Having lost his sight to sustained eyestrain, John Milton nevertheless composed Paradise Lost, considered by many to be the greatest English epic.

A. Having lost his sight to sustained eyestrain
B. With his sight lost to sustained eyestrain
C. Blinded by sustained eyestrain
D. Having been blinded by excessive eyestrain
E. Blinded with sustained eyestrain.


In this question, I assumed the meaning of "Blinded by" and "Blinded with" in C and E to take on the meaning "to not be able to see because of something, though his eyesight is fine" as in the example, "Blinded by his wealth, he committed the murder" where they arent talking about the eyes not being able to see but it is used in a different context.. With this line of reasoning I rejected choices C and E. However, the correct answer turned out to be C.

While I agree with the answer, I just feel that C causes some ambiguity and given that none of the other sentences are grammatically incorrect, A would be the best choice due to brevity.

Ur opinions on this????

Q.1
answer is E..
A,B,C - acc. to me, Among the surest indications should come first, followed by on Earth...(forgive me for not being able to express it technically) because the latter part of the sentence talks about one of the indications...
D - gramatically incorrect

Q.2
acc. to me, the answer is E...
A - supports the claim of politicians!!
B - it is nowhere mentioned in the passage that the exports were low the previous two periods due to insufficient supply
C - somewhat supports the politicians by saying the economy will become strong if either the currency remains strong (supporting govt.) or if there is a rise in exports(supports politicians)
D - irrelevant.

Q1. I agree with Ajay.. The answer is E. A, B and C have misplaced modifiers. D is just plain wrong. Hence E is correct.

Q2. I feel the answer is B. The politicians are asking for a weakening of the currency to increase the exports. To weaken this argument, we need an option that says that the exports cannot be increased. B provides just that.

B - it is nowhere mentioned in the passage that the exports were low the previous two periods due to insufficient supply

The question is a "if it were true" question.. hence, it doesnt have to be mentioned in the passage.

Vikram.

Hi,

Attached is a file containing 2 problems I got wrong in one of the prep tests.

Can someone please help me figure these out? I'll be posting the correct answers shortly.

Thanks,
Shipra

Q.1
answer is E..
A,B,C - acc. to me, Among the surest indications should come first, followed by on Earth...(forgive me for not being able to express it technically) because the latter part of the sentence talks about one of the indications...
D - gramatically incorrect

Q.2
acc. to me, the answer is E...
A - supports the claim of politicians!!
B - it is nowhere mentioned in the passage that the exports were low the previous two periods due to insufficient supply
C - somewhat supports the politicians by saying the economy will become strong if either the currency remains strong (supporting govt.) or if there is a rise in exports(supports politicians)
D - irrelevant.

Hi,

Attached is a file containing 2 problems I got wrong in one of the prep tests.

Can someone please help me figure these out? I'll be posting the correct answers shortly.

Thanks,
Shipra

The choices narrow down to A & C. Now the problem with C is that it is passive voice and hence A was given as the right answer. But in this sentence passive voice actually makes more sense as the topic is coyotes and not the films. According to standard English a passive voice can be used if the object is more important than the subject as in this case.
Is there any other flaw with C other than the passive voice?

Vav,

As Kaplan says, this is NOT a test of English.. It is a test of GMAT-English. On the GMAT-English, the Active voice is ALWAYS preferred to the Passive voice.

Vikram.

Although films about the American West depict coyotes as solitary animals howling mournfully on the tops of distant hills, in reality these gregarious creatures live in stable groups that occupy the same territory for long periods.
(A) films about the American West depict coyotes as solitary animals howling mournfully on the tops of distant hills
(B) in films about the American West coyotes are depicted to be solitary animals that howl mournfully on the tops of distant hills
(C) coyotes are depicted as solitary animals howling mournfully on the tops of distant hills in films about the American West
(D) films about the American West depict coyotes as if they were solitary, mournfully howling animals on the tops of distant hills
(E) films about the American West depict coyotes to be solitary and mournfully howling animals on the tops of distant hills

The choices narrow down to A & C. Now the problem with C is that it is passive voice and hence A was given as the right answer. But in this sentence passive voice actually makes more sense as the topic is coyotes and not the films. According to standard English a passive voice can be used if the object is more important than the subject as in this case.
Is there any other flaw with C other than the passive voice?

