OG 16 Q80 Network computers

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OG 16 Q80 Network computers

by Neilsheth2 » Fri Sep 18, 2015 2:01 am

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80. Companies are relying more and more on networked computers for such critical tasks as inventory management, electronic funds transfer, and electronic data interchange, in which standard business transactions are handled via computer rather than on paper.



(A) in which standard business transactions are handled via computer rather than on paper


(B) where computers handle standard business transactions rather than on paper


(C) in which computers handle standard business transactions instead of on paper


(D) where standard business transactions are handled, not with paper, but instead via computer


(E) in which standard business transactions are being handled via computer, in place of on paper


The OA is A I need some help on the usage of Instead of vs Rather than . Is there any rule for these idioms?
Also in which= where ? Is it okay to use ?

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by GMATGuruNY » Sun Sep 20, 2015 2:32 am

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Neilsheth2 wrote:80. Companies are relying more and more on networked computers for such critical tasks as inventory management, electronic funds transfer, and electronic data interchange, in which standard business transactions are handled via computer rather than on paper.



(A) in which standard business transactions are handled via computer rather than on paper


(B) where computers handle standard business transactions rather than on paper


(C) in which computers handle standard business transactions instead of on paper


(D) where standard business transactions are handled, not with paper, but instead via computer


(E) in which standard business transactions are being handled via computer, in place of on paper
where must serve to refer to a PHYSICAL PLACE.
In B and D, where cannot serve to refer to electronic data interchange.
Eliminate B and D.

X instead of Y must serve to connect PARALLEL FORMS.
C: computers handle standard business transactions instead of on paper.
Here, handle standard business transactions (verb + direct object) and on paper (modifier) are not parallel forms.
Eliminate C.

in place of is a PREPOSITION.
A preposition must be followed by a NOUN serving as the OBJECT OF THE PREPOSITION.
E: in place of on paper
Here, on paper (modifier) cannot serve as the object of in place of.
Eliminate E.

The correct answer is A.

I discuss the difference between instead of and rather than in my second post here:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/someone-plz- ... 43049.html
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by Neilsheth2 » Sun Sep 20, 2015 2:48 am

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Great Explanation !


Thank you so much.

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by thang » Wed Oct 21, 2015 12:29 am

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it seems that gmat dose not test us to choose between instead of and rather than.
look for another error when you see split between two words.

for fun, I tell you the difference which is instead of is a preposition and conjunction and rather than is only conjunction.

preposition can be used before a noun. instead of learning gmat, I learn english
conjuction is used to connect two similar entities, two nouns, two clause, two verbs...
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by Smartbank » Fri Aug 26, 2016 2:45 pm

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GMATGuruNY wrote:
Neilsheth2 wrote:80. Companies are relying more and more on networked computers for such critical tasks as inventory management, electronic funds transfer, and electronic data interchange, in which standard business transactions are handled via computer rather than on paper.



(A) in which standard business transactions are handled via computer rather than on paper


(B) where computers handle standard business transactions rather than on paper


(C) in which computers handle standard business transactions instead of on paper


(D) where standard business transactions are handled, not with paper, but instead via computer


(E) in which standard business transactions are being handled via computer, in place of on paper
where must serve to refer to a PHYSICAL PLACE.
In B and D, where cannot serve to refer to electronic data interchange.
Eliminate B and D.

X instead of Y must serve to connect PARALLEL FORMS.
C: computers handle standard business transactions instead of on paper.
Here, handle standard business transactions (verb + direct object) and on paper (modifier) are not parallel forms.
Eliminate C.

in place of is a PREPOSITION.
A preposition must be followed by a NOUN serving as the OBJECT OF THE PREPOSITION.
E: in place of on paper
Here, on paper (modifier) cannot serve as the object of in place of.
Eliminate E.

The correct answer is A.

I discuss the difference between instead of and rather than in my second post here:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/someone-plz- ... 43049.html
Hi GMATGuru, could you help me explain what does "in which..." modify in the OA? "in which standard business transactions are handled via computer rather than on paper " I understand why "where" is wrong but couldn't understand how does "in which" work here? Thanks!

