response to Eva? "on Earth" is only a vital modifier if we assume that without it, we might be confused and think that we could be talking about the largest lake on some other planet. Chances are, most people know that we're talking about Earth already, so this shouldn't be considered a vital modifier.

Mar 1, 2017 • Reply

Saurabh Soni

In D the construct is
"Thought called... but it actually is..."
Isn't though and but in the same sentence redundant? Can we eliminate based on the redundancy?

May 21, 2016 • Reply

Adam

Yes, this would be one way to eliminate (D)!

May 23, 2016 • Reply