Even I am confused between D & E.

Any grammarian who can help us?

it refers to decrease in unemployment....so decrease in unemployment till which level ?
So it should be decrease in unemployment ...till the lowest level.....

On the other hand, decrease in unemployment ...to a two-year low level, does not sound correct & (E) is therefore better.

I dont know the exact details but this sounds right... any comments ?

The answer is E.

A) makes it sound as if the unemployment was made to come down. However, we are talking about a phenomenon that just happened. This alters the meaning of the statement big time. It also has a pronoun error. "It" doesnt refer to anything. Hence wrong.

B) Unemployment is not a rate. This too has the same pronoun error that A has. Hence out.

C) The tense is wrong. Out.

D) and E) sound fine but I somehow think E) is the answer as it just sounds correct. I dont know what is wrong with D, though. Guess neptune can pitch in here.

Vikram.

Even I am confused between D & E.

Any grammarian who can help us?

I couldnt positively say, but I'll give u a gut feeling answer and why I think so too.

I think the answer is C.

There is a 3-2 split in the answer choices. THe "it" in D and E, doesnt refer to any noun. Hence D and E are wrong. B means something totally different when is says "who plan on practicing". Hence B is wrong. A has "more likely than are " which is wrong. Hence A is out.

The ans is C, but I don't think "four times as likely as" is a right phrase. It should either be "as likely as" or "four times more likely than". What confuses me is how it can be "four times" and "as likely as" at the same. Is my thinking right?

For the below question I couldn't find any right answer :(
According to a survey of graduating medical students conducted by the Association of American Medical Colleges, minority graduates are nearly four times more likely than are other graduates in planning to practice in socioeconomically deprived areas.
(A) minority graduates are nearly four times more likely than are other graduates in planning to practice
(B) minority graduates are nearly four times more likely than other graduates who plan on practicing
(C) minority graduates are nearly four times as likely as other graduates to plan on practicing
(D) it is nearly four times more likely that minority graduates rather than other graduates will plan to practice
(E) it is nearly four times as likely for minority graduates than other graduates to plan to practice

I couldnt positively say, but I'll give u a gut feeling answer and why I think so too.

I think the answer is C.

There is a 3-2 split in the answer choices. THe "it" in D and E, doesnt refer to any noun. Hence D and E are wrong. B means something totally different when is says "who plan on practicing". Hence B is wrong. A has "more likely than are " which is wrong. Hence A is out.

1. According to some economists, the July decrease in unemployment so that it was the lowest in two years suggests that the gradual improvement in the job market is continuing.
(A) so that it was the lowest in two years
(B) so that it was the lowest two-year rate
(C) to what would be the lowest in two years
(D) to a two-year low level
(E) to the lowest level in two years

The answer is E.

A) makes it sound as if the unemployment was made to come down. However, we are talking about a phenomenon that just happened. This alters the meaning of the statement big time. It also has a pronoun error. "It" doesnt refer to anything. Hence wrong.

B) Unemployment is not a rate. This too has the same pronoun error that A has. Hence out.

C) The tense is wrong. Out.

D) and E) sound fine but I somehow think E) is the answer as it just sounds correct. I dont know what is wrong with D, though. Guess neptune can pitch in here.

Vikram.

It's a little late to ask this but I had a doubt on the ans C:

In C we are neglecting 'as many as' and just considering 'more than'. Isn't that a change in the meaning? We are not considering the case where population can be equal to 250 bird species.

The main goal of sentence correction is to test grammar.. In this particular question, all the other choices are grammatically incorrect and hence the marginal discrepency in the meaning of the statement can be overlooked. The point u made would be valid in the situation where two statements are absolutely grammatically correct and in that case the decision has to be made on a) which has exactly the same meaning as the original statement and b) which is more concise.

Vikram.

