A 4 min read

In this article, we’ll look at the solution to the 700-level GMAT Official Guide Sentence Correction question. Here is some general information about this OG question – Avalanches at Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park killed more than 200 people between 1885 and 1910, but they are now controlled if not prevented; cannons are fired at the slopes to make snow masses fall before they become dangerous.

1. OG Question – Avalanches at Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park…

GMAT OG question – Avalanches at Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park killed more than 200 people between 1885 and 1910, but they are now controlled if not prevented; cannons are fired at the slopes to make snow masses fall before they become dangerous.

[Refer to the Official Guide for options]

Did you fall prey to the avalanches at Roger Pass? If not, did you have to struggle to get past the onslaught of the snowslide of this sentence? If you are saying yes, then let us equip you to not just control but prevent the calamities such sentences can bring upon you and hinder your march to the summit of success.

2. OG Solution – Avalanches at Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park…

Take a look at the video solution to this OG question – Avalanches at Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park killed more than 200 people between 1885 and 1910, but they are now controlled if not prevented; cannons are fired at the slopes to make snow masses fall before they become dangerous.

3. Take the Safest Route

The safest route to the summit of success is none other than the route of logic. We first must understand what logic this sentence intends to convey. Once we do so diligently, the rest of the journey becomes super smooth.

So, the meaning of this sentence is very straightforward. So, where do students slip and trip in this sentence? There is a demon hidden in this sentence that causes all the accidents. Let’s see, who is that demon?   

4. “They” Are Demoniac

Yes, as Stacey says, the pronoun demon “they” is at play in this sentence. She would call “they” a snow pronoun demon. How? See, a pronoun is simply a substitute for a specific noun entity in the sentence. Per this logic, “they” refers to those avalanches at Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park that took place between 1885 and 1910, as the sentence talks about these specific avalanches.

Now, any logical person can see what is wrong with this sentence. How can those avalanches that occurred from 1885 to 1910 be controlled in the present? It makes no sense. So, the pronoun demon spoils the logic of this sentence and must be driven out.

5. Dark Dungeon of Devilish D

Choice D:  More than 200 people have been killed by avalanches at Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park between 1885 and 1910, but such avalanches

I know Choice D does not have the pronoun demon “they,” but it is still devilish. This time it is the verb “have been killed.” The sentence talks about avalanches that took place between 1885 and 1910. 1910 ended more than a century ago. We cannot use any form of present tense for the bygone time period.

6. E – The Error-Free

Let’s observe something very interesting here:

Choice A: Avalanches at Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park killed more than 200 people between 1885 and 1910, but they

Choice E: Avalanches at Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park killed more than 200 people between 1885 and 1910, but such avalanches

Can you see how similar these two choices are? When we take the logical route, we are soon able to understand that the pronoun demon was messing up this sentence.

Choice E simply replaces this pronoun demon with the correct expression “such avalanches” to talk about avalanches in general.

7. A Quick Look

Choice A: Avalanches at Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park killed more than 200 people between 1885 and 1910, but they

Choice B: More than 200 people have been killed by avalanches between 1885 and 1910 at Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park, but they

Choice C: Between 1885 and 1910, more than 200 people were killed by avalanches at Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park, but they

Choice D: More than 200 people have been killed by avalanches at Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park between 1885 and 1910, but such avalanches

Choice E: Avalanches at Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park killed more than 200 people between 1885 and 1910, but such avalanches

Do I need to say anything about other answer choices? Just imagine how easy it becomes to arrive at the correct answer choice if we take the logical route and spend some time in understanding the meaning conveyed by the original sentence. Sifting through the incorrect answer choices becomes so easy, and we simply slide to the correct answer choice. So, just embrace this route and depend on logic. We assure you that you will effortlessly reach the summit of success by selecting the correct answer choice without facing any avalanche.

8. Practice Question

Try your hands on this question to cement your understanding of the usage of a pronoun as a replacement of a particular noun entity in the sentence. You can review our solution to understand how to solve this tricky official question.

For general Myths and Truths about Pronoun Usages, read our popular article here.

Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha

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