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by GMATGuruNY » Sat Aug 27, 2016 2:24 am

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Smartbank wrote: Hi GMATGuru, could you help me explain what does "in which..." modify in the OA? "in which standard business transactions are handled via computer rather than on paper " I understand why "where" is wrong but couldn't understand how does "in which" work here? Thanks!
COMMA + PREPOSITION + which serves to refer to the nearest preceding noun.
Companies are relying more and more on networked computers for such critical tasks as inventory management, electronic funds transfer, and electronic data interchange, in which standard business transactions are handled via computer rather than on paper.
Here, which serves to refer to electronic data interchange (the nearest preceding noun).
The phrase in which is an ADVERB serving to modify are handled.
Conveyed meaning:
Standard business transactions are handled in electronic data interchange.
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by richachampion » Sat Oct 15, 2016 11:42 pm

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GMATGuruNY wrote:A preposition must be followed by a NOUN serving as the OBJECT OF THE PREPOSITION.
l
Can you please help me to understand the part in bold.

You mean to say that -
in place = preposition phrase
of on paper is also a prepositional phrase

Here prepositional phrase is modifying a prepositional phrase, Right? And this is a nonsensical as the object needs to be a noun for any prepositional phrase.

In A, C, and E what is "in which" modifying is it Critical Tasks?

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by GMATGuruNY » Sun Oct 16, 2016 3:52 am

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richachampion wrote:
GMATGuruNY wrote:A preposition must be followed by a NOUN serving as the OBJECT OF THE PREPOSITION.
l
Can you please help me to understand the part in bold.

You mean to say that -
in place = preposition phrase
of on paper is also a prepositional phrase

Here prepositional phrase is modifying a prepositional phrase, Right? And this is a nonsensical as the object needs to be a noun for any prepositional phrase.p\
in place of -- the entire three-word phrase -- functions as a preposition.
This three-word phrase must be followed by a NOUN:
in place of THE BOOK
in place of THE TABLE
in place of JOHN.

in place of may not be followed by another prepositional phrase (such as on paper).
In A, C, and E what is "in which" modifying is it Critical Tasks?

Thanks
Please read through the entire thread before posting a question.
In my second post above, I discuss the function of in which.
If the explanation in the second post is unclear to you, please ask your question with respect to the second post.
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by hardwork » Wed Oct 26, 2016 12:34 am

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GMATGuruNY wrote:
richachampion wrote:
GMATGuruNY wrote:A preposition must be followed by a NOUN serving as the OBJECT OF THE PREPOSITION.
l
Can you please help me to understand the part in bold.

You mean to say that -
in place = preposition phrase
of on paper is also a prepositional phrase

Here prepositional phrase is modifying a prepositional phrase, Right? And this is a nonsensical as the object needs to be a noun for any prepositional phrase.p\
in place of -- the entire three-word phrase -- functions as a preposition.
This three-word phrase must be followed by a NOUN:
in place of THE BOOK
in place of THE TABLE
in place of JOHN.

in place of may not be followed by another prepositional phrase (such as on paper).
In A, C, and E what is "in which" modifying is it Critical Tasks?

Thanks
Please read through the entire thread before posting a question.
In my second post above, I discuss the function of in which.
If the explanation in the second post is unclear to you, please ask your question with respect to the second post.[/quotP

Please help! If in place of is a preposition need a noun object, what about instead of? I think instead of is a preposition too. Why we just need to consider the parallelism? cold we delete this answer according to the same rule?

Another question please! Companies are relying more and more on networked computers (where computers handle standard business transactions )rather than on paper.Should we treat the where clause as a modifier, and then on network computers rather than on paper is parallel.
Thanks a lot!

