NDA (II) 2022 GAT Q28: by which the genetic material of a plant is altered, P /

Q: What is the answer to NDA (II) 2022 GAT Q28?

B. Correct — B, SPRQ. In order the sentence reads 'Genetic modification (GM) is the science (S) by which the genetic material of a plant is altered, (P) perhaps to make it more resistant to (R) pests and enhance its nutritional value (Q).' S is the only part with a subject and a main verb, P is the relative clause defining 'the science', and R must be followed by Q because 'resistant to' cannot be left without its object, 'pests'.

NDA (II) 2022 General Ability Test · Question 28 of 150

Question text verified against the official NDA question paper.

by which the genetic material of a plant is altered, P / pests and enhance its nutritional value Q / perhaps to make it more resistant to R / genetic modification (GM) is the science S

(a)QRPS
(b)SPRQ
(c)RSPQ
(d)RPQS

Answer

Why

Correct — B, SPRQ. In order the sentence reads 'Genetic modification (GM) is the science (S) by which the genetic material of a plant is altered, (P) perhaps to make it more resistant to (R) pests and enhance its nutritional value (Q).' S is the only part with a subject and a main verb, P is the relative clause defining 'the science', and R must be followed by Q because 'resistant to' cannot be left without its object, 'pests'.

Why the others are wrong

(a)QRPS — Opening on 'pests and enhance its nutritional value' begins the sentence in the middle of a phrase, and it also separates 'resistant to' from the very word it governs.
(c)RSPQ — R starts with 'perhaps to make it', where 'it' has no noun to refer back to yet, so R cannot open the sentence.
(d)RPQS — Along with the same opening problem, this places 'resistant to' before the relative clause and pushes the main clause 'genetic modification is the science' to the end.

Concept

A sentence-ordering item in which a defining relative clause and a phrase of purpose follow the main clause.

The seam between 'resistant to' and 'pests' is the giveaway, because an adjective that takes 'to' must be followed by its object, so R and Q are welded together. The relative pronoun 'by which' at the start of P shows that P must follow the noun it defines, which fixes S before P.

Study next

Relative clauses introduced by by which, in which and for whichInfinitives of purpose, as in 'to make it more resistant'Adjective and preposition pairs such as resistant to, immune to and prone to

Common traps

Splitting an adjective from the preposition and noun that complete it.
Opening a sentence with a pronoun whose antecedent has not yet appeared.

Asked as an ordering-of-words item — arrange P, Q, R and S into a single coherent sentence.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Practice

practice — not a real PYQ
Arrange the parts to form a coherent sentence — (P) by which sunlight is converted (Q) into chemical energy (R) photosynthesis is the process (S) in green plants
- (a)RPQS
- (b)PQRS
- (c)QRSP
- (d)SRQP
Answer(a) RPQS — 'Photosynthesis is the process by which sunlight is converted into chemical energy in green plants.'
practice — not a real PYQ
Arrange the parts to form a coherent sentence — (P) to sudden changes in temperature (Q) the new alloy is (R) more resistant (S) than steel
- (a)PQRS
- (b)QRPS
- (c)SRQP
- (d)RQPS
Answer(b) QRPS — 'The new alloy is more resistant to sudden changes in temperature than steel.'