1. According to some economists, the July decrease in unemployment so that it was the lowest in two years suggests that the gradual improvement in the job market is continuing.
(A) so that it was the lowest in two years
(B) so that it was the lowest two-year rate
(C) to what would be the lowest in two years
(D) to a two-year low level
(E) to the lowest level in two years
2. According to some analysts, whatever its merits, the proposal to tax away all capital gains on short-term investments would, if enacted, have a disastrous effect on Wall Street trading and employment.
(A) its merits, the proposal to tax
(B) its merits may be, the proposal of taxing
(C) its merits as a proposal, taxing
(D) the proposal's merits, to tax
(E) the proposal's merits are, taxing

For the below question I couldn't find any right answer :(

According to a survey of graduating medical students conducted by the Association of American Medical Colleges, minority graduates are nearly four times more likely than are other graduates in planning to practice in socioeconomically deprived areas.
(A) minority graduates are nearly four times more likely than are other graduates in planning to practice
(B) minority graduates are nearly four times more likely than other graduates who plan on practicing
(C) minority graduates are nearly four times as likely as other graduates to plan on practicing
(D) it is nearly four times more likely that minority graduates rather than other graduates will plan to practice
(E) it is nearly four times as likely for minority graduates than other graduates to plan to practice

The answer is C.

"routes for" is unidiomatic. Hence A is out. "routes" is plural and hence "monitors" isnt correct. Hence D and E are out. B is incorrect as it uses the wrong idiom "as many".

Vikram.

It's a little late to ask this but I had a doubt on the ans C:

In C we are neglecting 'as many as' and just considering 'more than'. Isn't that a change in the meaning? We are not considering the case where population can be equal to 250 bird species.

It is different to say any connection that is apparent... (C) any apparent connection... (D)
In choice C the word 'apparent' is what is called a subjective complement (complement of the verb to be) while choice D "apparent" is an adjective. I understand that this is called a misplaced modifier because choice C changes the meaning of the original sentence or make it ambiguous while choice D it's clear.

Can you please answer this a little in depth for me. By my understanding, a subjective complement should provide more information about the subject that is connected by the verb that it complements.. Isnt that correct? If that is the case, can you co-relate statement C with this explanation?

Secondly, my idea of a misplaced modifier is that if the sentence begins with a participial phrase, then the word after the comma should be modifying it and if it aint, then it is a misplaced modifier. Since I dont find a participial phrase in statement C, could u please explain this point too..

Thanks in advance.

Vikram.

It is different to say any connection that is apparent... (C) any apparent connection... (D)
In choice C the word 'apparent' is what is called a subjective complement (complement of the verb to be) while choice D "apparent" is an adjective. I understand that this is called a misplaced modifier because choice C changes the meaning of the original sentence or make it ambiguous while choice D it's clear.

:crazyeye: OMG!
looks like a pretty good expln, made me a nervous wreck though

It is different to say any connection that is apparent... (C) any apparent connection... (D)
In choice C the word 'apparent' is what is called a subjective complement (complement of the verb to be) while choice D "apparent" is an adjective. I understand that this is called a misplaced modifier because choice C changes the meaning of the original sentence or make it ambiguous while choice D it's clear.

paki Says

I would choose D also because choice C has a misplaced modifier.

I didnt get this. Please explain.

neptune000 Says

i go with D too... OA?

I would choose D also because choice C has a misplaced modifier.

i go with D too... OA?

If Dr．Wade was right，any apparent connection of the eating of highly processed foods and excelling at sports is purely coincidental．
(A) If Dr．Wade was right，any apparent connection of the eating of
(B) Should Dr．Wade be right, any apparent connection of eating
(C) If Dr．Wade is right，any connection that is apparent between eating of
(D) If Dr．Wade is right，any apparent connection between eating
(E) Should Dr．Wade have been right，any connection apparent between eating
Both c & d look fine, but why one of them is better ? I feel option c is ok as it maintains the parallelism eating of .and excelling at .

I think I would go with d.

THe choices are clearly down to C and D. However, I find two issues with C. THe Correct idiom to use is "connection between", but C places the word "apparent" between these two. Secondly, C infact is not parallel, as C uses the noun form "eating" as compared to the verb "excelling" while D uses the verb "Eating" to go parallel with the verb "excelling".

... and yeah C is wordy too.... why would u say " connection that is apparent" rather than saying "apparent connection"?? Ofcourse, teh wordy rule can be used only if everything else is ok!

