Noun preceeding that/which

This topic has expert replies
Legendary Member
Posts: 882
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2009 2:57 pm
Thanked: 15 times
Followed by:1 members
GMAT Score:690

Noun preceeding that/which

by crackgmat007 » Thu May 28, 2009 4:18 pm
Hey Guys,

I am trying to understand the usage of "that" and "which". I know that "which" is used to refer a noun, but am getting confused. Below are couple of examples that we can use for discussion. Tx much for your thoughts.

My question is can that/which modify the nouns (objects) in the prepositonal phrase?

Example of a sentence using "That"
==================================

Cut-paper design, a popular pastime of Colonial women, became an art form in the hands of Abigail Lefferts Lloyd, a Revolutionary War heroine.
(A) design, a popular pastime of colonial women, became an art form in the hands of
(B) design, a popular Colonial women’s pastime, and it became an art form in the hands of
(C) design was a popular pastime for Colonial women, then it became an art form in the hands of
(D) design is a popular pastime of Colonial women that has become an art form by
(E) design, the popular Colonial pastime, became an art form for

In option D, which noun does 'that' modify --> 'pastime' or 'women' or 'colonial women'?

OA for above is A

Example of a sentence using "Which"
==================================

Declining values for farm equipment and land, the collateral against which farmers borrow to get through the harvest season, is going to force many lenders to tighten or deny credit this spring.
(A) the collateral against which farmers borrow to get through the harvest season, is
(B) which farmers use as collateral to borrow against to get through the harvest season, is
(C) the collateral which is borrowed against by farmers to get through the harvest season, is
(D) which farmers use as collateral to borrow against to get through the harvest season, are
(E) the collateral against which farmers borrow to get through the harvest season, are

In option B, which noun does 'which' modify --> 'Declining values' or 'farm equipment and land' or 'land' alone

OA - E

YOUR THOUGTHS ARE MOST WELCOME

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 2228
Joined: Wed Dec 27, 2006 3:28 pm
Location: Montreal, Canada
Thanked: 639 times
Followed by:694 members
GMAT Score:780

by Stacey Koprince » Tue Jun 02, 2009 7:18 pm
The rules here are pretty complicated, so the best way to talk about this is with specific examples.

In your first example, the relevant part of the sentence is "..pastime of Colonial women that has become an art form..."

When you have a main noun (pastime) followed by a short descriptive (ie, adjectival) prepositional phrase that begins with the preposition "of" (of Colonial women), then the "that" clause refers to the main noun, not the noun in the prepositional phrase. So, in this case, "that has become..." refers to "pastime."

In your second example, the relevant part of the sentence is "...declining values for farm equipment and land, which farmers use as collateral..." The preposition in question is "for," not "of," so this setup doesn't qualify for the exception described in the first example. In this case, the "which" refers to "farm equipment and land."
Please note: I do not use the Private Messaging system! I will not see any PMs that you send to me!!

Stacey Koprince
GMAT Instructor
Director of Online Community
Manhattan GMAT

Contributor to Beat The GMAT!

Learn more about me