Researchers claim to have developed new "nano-papers" incorporating tiny cellulose fibres, which they allege give them the strength of cast iron

a)Here why is there ambiguity with they and them, both they and them refer to researchers. First clause subject is Researchers, and in the second clause they and them refer to Researchers.
But in the MGMAT SC Guide , the above sentence has been marked as erroneous.

b)Also I am told if there are pronouns such as they and them in the clause , the pronouns should point to the same antecedent.
In that case how is the below right?

2.A study commissioned by the Department of Agriculture showed that if calves exercise and associate with other calves, they require less medication and gain weight more quickly than those raised in confinement.

they refers to calves
those refers to other calves

But in the first sentence, they and them refers to 'Researchers' only.

3. Is the behavior of pronoun different when they form a part of a different clause in contrast to when they are in the same clause?

Well, first of all you are wrong about the researchers, so you cannot use that as evidence against the other example. If researchers are the subject, you cannot use "them" to refer to the researchers as well; you must use "themselves" instead:

You wouldn't say the scientists gave them a pat on the back; you would say they gave themselves a pat on the back..

"they" clearly refers to researchers, but "them" is ambiguous because even though it cannot refer to the researchers it could refer to either the papers or the fibres..

Pronoun ambiguity is a very tough subject on the GMAT, in part because the GMAT doesn't seem to have a clear idea itself of how antecedents should be assigned, so take this all with a grain of salt..

_________________
Tim Sanders
Manhattan GMAT Instructor

Congress is debating a bill requiring certain employers provide workers with unpaid leave so as to care for sick or newbom children

(A) provide workers with unpaid leave so as to
(B) to provide workers with unpaid leave so as to
(C) provide workers with unpaid leave in order that they
(D) to provide workers with unpaid leave so that they can
(E) provide workers with unpaid leave and to

OA is D.

Here there are two clauses separated by a subordinate conjunction "so that".

Congress is debating a bill requiring certain employers to provide workers with unpaid leave so that they care for sick or newbom children.
In this sentence what does 'they' refer to? It can refer to employers or workers. Isn't it ambiguous.

Of course it's ambiguous. That's what happens when you use sources other than GMAT or MGMAT. People, PLEASE remember that when you study from questions that are not official and are not from MGMAT, you run a VERY HIGH RISK of getting misled with invalid questions like this one..

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Tim Sanders
Manhattan GMAT Instructor

Thakn you so much....i was just blown away by this question...every option has something wrong...i thought i was growing paranoid and reading too much into it

glad i could help.. :)

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Tim Sanders
Manhattan GMAT Instructor

Hi Tim,

Even I am having a difficulty in identifying the correct antecedent of a pronoun. For ex:

from thread http://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/gmat-question-a-recent-review-of-pay-scales-indicates-t1889.html the correct answer is C, but cant "their" in the sentence refer to "blue-collar workers" rather than "CEO's" ?

Also in http://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/a-higher-interest-rate-is-only-one-of-the-factors-t732.html how can we be sure that "it" refers only to "higher interest rate" and not anything else?

Thanks in advance.

A recent review of pay scales indicates that CEO’s now earn an average of 419 times more pay than blue-collar workers, compared to a ratio of 42 times in 1980.

C. that, on average, CEO’s now earn 419 times the pay of blue-collar workers, as compared to 42 times their pay, the ratio

Parallelism often determines whether a pronoun and its antecedent are clearly linked. Here, parallelism is tied to comparing "419 times the pay of blue collar workers" and "42 times their pay." Remember that the comparison dictates that the compared objects be parallel. As such, it is clear that "their" refers back to blue collar workers because in both instances "blue collar workers" modifies pay, answering "which pay" for the reader.



A higher interest rate is only one of the factors, albeit an important one, that keeps the housing market from spiraling out of control, like it did earlier in the decade

In this problem, the antecedent of "it" answers the question 'what spiraled out of control earlier in the decade?' "It did" In this problem the only antecedent that clearly fits this description is "the housing market'" Also, 'like' and 'as' signal a comparison, which requires that the two compared elements be parallel. In this case we are comparing how the housing market spiraled out of control in two periods of time and the "it" clearly refers back to the housing market to maintain the comparison.

In both cases parallelism is what maintained the clarity of connection between each pronoun and its antecedent.

In the future please ask your questions in the original problem thread and do not cross-pollinate our forum threads.

Thanks,
Chris

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Chris Brusznicki
MGMAT Instructor
Chicago, IL