Sentence Correction

Hello Everyone!

This was a tricky question that even I had to take another look at to get it right! However, it's a question we can easily answer if we figure out the right angle to attack and narrow down bad answers, one at a time!

Let's start by looking at what's different about each answer:

1. that is so saturated / saturated enough
2. acquires / to acquire
3. character / characteristics

Let's start by tackling #2 on our list: acquires vs. to acquire. Verb tenses are often an easy place to start narrowing down answers, so let's start there!

When we use the to+verb combination, it implies intention. This means that when we say the sand wants "to acquire" the characteristics of water, it is a thinking, breathing, intentional being that chooses to go out and get the characteristics of water. We know that sand isn't a living thing that has intentions of its own. Therefore, it isn't appropriate to say "to acquire." Here are some examples:

I want to acquire the rights to that song for my movie. = CORRECT (I'm a person with thoughts and intentions, so it's okay.)

The chair is so short as to acquire the perfect balance for short children. = WRONG (A chair can't want "to acquire" balance from somewhere - it's either balanced or it's not. The chair can't decide for itself what it wants to be!)

The school acquires new students every fall. = CORRECT (Just saying "acquires" doesn't imply intention is involved. It just happens, so it's okay.)

So let's see how each answer stacks up:

(A) that is so saturated with water as to acquire a liquid's character
(B) that is so saturated with water that it acquires the character of a liquid
(C) that is saturated with water enough to acquire liquid characteristics
(D) saturated enough with water so as to acquire the character of a liquid
(E) saturated with water so much as to acquire a liquid character

There you go! The only answer that doesn't imply that sand or quicksand "chooses" to take on the characteristics of a liquid is answer B, which is the correct answer!


Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.

I received a PM requesting that I explain why A is wrong.

There are several reasons to eliminate A and choose B.
so X as to Y implies that Y SEEMS TO BE TRUE.
Official examples:
Climatic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable from ordinary fluctuations in the weather.
The features of the idealized sculpture portrait are so unrealistic as to constitute what one scholar calls an "artificial face."
In each case, the blue portion is something that SEEMS TO BE TRUE about the preceding subject in red.

so X that Y implies that Y ACTUALLY HAPPENS.
An official example:
Everyday life is so brisk that it hampers the ability of some children to distinguishing discrete sounds.
Here, the blue portion is something that ACTUALLY HAPPENS -- an action that is actually performed by the preceding subject in red.

A key difference between the two idioms:
Whereas in the second idiom Y can serve to express an actual action, in the first idiom it cannot.
In the first idiom, Y must serve to express not an actual action but merely something that SEEMS TO BE TRUE about the preceding subject.

A: so saturated with water as to acquire a liquid's character
Here, so X as to Y incorrectly serves to express the action in red.
As noted above, Y in this idiom must serve to express not an actual action but merely something that seems to be true about the preceding subject.

Moreover, the usage of so X as to Y implies that the portion in red does not actually happen.
Not the intended meaning.
A person can DROWN in quicksand.
Thus, quicksand actually DOES acquire the character of a liquid.
To express this meaning, we should use so X that Y, as in the OA:
"Quicksand"...is so saturated with water that it acquires the character of a liquid.

Another issue:

A dog's eyes can reveal much about its temperament.
Here, the phrase in blue implies that every dog has UNIQUE eyes -- eyes that can reveal much about the dog's temperament.

A: a liquid's character
This phrase seems to imply that every liquid has a UNIQUE character.
Not the intended meaning.
The intention here is to discuss the general nature of any given liquid.
The OA correctly expresses this meaning:
"Quicksand"... is so saturated with water that it acquires the character of a liquid.
Here, THE CHARACTER of a liquid = the general nature of any given liquid.

For all these reasons, eliminate A.

GMATGuruNY wrote:I received a PM requesting that I explain why A is wrong.

There are several reasons to eliminate A and choose B.
so X as to Y implies that Y SEEMS TO BE TRUE.
Official examples:
Climatic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable from ordinary fluctuations in the weather.
The features of the idealized sculpture portrait are so unrealistic as to constitute what one scholar calls an "artificial face."
In each case, the blue portion is something that SEEMS TO BE TRUE about the preceding subject in red.

so X that Y implies that Y ACTUALLY HAPPENS.
An official example:
Everyday life is so brisk that it hampers the ability of some children to distinguishing discrete sounds.
Here, the blue portion is something that ACTUALLY HAPPENS -- an action that is actually performed by the preceding subject in red.