Hence I think d is corect. What is the OA????

dont worry...u'll excel...:)

Well another doubt

If Dr．Wade was right，any apparent connection of the eating of highly processed foods and excelling at sports is purely coincidental．
(A) If Dr．Wade was right，any apparent connection of the eating of
(B) Should Dr．Wade be right, any apparent connection of eating
(C) If Dr．Wade is right，any connection that is apparent between eating of
(D) If Dr．Wade is right，any apparent connection between eating
(E) Should Dr．Wade have been right，any connection apparent between eating
Both c & d look fine, but why one of them is better ? I feel option c is ok as it maintains the parallelism eating of .and excelling at .

Hey Vikram

Thnx for the perfect and concise explanation....
The explanation I read was inappropriate and I did nt notice the word "routes" - which is plural...

BTW when are u planning to take ur GMAT ?

Sumit

My GMAT is on the 17th of december and I am totally freaking out here!!!

think its C - concise, and we are talking abt COUNTS so "monitor" this eliminates D and E,
A --> "or of" doesnt sound good.. 'as' is missing as well..
we are down to B & C, so IMO C - less wordy and upto the point?
wat say?
and wats the OA? is this from Kap 800?

Hi,

thnx, the ans is correct..but refer to the explanation that Vikram has provided.
This ques is from OG11 (which i doubt)... :)
When r u taking ur GMAT ?

Sumit

The answer is C.

"routes for" is unidiomatic. Hence A is out. "routes" is plural and hence "monitors" isnt correct. Hence D and E are out. B is incorrect as it uses the wrong idiom "as many".

Vikram.

Hey Vikram

Thnx for the perfect and concise explanation....
The explanation I read was inappropriate and I did nt notice the word "routes" - which is plural...

BTW when are u planning to take ur GMAT ?

Sumit

hehe! :)

-V

The answer is C.

Vikram.

saw u lurking arnd somewhere... and u beat me to it

Hi ev1..

can any1 help me out on this one..plz provide a adetailed explanation...

Organized in 1966 by the Fish and Wildlife Service，the Breeding Bird Survey uses annual roadside counts along established routes for monitoring of population changes of as many as，or of more than 250 bird species，including 180 songbirds．

(A) for monitoring of population changes of as many as，or of
(B) to monitor population changes of as many, or
(C) to monitor changes in the populations of
(D) that monitors population changes of
(E) that monitors changes in populations of as many as，or


thnx
Sumit

think its C - concise, and we are talking abt COUNTS so "monitor" this eliminates D and E,
A --> "or of" doesnt sound good.. 'as' is missing as well..
we are down to B & C, so IMO C - less wordy and upto the point?
wat say?
and wats the OA? is this from Kap 800?

Hi ev1..

can any1 help me out on this one..plz provide a adetailed explanation...

Organized in 1966 by the Fish and Wildlife Service，the Breeding Bird Survey uses annual roadside counts along established routes for monitoring of population changes of as many as，or of more than 250 bird species，including 180 songbirds．

(A) for monitoring of population changes of as many as，or of
(B) to monitor population changes of as many, or
(C) to monitor changes in the populations of
(D) that monitors population changes of
(E) that monitors changes in populations of as many as，or


thnx
Sumit

The answer is C.

"routes for" is unidiomatic. Hence A is out. "routes" is plural and hence "monitors" isnt correct. Hence D and E are out. B is incorrect as it uses the wrong idiom "as many".

Vikram.

Hi ev1..

can any1 help me out on this one..plz provide a adetailed explanation...

Organized in 1966 by the Fish and Wildlife Service，the Breeding Bird Survey uses annual roadside counts along established routes for monitoring of population changes of as many as，or of more than 250 bird species，including 180 songbirds．

(A) for monitoring of population changes of as many as，or of
(B) to monitor population changes of as many, or
(C) to monitor changes in the populations of
(D) that monitors population changes of
(E) that monitors changes in populations of as many as，or


thnx
Sumit

I think its B, but all of which creates conditions isn't this wrong?
OA pls

Hi,

all of which creates conditions is correct, because its the complete set of conditions that together create favorable conditions for trees to grow. if the sentence is changed to all of which create conditions , then this would indicate that all the instances separately support the growth of trees.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Shipra

vav83 Says

The correct ans is D. It's written that In choices B and C the preposition for is used unidiomatically. I am not sure why is that so. I had picked B.

