A 5 min read

In this article, we’ll look at the solution to the 700-level GMAT Official Guide 2022 Sentence Correction question. Here is some general information about this OG question – Dinosaur tracks show them walking with their feet directly under their bodies, like mammals and birds, not extended out to the side in the manner of modern reptiles.

1. OG Question – Dinosaur tracks show them walking …

GMAT OG question: Dinosaur tracks show them walking with their feet directly under their bodies, like mammals and birds, not extended out to the side in the manner of modern reptiles.

[Refer to the Official guide 2022 for options].

I love this question because it uses excellent descriptions to help us visualize exactly what the author wants to communicate. This approach is a perfect way to write what conveys the author’s message unless the pronoun demons come out to play and wreak havoc in the sentence!

2. Dinosaur tracks show them walking… – Video Solution

Here is the video solution to this OG question – Dinosaur tracks show them walking with their feet directly under their bodies, like mammals and birds, not extended out to the side in the manner of modern reptiles:

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3.  Pronoun Demons Love to Mess with the Meaning!

Strap on your archeologist hat; this sentence is all about dinosaurs, tracks, and what the tracks tell us about how dinosaurs walked way back in the Mesozoic Era. As we begin reading through the sentence, we first read, “Dinosaur tracks show them walking,” Now, right away, we have to ask, “who is them?” Is the author trying to say that these tracks show the dinosaurs walking? That is illogical. We know the tracks cannot literally show the dinosaurs walking. It is not as if we can look into the tracks and see a film of the past with dinosaurs walking around. That would be cool, but as far as GMAT SC goes, not logical! If the author intended for the pronoun to refer to “Dinosaur,” we have a couple of issues. Notice what the word “Dinosaur” is doing in the sentence-it is describing the type of tracks and cannot serve as a referent of the pronoun.

We need to keep reading to figure out what the author is trying to communicate here. Next, we find out these tracks show them walking “with their feet directly under their bodies, like mammals and birds.” Now, the author seems to be telling us that the tracks the dinosaurs left show that the dinosaurs walked with their feet under them, similar to mammals and birds. This meaning is logical. The last portion is “not extended out to the side in the manner of modern reptiles.”  This portion is also logical. I see a gecko running around with little legs out to the side. The comparison and contrast that the author intends to make here are communicated clearly and correctly. However, that one little pronoun demon “them” hanging out at the front of the sentence is messing with the meaning.

4. The Most Common Mistake- Option B

The most common mistake made in answering this question is not paying attention to the meaning communicated in the original sentence. Maybe you are reading quickly, or you are looking for quick grammar rules to apply. Whatever the reason, the most common mistake made is selecting answer choice B. If you chose this option, you were not focusing on the meaning.

“Dinosaur tracks show that they walked with their feet directly under their bodies, as do”

Now, I agree the intent of the pronouns “they” and “their” in this sentence is absolutely to refer to “Dinosaur.” However, good intentions can only take a pronoun demon so far because they are tricky by nature. Notice the use of “Dinosaur” in this choice. Is it a noun? No, it is an adjective used to describe the type of “tracks.” The only possible referent here is “tracks,” which leaves us with the same illogical meaning as option A.

5. Discipline the Demons- Option D

Making sure you check the pronoun reference and the meaning being communicated will provide the much-needed discipline both you and the pronoun demons need to get to the correct answer choice. Option D provides this discipline.

“The tracks that dinosaurs left show that they walked with their feet directly under their bodies, as do”

This option has disciplined our pronoun demons, and the two pronouns “they” and “their” now clearly refer to the plural noun “dinosaurs.” The illogical meaning that the original sentence communicated has been rectified.

6. A Snapshot of the Meaning Mess in the Answer Choices

If you focus on the meaning, you will notice that all, but the correct answer choice, can be eliminated simply because of illogical meaning.

A. Dinosaur tracks show them walking with their feet directly under their bodies, like

B. Dinosaur tracks show that they walked with their feet directly under their bodies, as do

C. Dinosaurs left tracks that showed them walking with their feet directly under their bodies, like

D. The tracks that dinosaurs left show that they walked with their feet directly under their bodies, as do

E. In the tracks they left, dinosaurs are shown walking with their feet under their bodies, like

7. Takeaways

1. Keep those Pronoun demons disciplined. Always check the pronoun-antecedent relationship to ensure it is logically correct and communicates the proper meaning. 
2. A change in structure does not mean that the original error has been fixed. Double-check whether the logical intended meaning is being communicated before accepting an answer choice.
3. Double-check how a word functions in each answer choice. English is flexible, and words can function in various ways. Here the word “Dinosaur” was allowed to camouflage itself as an adjective when it needed to be a noun to communicate the proper meaning.  

Happy Learning! 

Cheers! 

Stacey 

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