there does appear to be an exception here. as far as i know, this is a unique exception among official problems.

still, note the following:
* there is no wrong answer choice that does have that kind of construction, so the rule still won't lead you astray;
* in cases like this, you should go ahead and pick whichever choice conforms most closely to the principles with which you're familiar. if nothing is perfect, look for whatever is closest to perfect.

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Being well-dressed gives a feeling of inward tranquillity [that] religion is powerless to bestow.
C.F. Forbes

Ron,

After reading your post about "now", i realize that this problem is a lot harder than I originally thought.

Answer choice C, although wrong, has an interesting structure I'd like clarification on.

If re-written, (inserted), would it be OK?

The gyrfalcon, an Arctic bird of prey, has survived a close brush with extinction, its numbers now fivefold what they were when the use of DDT was sharply restricted in the early 1970’s.


or does it have to be?

The gyrfalcon, an Arctic bird of prey, has survived a close brush with extinction, its numbers ARE now fivefold what they were when the use of DDT was sharply restricted in the early 1970’s.

if the second half of the comaprison contains a verb, "what they were" for example, does the first part require a verb? In the first example, the first half of the comparison seems to imply the to be verb, "the numbers [are] now fivefold"

thanks

this choice is grammatically ok, but it doesn't make sense -- you've created a modifier that doesn't actually modify anything.

the point of "its numbers are now fivefold..." is to create a contrast with the previous clause (which says that the bird almost went extinct at one point), not to describe/modify it. so you can't use a modifier here.

note that the correct answer does not use one, either.



this is a run-on sentence (= complete sentence + comma + complete sentence). not ok.

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Being well-dressed gives a feeling of inward tranquillity [that] religion is powerless to bestow.
C.F. Forbes

i totally see it now, thanks again Ron

sure.

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Being well-dressed gives a feeling of inward tranquillity [that] religion is powerless to bestow.
C.F. Forbes

Ron,

Firstly, thank you so much for following up on every post. You and Stacy are heroes to us :D.

Now, is it okay to say:

The gyrfalcon, an Arctic bird of prey, has survived a close brush with extinction; its numbers are now fivefold what they were when the use of DDT was sharply restricted in the early 1970’s.

or is it a Run-on sentence?

It's not in the options, just wanted to clarify my concepts. Is there a thead on the usage of <number>fold?

this is not a run-on sentence, because the semicolon appropriately separates the two independent clauses. however, it is still incorrect because as far as i know <number>fold should be used as a modifier, and you are using it as a noun here..

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Tim Sanders
Manhattan GMAT Instructor