Hi,

IMHO, the problem with "for" , and option B , is "creates conditions for the trees to grow" ..is incomplete and ambiguous. For "for" to be correct here, the sentence should have been "creates favorable conditions for the trees to grow".

I am not sure, but perhaps the idiomatic usage refers to the idiom "create conditions that.." ...though I couldn't really find this idiom in Manhattan, so can't be sure about this.

Hope this helps,

Regards,
Shipra

vav83 Says

.... as 'which' correctly points out to the noun 'roles' and it is an additional information which can also be done without.

Yeah, I was of the same opinion too.. Given that both the answers are correct, then as per what Kaplan says "if two answers seem correct, go for the more consise answer".. So, with that argument, "including" would still win!!!

Methotrexate, which was originally developed for a single purpose, has proven its effectiveness in several roles, including treating cancer, relieving arthiritis and it is able to dull pain..

1. including treating cancer.......
2. including treating cancer, relieving arthiritis, and dulling pain.
3. including the treatment of cancer, relieving arthiritis, and dulling pain.
4. which includes treating cancer, relieving arthiritis, and it is able to dull pain.
5. which includes treating cancer relieving arthiritis, and dulling pain..

I got this one from Kaplan and it is a simple parallel consturction question, so I am going to spare u the trouble of solving it. 2 and 5 both solve the parallel consturction error and because 5 uses "which includes" which is singluar and doesnt go with the plural "roles", the answer is 2.

Now my question is this.. Suppose 5 was rephrased as

5. which include treating cancer, relieving arthiritis, and dulling pain.

what would the correct answer be?????

No wait.. maybe you were right.. the "had" can be used because of the mention of "three decades". So, we are comparing this activity to the end of "three decades", which both happened in the past.. So, I think "HAD" can come here.

what say?

Btw, what is the correct answer? can someone post it soon?

Both the ans are right Vikram. Brilliant! The ans are B & D.

.. and to your q in my opinion "which include treating cancer, relieving arthiritis, and dulling pain." would be right too as 'which' correctly points out to the noun 'roles' and it is an additional information which can also be done without.

I found this question on Powerprep and I am surprised with the answer. Can anyone please explain. I haven't posted the answer.

Industrialization and modern methods of insect control have improved the standard of living around the globe while at the same time they have introduced some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants, having gone virtually unregulated since they were developed some 50 years ago.

a) while at the same time they have introduced some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants, having

b) while at the same time introducing some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants that have

c) while they have introduced some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants, and have

d) but introducing some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants at the same time that have

e) but at the same time introduce 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants, having

Is it B??????????

neptune000 Says

yes... no need for HAD, spot on again abt the quickly vs quicker thing.. dammm im getting outta touch.. keep doing the good work Vik!

No wait.. maybe you were right.. the "had" can be used because of the mention of "three decades". So, we are comparing this activity to the end of "three decades", which both happened in the past.. So, I think "HAD" can come here.

what say?

Btw, what is the correct answer? can someone post it soon?

Methotrexate, which was originally developed for a single purpose, has proven its effectiveness in several roles, including treating cancer, relieving arthiritis and it is able to dull pain..

1. including treating cancer.......
2. including treating cancer, relieving arthiritis, and dulling pain.
3. including the treatment of cancer, relieving arthiritis, and dulling pain.
4. which includes treating cancer, relieving arthiritis, and it is able to dull pain.
5. which includes treating cancer relieving arthiritis, and dulling pain..

I got this one from Kaplan and it is a simple parallel consturction question, so I am going to spare u the trouble of solving it. 2 and 5 both solve the parallel consturction error and because 5 uses "which includes" which is singluar and doesnt go with the plural "roles", the answer is 2.

Now my question is this.. Suppose 5 was rephrased as

5. which include treating cancer, relieving arthiritis, and dulling pain.

what would the correct answer be?????

