Gmat Sentence Correction 45 , 46

45). The Coast guard is conducting tests to see whether pigeons can be trained to help find survivors of wrecks at sea.

(A) to see whether pigeons can be trained to help find

(B) to see whether pigeons can be trained as help to find

(C) to see if pigeons can be trained for helping to find

(D) that see if pigeons are able to be trained in helping to find.

(E) that see whether pigeons are able to be trained for help in finding


46). The first decision for most tenants living in a building undergoing being converted to cooperative ownership
is if to sign a no-buy pledge with the other tenants.

(A) being converted to cooperative ownership is if to sign

(B) being converted to cooperative ownership is whether they should be signing

(C) being converted to cooperative ownership is whether or not they sign

(D) conversion to cooperative ownership is if to sign

(E) conversion to cooperative ownership is whether to sign


Answers -


45). A is the correct answer -- This choice clearly states both the purpose of the test and the purpose of the training.

B - incorrect -- "As help to find" is unidiomatic.

C - incorrect -- "For helping to find" is not the correct idiom; "whether" is preferred to "if" when there are only two alternatives.

D - incorrect -- "That see " is ungrammatical; "whether" is preferred to "if" when there are only two alternatives; "are able to be" should be replaced by the concise "can"; "in helping to find" should be " to help find".

E - incorrect -- "For helping in finding" is incorrect idiom; "are able to be" should be replaced by the concise "can".


46). E is the best choice -- idiomatically completes "whether" with an infinitive, "to sign", that functions as a noun equivalent of decision. It also uses the noun conversion, which grammatically completes the phrase begun by "undergoing".

A, B, C - incorrect -- the phrase "being converted" is awkward and redundant, since the sense of process indicated by
"being" has already been conveyed by "undergoing".

A, D - incorrect -- can be faulted for saying "if" rather than "whether", since the sentence poses alternative possibilities, to sign or not to sign.