Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Gmat Sentence Correction 70, 71, 72

70). Unlike a typical automobile loan, which requires a fifteen- to twenty-percent down payment, the lease-loan buyer is not required to make an initial deposit on the new vehicle.

(A). the lease-loan buyer is not required to make

(B). with lease-loan buying there is no requirement of

(C). lease-loan buyers are not required to make

(D). for the lease-loan buyer there is no requirement of

(E). a lease-loan does not require the buyer to make

71). . In his research paper, Dr. Frosh, medical director of the Payne Whitney Clinic, distinguishes mood swings. which may be violent without their being grounded in mental disease, from genuine manic-depressive psychosis.

(A). mood swings, which may be violent without their being grounded in mental disease, from genuine manic-depressive psychosis

(B). mood swings, perhaps violent without being grounded in mental disease, and genuine manic-depressive psychosis ,

(C). between mood swings, which may be violent without being grounded in mental disease, and genuine manic-depressive psychosis

(D). between mood swings, perhaps violent without being grounded in mental disease, from genuine manic-depressive psychosis

(E). genuine manic-depressive psychosis and mood swings, which may be violent without being grounded in mental disease

72). Paleontologists believe that fragments of a primate jawbone unearthed in Burma and estimated at 40 to 44 million years old provide evidence of a crucial step along the evolutionary path that led to human beings.

(A). at 40 to 44 million years old provide evidence of

(B). as being 40 to 44 million years old provides evidence of

(C). that it is 40 to 44 million years old provides evidence of what was

(D). to be 40 to 44 million years old provide evidence of

(E). as 40 to 44 million years old provides evidence of what was

Answers -

70). Choice E, the best answer - correctly uses a parallel construction to draw a logical comparison: Unlike a typical automobile loan,... a lease-loan....

A - incorrect - illogically compares an automobile loan, an inanimate thing, with a lease-loan buyer, a person.

C - incorrect - buyers makes the comparison inconsistent in number as well as illogical.

B, D - incorrect - are syntactically and logically flawed because each attempts to compare the noun loan and a prepositional phrase: with lease-loan buying in B and/or the lease-loan buyer in D. These choices are also imprecise and awkward.

71). The best choice is C - uses the idiomatically correct expression distinguishes between x and y and because it provides a structure in which the relative clause beginning "which may be violent" clearly modifies "mood swings".

A, B, D, E - incorrect - use distinguishes in unidiomatic constructions. Additionally, their in A is intrusive and unnecessary, and the modifier of mood swings in B and D (perhaps violent) is awkward and less clear than the more developed clause which may be violent.

72). D, the best choice - correctly follows estimated with to be. The other choices present structures that are not idiomatic when used in conjunction with estimated.

A - incorrect - unidiomatic

B, C, E - incorrect - all mismatch the singular verb "provides" with its plural subject "fragments" .Further in C and E, what was is unnecessary and wordy. In choice C, the use of the verb phrase estimated that it is produces an ungrammatical sentence.

Gmat Sentence Correction 67, 68, 69

67). Carbon-14 dating reveals that the megalithic monuments in Brittany are nearly 2, 000 years as old as any of their supposed Mediterranean predecessors.

(A) as old as any of their supposed

(B) older than any of their supposed

(C) as old as their supposed

(D) older than any of their supposedly

(E) as old as their supposedly

68). The only way for growers to salvage frozen citrus is to process them quickly into juice concentrate before they rot when warmer weather returns.

(A) to process them quickly into juice concentrate before they rot when warmer weather returns

(B) if they are quickly processed into juice concentrate before warmer weather returns to rot them

(C) for them to be processed quickly into juice concentrate before the fruit rots when warmer weather returns

(D) if the fruit is quickly processed into juice concentrate before they rot when warmer weather returns

(E) to have it quickly processed into juice concentrate before warmer weather returns and rots the fruit

69). Some bat caves, like honeybee hives, have residents that take on different duties such as defending the entrance, acting as sentinels and to sound a warning at the approach of danger, and scouting outside the cave for new food and roosting sites.

(A) acting as sentinels and to sound

(B) acting as sentinels and sounding

(C) to act as sentinels and sound

(D) to act as sentinels and to sound

(E) to act as a sentinel sounding


Answer -

67). B is the best choice – “older than” makes the point of comparison clear. B also uses the adjective "supposed" correctly.

A, C, E – incorrect – Illogical comparison - The expression as old as indicates equality of age, but the sentence indicates that the monuments by Brittany monuments predate the Mediterranean 2,000 years

D, E – incorrect – adverb “supposedly” used to modify the noun phrase “Mediterranean predecessors”.

68). The best choice is E - has parallel infinitives and uses “to” to refer unambiguously to citrus fruit. The cause-and-effect also expresses the relationship between the return of warmer weather and the rotting of the fruit. For parallelism, the linking verb “is” should link two infinitives : The only way to salvage. . . is to process.

A – incorrect - the plural pronouns “them” and “they” do not agree with the singular noun “citrus”.

B, C, D – incorrect - do not begin with an infinitive. and all present pronoun errors : the plural pronouns “them” and “they” grammatically refer to citrus or fruit and doesnot/cannot refer to farmers.

69). B is the best choice - Because the verb phrases used to describe the bats' duties are governed by the phrase different duties such as, they should each be expressed in the present participial (or "-ing") form to parallel “defending” and “scouting”. Only B uses the correct idiom, and observes parallelism.

A, C, D, E - incorrect - all violate parallelism by employing infinitives (to. . . ) in place of participial destinations.

Gmat Sentence Correction 65, 66

65). The Wallerstein study indicates that even after a decade young men and women still experience some of the effects of a divorce occurring when a child.