No. "HAD" is not required here.. "HAD" needs to be used only when the action referred to happens before some other action. The action referred to here happens after the previous action and hence a simple past tense would suffice. Further, C uses "quicker" which is less grammatically correct than "more quickly" (In my opinion, quicker is more a slang, and hence on the GMAT, "more quickly" should be preferred). Hence the correct answer would be D.

-- Vikram.

yes... no need for HAD, spot on again abt the quickly vs quicker thing.. dammm im getting outta touch.. keep doing the good work Vik!

What's the difference between no one & none? An example for the same:

People can debate the aesthetic merits of these overwrought, disquieting, sometimes gruesome works of art, but no one can dispute their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.
A. but no one can dispute their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.
B. but none can dispute their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.
C. but not a one can dispute their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.
D. but no person can dispute their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.
E. but none can dispute to their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.


Whats the difference between quicker and more quickly. I thought quicker = more quickly?


The U.S. Forest Service, then five years old, decided to put out every fire in its domain, and within three decades the agency formulated what it called the 10 A.M. policy, directing that fires be extinguished quicker than they had been in the past.
A. within three decades the agency formulated what it called the 10 A.M. policy, directing that fires be extinguished quicker than they had been in the past.
B. within three decades the agency has formulated what it called the 10 A.M. policy, directing that fires be extinguished quicker than they had been in the past.
C. within three decades the agency had formulated what it called the 10 A.M. policy, directing that fires be extinguished quicker than they had been in the past.
D. within three decades the agency formulated what it called the 10 A.M. policy, directing that fires be extinguished more quickly than they had been in the past.
E. within three decades the agency has formulated what it called the 10 A.M. policy, directing that fires be extinguished more quickly than they had been in the past.

Here's my understanding of the difference between no one and none - Correct me if I am wrong!.

1. "None" can be treated both as a plural and as a singluar noun, however, no one is always treated as a singular noun.

Eg: No one knows the contents of the box.
Eg: None know the contents fo the box.

2. Also, no one is used to refer to people while none can be used both for people and for objects.

Eg: None of the universities are good.
Eg: No one of the universities are good. (Incorrect statement).


Further, the answer to the question


would be B because B is more consise and because "none" is the plural form. If you had chosen "no one", then u are limiting the discussion to a "singular" person rather than to generalize the discussion to a plurality.

In general, on the GMAT, prefer none to no one.

PS and Disclaimer: These are my interpretations of the same and can and most probably will be wrong! :)

--Vikram.

very good explanation... thanks Vikram,

for more details chk out this link - None Vs. No one

For the Forest Service,

think its C, HAD is required here!

No. "HAD" is not required here.. "HAD" needs to be used only when the action referred to happens before some other action. The action referred to here happens after the previous action and hence a simple past tense would suffice. Further, C uses "quicker" which is less grammatically correct than "more quickly" (In my opinion, quicker is more a slang, and hence on the GMAT, "more quickly" should be preferred). Hence the correct answer would be D.

-- Vikram.

vav83 Says

What's the difference between no one & none?

Here's my understanding of the difference between no one and none - Correct me if I am wrong!.

1. "None" can be treated both as a plural and as a singluar noun, however, no one is always treated as a singular noun.

Eg: No one knows the contents of the box.
Eg: None know the contents fo the box.

2. Also, no one is used to refer to people while none can be used both for people and for objects.

Eg: None of the universities are good.
Eg: No one of the universities are good. (Incorrect statement).


Further, the answer to the question

People can debate the aesthetic merits of these overwrought, disquieting, sometimes gruesome works of art, but no one can dispute their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.
A. but no one can dispute their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.
B. but none can dispute their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.
C. but not a one can dispute their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.
D. but no person can dispute their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.
E. but none can dispute to their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument

would be B because B is more consise and because "none" is the plural form. If you had chosen "no one", then u are limiting the discussion to a "singular" person rather than to generalize the discussion to a plurality.

In general, on the GMAT, prefer none to no one.

PS and Disclaimer: These are my interpretations of the same and can and most probably will be wrong! :)

--Vikram.

hi-

not sure for the first one ,

second one shud go with choice 'C'

What's the difference between no one & none? An example for the same:

People can debate the aesthetic merits of these overwrought, disquieting, sometimes gruesome works of art, but no one can dispute their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.
A. but no one can dispute their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.
B. but none can dispute their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.
C. but not a one can dispute their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.
D. but no person can dispute their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.
E. but none can dispute to their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.


