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MGMAT CAT # 3 SC

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punit.kaur
 Post subject: MGMAT CAT # 3 SC
 Post Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:35 pm 
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Students


Posts: 7
The pigments used in modern oil paints are different than the ones used in older paints because they are more lightfast and vibrant.
A)are different than the ones used in older paints because they are
B)differ from those used in older paints in that the modern ones are
C)are different than those used in older paints because the modern ones are
D)are different from the ones used in older paints on account of being
E)differ from the ones used in older paints because they are

The answer explanation says that "they" is ambiguous. Why is it so? I thought they correctly refers to the pigments used in modern oil paints as that is the subject of the sentence?
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RonPurewal
 Post subject: Re: MGMAT CAT # 3 SC
 Post Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 5:07 am 
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ManhattanGMAT Staff


Posts: 7146
punit.kaur wrote:
The pigments used in modern oil paints are different than the ones used in older paints because they are more lightfast and vibrant.
A)are different than the ones used in older paints because they are
B)differ from those used in older paints in that the modern ones are
C)are different than those used in older paints because the modern ones are
D)are different from the ones used in older paints on account of being
E)differ from the ones used in older paints because they are

The answer explanation says that "they" is ambiguous. Why is it so? I thought they correctly refers to the pigments used in modern oil paints as that is the subject of the sentence?


technically, that pronoun could also refer to "the ones used in older paints".

this may be the kind of ambiguity that would be tolerated in an official problem, though, since there is one antecedent that is parallel to the pronoun ("the pigments in modern oil paints" - this is a subject, and the pronoun is also a subject) and another that's not.
see here:
post30983.html#p30983

even if the ambiguity is tolerated, though, the original is still incorrect, because it misuses "because".
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