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SC: the domestic cat - noun in a modifying phrase

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imtrying
 Post subject: SC: the domestic cat - noun in a modifying phrase
 Post Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 7:14 pm 
I have another question stemming from a MG CAT problem about the domestic cat's descendance from african wildcat.

The correct choice says:
"The domestic cat descended from the African wildcat approximately 4,000 years ago, an exceedingly recent divergence with respect to genetic evolution and one which scarcely seems sufficient to allow the marked physical changes in the animal."

What is the rule of using a modifying phrase that consists of a noun? The noun should also have a clear antecedent or referent, correct?

In the example, what exactly in the main clause does the word 'divergence' refer to? The sentence feels right, but I can only see that the word divergence in the modifying phrase refers to the concept of the domestic cats descending from wildcat. The antecedent here is only the concept, not a clear object or subject.

Could you please clarify? Thanks.
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imtrying
 Post subject:
 Post Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 3:38 pm 
Reviewed my own notes last night in a lonely hotel near the test center, and found that the answer was right there. So here it is if anyone finds it helpful.

There is a similar GMAT OG problem stating something like this:

"Women are expected to be the majority of students entering law school this fall, a trend ultimately placing more women in leadership positions in politics and business."

Whether the above sentence needs correction or not, one thing noteworthy is that the use of noun 'trend' in the modifying phrase is a valid usage. So here a noun phrase, just like a participial phrase, can modify either the subject or the concept introduced in the main clause.
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esledge
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 Post Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 4:24 pm 
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ManhattanGMAT Staff


Posts: 901
Location: St. Louis, MO
Thanks for the follow-up, I'm sure that will help others.

One important similarity between these two is that the noun in the appositive (that's the part following the comma in these examples) is an action noun that can be equated to the main verb.

"The domestic cat descended" can be described as "a divergence."
"Women are expected to be the majority" can be called "a trend."

Both are nouns have verb forms: diverging and trending, respectively.

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Emily Sledge
Instructor
ManhattanGMAT
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