Whats the difference between quicker and more quickly. I thought quicker = more quickly?


The U.S. Forest Service, then five years old, decided to put out every fire in its domain, and within three decades the agency formulated what it called the 10 A.M. policy, directing that fires be extinguished quicker than they had been in the past.
A. within three decades the agency formulated what it called the 10 A.M. policy, directing that fires be extinguished quicker than they had been in the past.
B. within three decades the agency has formulated what it called the 10 A.M. policy, directing that fires be extinguished quicker than they had been in the past.
C. within three decades the agency had formulated what it called the 10 A.M. policy, directing that fires be extinguished quicker than they had been in the past.
D. within three decades the agency formulated what it called the 10 A.M. policy, directing that fires be extinguished more quickly than they had been in the past.
E. within three decades the agency has formulated what it called the 10 A.M. policy, directing that fires be extinguished more quickly than they had been in the past.

for the paintbrush,
I think its A for the first one.. on the whole, THEIR seems ambiguous... not really sure if the choices are correct!

For the Forest Service,

think its C, HAD is required here!

OA pls?

and cud u pls let us know the source of these questions?

What's the difference between no one & none? An example for the same:

People can debate the aesthetic merits of these overwrought, disquieting, sometimes gruesome works of art, but no one can dispute their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.
A. but no one can dispute their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.
B. but none can dispute their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.
C. but not a one can dispute their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.
D. but no person can dispute their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.
E. but none can dispute to their creators' mastery of the paintbrush as a blunt instrument.


Whats the difference between quicker and more quickly. I thought quicker = more quickly?


The U.S. Forest Service, then five years old, decided to put out every fire in its domain, and within three decades the agency formulated what it called the 10 A.M. policy, directing that fires be extinguished quicker than they had been in the past.
A. within three decades the agency formulated what it called the 10 A.M. policy, directing that fires be extinguished quicker than they had been in the past.
B. within three decades the agency has formulated what it called the 10 A.M. policy, directing that fires be extinguished quicker than they had been in the past.
C. within three decades the agency had formulated what it called the 10 A.M. policy, directing that fires be extinguished quicker than they had been in the past.
D. within three decades the agency formulated what it called the 10 A.M. policy, directing that fires be extinguished more quickly than they had been in the past.
E. within three decades the agency has formulated what it called the 10 A.M. policy, directing that fires be extinguished more quickly than they had been in the past.

Please post the answer along with the explanation.
The strand fills with water during the rainy season that the peat then holds and keeps it humid, all of which creates conditions enabling trees to grow.
A. enabling trees to grow.
B. for the trees to grow.
C. for growing trees.
D. that enable the trees to grow.
E. that the trees can grow.

The correct ans is D. It's written that In choices B and C the preposition for is used unidiomatically. I am not sure why is that so. I had picked B.

Please post the answer along with the explanation.
The strand fills with water during the rainy season that the peat then holds and keeps it humid, all of which creates conditions enabling trees to grow.
A. enabling trees to grow.
B. for the trees to grow.
C. for growing trees.
D. that enable the trees to grow.
E. that the trees can grow.

I think its B, but all of which creates conditions isn't this wrong?
OA pls

Please post the answer along with the explanation.
The strand fills with water during the rainy season that the peat then holds and keeps it humid, all of which creates conditions enabling trees to grow.
A. enabling trees to grow.
B. for the trees to grow.
C. for growing trees.
D. that enable the trees to grow.
E. that the trees can grow.

Hi,

I think the answer should be D since it maintains parallelism of the sentence.

What's the correct answer?

Regards,
Shipra

Please post the answer along with the explanation.
The strand fills with water during the rainy season that the peat then holds and keeps it humid, all of which creates conditions enabling trees to grow.
A. enabling trees to grow.
B. for the trees to grow.
C. for growing trees.
D. that enable the trees to grow.
E. that the trees can grow.

Thanks Shipra, I agree with your explanation. Keep posting such tricky questions.

I found this question on Powerprep and I am surprised with the answer. Can anyone please explain. I haven't posted the answer.

