请教一个指代的问题。OG12-Q6。疑惑。

venus2elva

6. In late 1997, the chambers inside the pyramid of the

Pharaoh Menkaure at Giza were closed to visitors for

cleaning and repair due to moisture exhaled by

tourists, which raised its humidity to such levels so

that salt from the stone was crystallizing and fungus

was growing on the walls.

(A) due to moisture exhaled by tourists, which

raised its humidity to such levels so that salt

from the stone was crystallizing

(B) due to moisture that tourists had exhaled,

thereby raising its humidity to such levels that

salt from the stone would crystallize

(C) because tourists were exhaling moisture, which

had raised the humidity within them to levels

such that salt from the stone would crystallize

(D) because of moisture that was exhaled by

tourists raising the humidity within them to levels

so high as to make the salt from the stone

crystallize

(E) because moisture exhaled by tourists had raised

the humidity within them to such levels that salt

from the stone was crystallizing

选E。疑问是，E里面的them不会有指代tourists的歧义吗？是因为用了被动所以可以藐视它吗 = = 。但是OG说D里面的them就有指代tourists的歧义。何解？

附OG对二选项解释。

D Once again, them seems to refer to tourists;

the entire construction is awkward, wordy,

and ambiguous; crystallize is not parallel to

was growing.

E Correct. Th e causal sequence is clear, and

them clearly refers to chambers.

Th e correct answer is E.

加州女孩

关于E，貌似是by tourists做修饰的成分，修饰前面的moisture，所以它的优先级不如整个句子的主语chambers，所以them指chambers（我记得白勇语法里好像说代词一般优先指代主句的主语吧），但是D我也不清楚

venus2elva

多谢。

继续求解。。。

feid1984

找了半天答案，仅供参考，来自于ManhattanGMAT ，原帖地址：
http://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/pronoun-ambiguous-antecedent-t6990.html

下面贴出例题的解释，OG的解释，好像由于版权，不能直接解释。

代词的指代对象，主要还是看句子结构。them不会指代tourists，应为如果指tourists，必须用themselves。

feid1984

Supporters of tax breaks that local governments award to businesses each year to prevent them from moving consider them vital economic development tools
while critics denounce the tax breaks as corporate welfare that helps some localities but weakens the national economy.

(a) Supporters of tax breaks that local governments award to businesses each year to prevent them from moving consider them vital economic development tools
(b) Supporters consider tax breaks that local governments award businesses each year to prevent them from moving to be vital economic development tools
(c) Supporters of tax breaks that local governments award businesses each year to prevent them from moving consider them vital economic development tools
(d) Supporters consider tax breaks that local governments award businesses each year to prevent them from moving vital economic development tools
(e) Supporters of tax breaks that local governments award businesses each year to prevent them from moving consider the tax breaks to be vital economic development tools

According to the explanation, the pronoun "them" in the phrase "to prevent them" correctly refers to "businesses'. I had assumed that "them" illogically referred to "Supporters", which is the subject of the sentence. Why does "them" clearly refer to businesses? It wasn't an issue in this example, but there are times I falsely eliminate an answer choice because I think the pronoun's antecedent is ambiguous.

feid1984

The antecedent of "them" is clearly enough "businesses," despite the presence of many plural nouns (supporters, tax breaks, governments, and businesses). The structure of the sentence is a big part of the reason.

The correct answer is (D):
Supporters consider tax breaks (that local governments award businesses (each year) (to prevent them from moving)) vital economic development tools while critics denounce the tax breaks as corporate welfare that helps some localities but weakens the national economy.

In bold, you see the main core of the sentence: Supporters consider tax breaks vital economic development tools.

In parentheses, you see modifiers. There is a relative clause modifying "tax breaks." Within that relative clause, there are two adverbial modifiers of "award": "each year" (how often the governments award), and "to prevent them from moving" (why the governments award). Notice that "them" is buried in a modifier within a modifier, far removed from the main sentence subject "supporters" or even the modified noun "tax breaks." For clarity, such a pronoun is more likely to have an antecedent within the same modifier.

But that still leaves "governments" or "businesses" as possible antecedents. If "governments" were the intended antecedent, the phrase would have to read "local governments award businesses...to prevent themselves from moving." The reflexive pronoun "themselves" would be necessary because "governments" is the subject of the verb "award" whereas the pronoun is the object of the verb "prevent." Think of the simple example "I hit the tennis ball to myself."

Both "businesses" and "them" are objects of their respective verbs, so that similarity links them together. Plus, "businesses" is both the most logical and the closest antecedent.

There are two main things going on in this question:
(1) The idiom "X considers Y Z" (incorrectly given in some choices as "X considers Y to be Z")
(2) The repetition (or not) of "them."

On the GMAT, if you use a particular pronoun more than once, it must refer to the same antecedent every time. Thus, (A) and (C), which both use "them" first to refer to "businesses," then later to refer to "tax breaks," are incorrect.

_________________
Emily Sledge
Instructor
ManhattanGMAT

venus2elva

For clarity, such a pronoun is more likely to have an antecedent within the same modifier.

恩，应该是这样子。D里面的that从句，将them划在了一个不能跳跃的修饰成分范围，所以指代了tourists，而E就没有这样的问题。

多谢feid1984童鞋，辛苦了！。

AMBER513

感谢分享！