(A) occurring when a child

(B) occurring when children

(C) that occurred when a child

(D) that occurred when they were children

(E) that has occurred as each was a child


66). Since 1981, when the farm Journal began, the number of acres overseen by professional farm-management companies have grown from 48 million to nearly 59 million. an area that is about Colorado 's size.

(A) have grown from 48 million to nearly 59 million, an area that is about Colorado 's size

(B) have grown from 48 million to nearly 59 million, about the size of Colorado

(C) has grown from 48 million to nearly 59 million, an area about the size of Colorado

(D) has grown from 48 million up to nearly 59 million, an area about the size of Colorado 's

(E) has grown from 48 million up to nearly 59 million, about Colorado 's size

Answers -

65). Choice D is best. The phrasing “a divorce that occurred when they were children” correctly uses the relative clause that occurred to modify a divorce and includes a pronoun and verb (they were) that refer unambiguously to their antecedent. men and women.

A – incorrect - the singular child does not agree with the plural men and women. Further this choice incorrectly introduces the when... phrase with occurring [occurring is a progressive verb indicating continuity in present, however we are concerned with the divorce that occured when men or women(now) were children], thus illogically making divorce the grammatical referent of when a child.

B – incorrect - replaces child with children but otherwise fails to correct a 's structure and errors of logic.

C – incorrect – corrects only the error created by occurring.

E – incorrect - includes an incorrect verb tense (has occurred) and replaces wrongly “when” with “as”. Further “each was” improperly refers to men and women.

66). C is the best answer - An area about the size of Colorado clearly describes a rough equivalence between the area of Colorado and the area overseen by the companies.

A, B – incorrect - the plural verb “have” does not agree with the singular subject “number”.

D, E – incorrect - unidiomatic; the correct expression is "from x to y".


Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Gmat Sentence Correction 63, 64

63). Among lower- paid workers, union members are less likely than non union members to be enrolled in lower- end insurance plans imposing stricter limits on medical services and requiring doctors to see more patients, and spend less time with each.

A). imposing stricter limits on medical services and requiring doctors to see more patients, and spend

B). imposing stricter limits on medical services , requiring doctors to see more patients, and spending

C). that impose stricter limits on medical services, require doctors to see more patients, and spend

D). that impose stricter limits on medical services and require doctors to see more patients, spending

E). that impose stricter limits on medical services, requiring doctors to see more patients and spending


64). one automobile manufacturer has announced plans to increase the average fuel efficiency of its sport utility vehicles by 25 percent over the next five years, amounting to roughly five miles per gallon, and representing the first significant change in the fuel efficiency of any class of passenger vehicle in almost two decades.

A). amounting to roughly five miles per gallon, and representing

B). amounting to roughly five miles per gallon, and it would represent

C). an increase that would amount to roughly five miles per gallon and it would represent

D). an increase that would amount to roughly five miles per gallon and would represent

E). which is an increase amounting to roughly five miles per gallon, representing



Answer -


63). D is the best choice.

A,B – incorrect - insurance plans are not imposing anything

C – incorrect – Plans can’t spend time - plans that impose X, (that) require Y and (that) spend Z

E – incorrect - plans that impose X, (that) requiring Y and (that) spending Z. - Lacks Parallelism and plans can't spend less time


64). D is the best choice.

A,B,E -- incorrect -- What is amounting ? – an increase – Thus option C or D

C -- incorrect -- “it” is not required.


Gmat Sentence Correction 61, 62

61). Although the first pulsar, or rapidly spinning collapsed star, to be sighted was in the summer of 1967 by graduate student Jocelyn Bell, it had not been announced until February, 1968.

A) Although the first pulsar, or rapidly spinning collapsed star, to be sighted was in the summer of 1967 by graduate student Jocelyn Bell, it had not been announced until February, 1968.

B) Although not announced until February, 1968, in the summer of 1967 graduate student Jocelyn Bell observed the first pulsar, or rapidly spinning collapsed star, to be sighted.

C). Although observed by graduate student Jocelyn Bell in the summer of 1967, the discovery of the first sighted pulsar, or rapidly spinning collapsed star had not been announced before February, 1968.

D). The first pulsar, or rapidly spinning collapsed star, to be sighted was observed in the summer of 1967 by graduate student Jocelyn Bell, but the discovery was not announced until February, 1968.

E) The first sighted pulsar, or rapidly spinning collapsed star, was not announced until February, 1968, while it was observed in the summer of 1967 by graduate student Jocelyn Bell.

62). During the same period in which the Maya were developing a heiroglphic system of writing, the Aztec people also developed a written language, but it was not as highly sphisticated as that of the Maya and was more pictographic in nature.

A). but it was not as highly sphisticated as that of the Maya and was

B). but it was not as highly sophisticated as the Maya, being

C). but, not as highly sophisticated as the Maya's, was

D). not as highly sphisticated as that of the Maya, however, being

E). not as highly sphisticated as the Maya's however, it was


Answer -

61). Best answer choice is D

A – incorrect – usage of past perfect tense incorrect here.

B – incorrect – dangling modifier—“Although not announced”…. “ graduate student Jocelyn Bell”

C – incorrect – dangling modifier – “observed”.. “discovery of”

E – incorrect – usage of “while” is wrong here. Further the sentence conveys the idea that the pulsar was announced which is wrong – sighting was announced instead.


62). A is the best choice.

B– incorrect – wrong comparison – comparing system of writing with Maya. Further options having “being” in them must be avoided on GMAT

C, D, E – incorrect –Subject of the sentence not clear.

E – incorrect – run-on sentence