Industrialization and modern methods of insect control have improved the standard of living around the globe while at the same time they have introduced some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants, having gone virtually unregulated since they were developed some 50 years ago.

a) while at the same time they have introduced some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants, having

b) while at the same time introducing some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants that have

c) while they have introduced some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants, and have

d) but introducing some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants at the same time that have

e) but at the same time introduce 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants, having

Hi,

IMHO, the answer should be B , because in A, the "having gone..." should be modifying the "dangerous chemicals.." not "...the modern methods.." . Since the release of chemicals into the atmosphere should have been regulated/controlled, not the industrial methods that released them. Also, modern methods were not developed, chemicals were.

Also, as per Kaplan 800, if an action is ongoing, like in this case, "industrialization etc. have improved the living standards" , it is nowhere indicated that they have stopped improving the living standards, rather it is implied that they continue to do so, the present continuous tense is always better ....hence "introducing"..

a similar example for this Kaplan reasoning was Q1. in
http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/gmat-and-related-discussions/20698-gmat-sentence-correction-discussions-74.html

Hope this helps,

Regards,
Shipra.

ponram Says

I found 'B' as the answer in Powerprep. Besides, in choice A, the pronoun 'they' does not point to anything. If you have a diff explanation then plz describe.

THEY refers to the modern methods and industrialization..

ajayreddy Says

no...the answer is A

I found 'B' as the answer in Powerprep. Besides, in choice A, the pronoun 'they' does not point to anything. If you have a diff explanation then plz describe.

ponram Says

The answer is B

no...the answer is A

i think its A - maintains parallelism, having gone virtually refers to mmodern methods

Answer pls!

The answer is B

Am sorry for reviving a very old question, but I didnt understand this solution. how is "Based on" a dangling modifier, while "using" isnt?

-Vikram.

i am not too sure if my expln is correct or makes any sense but pls refer to OG for a more detailed expln --

anyway here goes.. something should be BASED ON something else.. here there is no something! Hence dangling !

Originally Posted by nitiman
Based on accounts of various ancient writers, scholars have painted a sketchy picture of the activities of an
all-female cult that, perhaps as early as the sixth century B.C., worshipped a goddess known in Latin as
Bona Dea, "the good goddess."
(A) Based on accounts of various ancient writers
(B) Basing it on various ancient writers' accounts
(C) With accounts of various ancient writers used for a basis
(D) By the accounts of various ancient writers they used
(E) Using accounts of various ancient writers

Answer for the 1st one: E
A has a dangling modifier. Only the sketchy picture is based on the accounts and not the scholars. B, C, D constructions are roundabout and not right.

Am sorry for reviving a very old question, but I didnt understand this solution. how is "Based on" a dangling modifier, while "using" isnt?

-Vikram.

I found this question on Powerprep and I am surprised with the answer. Can anyone please explain. I haven't posted the answer.

Industrialization and modern methods of insect control have improved the standard of living around the globe while at the same time they have introduced some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants, having gone virtually unregulated since they were developed some 50 years ago.

a) while at the same time they have introduced some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants, having

b) while at the same time introducing some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants that have

c) while they have introduced some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants, and have

d) but introducing some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants at the same time that have

e) but at the same time introduce 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants, having

i think its A - maintains parallelism, having gone virtually refers to mmodern methods

Answer pls!

I found this question on Powerprep and I am surprised with the answer. Can anyone please explain. I haven't posted the answer.

Industrialization and modern methods of insect control have improved the standard of living around the globe while at the same time they have introduced some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants, having gone virtually unregulated since they were developed some 50 years ago.

a) while at the same time they have introduced some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants, having

b) while at the same time introducing some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants that have

c) while they have introduced some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants, and have

d) but introducing some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants at the same time that have

e) but at the same time introduce 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants, having

Hi,
the correct answer to question 8 is A. Again, I don't see why A should be preferred over B. Any ideas??
Shipra

I think "to be" shows a possibility whereas "are capable" shows definite ability, So A better than B IMO

vnangia Says

the answer to Q8 is b

Hi,

the correct answer to question 8 is A. Again, I don't see why A should be preferred over B. Any ideas??

Shipra