Kaplan 800: SC: first question

netigen · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 10:49 pm Post subject: Kaplan 800: SC: first question

As of this morning, none of my friends have been able to solve the puzzle contained in the last week's newspaper.

(a) none of my friends have been able to solve
(b) none of my friends was able to solve
(c) not one of my friends has yet been able to solve
(d) none of my friends has been able to solve
(e) nobody among my friends have solved

Kaplan says that the answer is (d) but I think otherwise. According to Kaplan 800 none is singular (What? I thought none was a SANAM pronoun and hence can be singular or plural). Also, why do we need a present perfect tense here when we are talking of something that started and finished in the past.

Stuart, can you throw some light on this.

Thanks
AG

amitansu · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 11:07 pm Post subject:

I had a chance of going through both books.

What i infer here is : "None" is subject here.

In MGMAT sc book it says it is based on contextual basis.
Moreover, we have to look for subject in "OF carrying phrase which is "None" here.And it is singular here.

This is my understanding.

thanks,
Amit

tomato1 · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 11:42 pm Post subject:

None is sigular, so 'have been' is wrong here. Eliminate choices a & e.

Its a present perfect tense as the action of solving puzzle is going on since morning. Eliminate choice b.

The correct answer lies between c & d

netigen · Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 8:44 am Post subject:

None is not singular, it's a SANAM pronoun so we have to look at the of construct which in this case is "my friends" so plural.

Additionally, the event started last week and ended this morning so everything happened in the past. We do not know if it is still going on.

If you do not trust MGMAT you can look at other sources like http://www.towson.edu/ows/moduleSVAGR.htm

khurram · Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 4:41 pm Post subject:

I was just about to post the same question.

More confused than ever. There is a conflict.

MGMAT says look at the of construction following pronoun-look at obj the of construction determine number of subjects.

Similar Kaplan question- Not one of the men and women who designed X was aware that its application would be as far reaching as has been the case.

again
issue one of the -plural noun-that/who plural verb

rule two--quantifier of noun +verb. Most of the water is dirty.

I am more confused that ever.

Khurram

khurram · Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 4:59 pm Post subject:

OG VR SC q27

Minnesota is the only one of the contiguous forty eight states that still has a sizable wolf population and where this predator remains the archemy of cattle and sheep.

one of the plural noun that has????

so one of the that who plural verb is incorrect???

Thanks
Khurram

thang · Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 6:21 pm Post subject:

"only one of st, sb which,who is" always take singular because only possible meaning is meaning refer to "only". "one of st,sb which,who are" always takes plural.

none of friends " in the kaplan is wrong. I agree with this

khurram · Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 6:49 pm Post subject:

How about this explanation

None of my friends--my singular has singular. that could work.

My -subject singular, verb has singular.

Khurram

khurram · Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 7:02 pm Post subject:

If you make another sentence

None of my burgers were tasty

Burgers subject were verb

None of my friends (wants or want) to go out to watch a movie???

I think it should be plural --want

rattanas · Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 10:33 pm Post subject:

When a pronoun is followed by prepositional phrase;It becomes the subject of sentence...one of the men and women....of is the preposition...so one beomes subbject and "one" is "singular"........another thing...when any word with "body,thing and one" is the subject of sentence;its considered as singular noun...like somebody,everything,noone,one,each...all are considered as singular nouns..n so singular verbs.