A key difference between the two idioms:
Whereas in the second idiom Y can serve to express an actual action, in the first idiom it cannot.
In the first idiom, Y must serve to express not an actual action but merely something that SEEMS TO BE TRUE about the preceding subject.

A: so saturated with water as to acquire a liquid's character
Here, so X as to Y incorrectly serves to express the action in red.
As noted above, Y in this idiom must serve to express not an actual action but merely something that seems to be true about the preceding subject.

Moreover, the usage of so X as to Y implies that the portion in red does not actually happen.
Not the intended meaning.
A person can DROWN in quicksand.
Thus, quicksand actually DOES acquire the character of a liquid.
To express this meaning, we should use so X that Y, as in the OA:
"Quicksand"...is so saturated with water that it acquires the character of a liquid.

For all these reasons, eliminate A.

GMATGuruNY wrote: Correct:
X is so Y as to Z.
Conveyed meaning:
X is Y to SUCH A LARGE DEGREE that the UNINTENDED RESULT is Z.
SC88 in the OG10:
The features..are so unrealistic as to constitute what one scholar calls an "artificial face."
Here, the features are unrealistic to such a large degree that the unintended result is the portion in red.

Incorrect:
X does Y so as to Z.
Answer choice A in the SC above:
King Henry VIII sought to have his marriage to Queen Catherine annulled so as to marry Anne Boleyn.
Here, the portion in red is unidiomatic.
Also, so as to on the GMAT should NOT serve to express purpose.
In the correct idiom X is so Y as to Z, Z is an UNINTENDED result.

Thanks Mitch for such detail clarifications. Therefore, for the IDIOM "so...as to...", BOTH the above two quotes simultaneously hold good. Am I correct ?

RBBmba@2014 wrote:Thanks Mitch for such detail clarifications. Therefore, for the IDIOM "so...as to...", BOTH the above two quotes simultaneously hold good. Am I correct ?

Correct.

GMATGuruNY wrote:I received a PM requesting that I explain why A is wrong.

There are several reasons to eliminate A and choose B.
so X as to Y implies that Y SEEMS TO BE TRUE.
Official examples:
Climatic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable from ordinary fluctuations in the weather.
The features of the idealized sculpture portrait are so unrealistic as to constitute what one scholar calls an "artificial face."
In each case, the blue portion is something that SEEMS TO BE TRUE about the preceding subject in red.

so X that Y implies that Y ACTUALLY HAPPENS.
An official example:
Everyday life is so brisk that it hampers the ability of some children to distinguishing discrete sounds.
Here, the blue portion is something that ACTUALLY HAPPENS -- an action that is actually performed by the preceding subject in red.

A key difference between the two idioms:
Whereas in the second idiom Y can serve to express an actual action, in the first idiom it cannot.
In the first idiom, Y must serve to express not an actual action but merely something that SEEMS TO BE TRUE about the preceding subject.

A: so saturated with water as to acquire a liquid's character
Here, so X as to Y incorrectly serves to express the action in red.
As noted above, Y in this idiom must serve to express not an actual action but merely something that seems to be true about the preceding subject.

Moreover, the usage of so X as to Y implies that the portion in red does not actually happen.
Not the intended meaning.
A person can DROWN in quicksand.
Thus, quicksand actually DOES acquire the character of a liquid.
To express this meaning, we should use so X that Y, as in the OA:
"Quicksand"...is so saturated with water that it acquires the character of a liquid.

Another issue:

A dog's eyes can reveal much about its temperament.
Here, the phrase in blue implies that every dog has UNIQUE eyes -- eyes that can reveal much about the dog's temperament.

A: a liquid's character
This phrase seems to imply that every liquid has a UNIQUE character.
Not the intended meaning.
The intention here is to discuss the general nature of any given liquid.
The OA correctly expresses this meaning:
"Quicksand"... is so saturated with water that it acquires the character of a liquid.
Here, THE CHARACTER of a liquid = the general nature of any given liquid.

For all these reasons, eliminate A.

Sir,
I am facing problems in differentiating between what ACTUALLY HAPPENS vs what SEEMS TO HAPPEN.
Would you please explain a bit more?
Thanks in advance.