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by GMATGuruNY » Wed Oct 26, 2016 10:58 am

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hardwork wrote:Please help! If in place of is a preposition need a noun object, what about instead of? I think instead of is a preposition too.
instead of is a preposition and -- like in place of -- should be followed by a noun form.
Another question please! Companies are relying more and more on networked computers (where computers handle standard business transactions )rather than on paper.Should we treat the where clause as a modifier, and then on network computers rather than on paper is parallel.
Thanks a lot!
B: Companies are relying more and more on networked computers for such critical tasks as inventory management, electronic funds transfer, and electronic data interchange, where computers handle standard business transactions rather than on paper.
Here, the portion in red is a NON-ESSENTIAL RELATIVE CLAUSE.
A prepositional phrase in a non-essential relative clause cannot be parallel with a prepositional phrase in a main clause.
Thus, on paper (a prepositional phrase in the non-essential relative where-clause) cannot be parallel with on networked computers (a prepositional phrase in the main clause).
Last edited by GMATGuruNY on Thu Oct 27, 2016 4:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
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by hardwork » Wed Oct 26, 2016 5:32 pm

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GMATGuruNY wrote:
hardwork wrote:Please help! If in place of is a preposition need a noun object, what about instead of? I think instead of is a preposition too.
instead of is a preposition and -- like in place of -- should be followed by a noun form.
Another question please! Companies are relying more and more on networked computers (where computers handle standard business transactions )rather than on paper.Should we treat the where clause as a modifier, and then on network computers rather than on paper is parallel.
Thanks a lot!
B: Companies are relying more and more on networked computers for such critical tasks as inventory management, electronic funds transfer, and electronic data interchange, where computers handle standard business transactions rather than on paper.
Here, the portion in red is a NON-ESSENTIAL MODIFIER.
A prepositional phrase in a non-essential modifier cannot be parallel with a prepositional phrase in a main clause.
Thus, on paper (a prepositional phrase in the non-essential where-clause) cannot be parallel with on networked computers (a prepositional phrase in the main clause).
Thanks for your quick reply! Your answers inspire me to think deeper. If the part in non-essential modifier could not parallel to the part in main clause,what about answer D"where standard business transactions are handled, not with paper, but instead via computer "? the not...but...instruction is not parallel, because"not but with"is set off by a pair of commas while"but instead via computer"seems to in the main clause.Is my understanding right? OR It is comma for us to ignore parenthesis when we analyse the sentence. We could just ignore the "not with paper"and then the" not...but.."construction is incomplete?


When I see"instead of"as a comparison marker next time, I need not to consider about the parallel if the preposition is followed by a not-noun word? That seems to be a quick split to solve problem.Could you tell me what is the property of "rather than",it seems that "rather than"can connect lots element.

Thanks in advance!
Best wishes!

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by hardwork » Fri Oct 28, 2016 11:25 pm

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GMATGuruNY wrote:
hardwork wrote:Please help! If in place of is a preposition need a noun object, what about instead of? I think instead of is a preposition too.
instead of is a preposition and -- like in place of -- should be followed by a noun form.
Another question please! Companies are relying more and more on networked computers (where computers handle standard business transactions )rather than on paper.Should we treat the where clause as a modifier, and then on network computers rather than on paper is parallel.
Thanks a lot!
B: Companies are relying more and more on networked computers for such critical tasks as inventory management, electronic funds transfer, and electronic data interchange, where computers handle standard business transactions rather than on paper.
Here, the portion in red is a NON-ESSENTIAL RELATIVE CLAUSE.
A prepositional phrase in a non-essential relative clause cannot be parallel with a prepositional phrase in a main clause.
Thus, on paper (a prepositional phrase in the non-essential relative where-clause) cannot be parallel with on networked computers (a prepositional phrase in the main clause).
Thanks GMATGuruNY Sir! Could you answer the question that is in my above post?

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by [email protected] » Wed Apr 03, 2019 1:06 pm

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Hello Everyone!

This question has already generated some great discussion, so let's see if we can find a quick and easy way to narrow down the options to get the correct answer. First, let's take a quick look at the options and highlight any major differences in orange:

Companies are relying more and more on networked computers for such critical tasks as inventory management, electronic funds transfer, and electronic data interchange, in which standard business transactions are handled via computer rather than on paper.

(A) in which standard business transactions are handled via computer rather than on paper
(B) where computers handle standard business transactions rather than on paper
(C) in which computers handle standard business transactions instead of on paper
(D) where standard business transactions are handled, not with paper, but instead via computer
(E) in which standard business transactions are being handled via computer, in place of on paper

While you could easily highlight all of the text on each option because they're so different, let's focus on a few key differences first:

1. in which vs. where
2. computers handle vs. business transactions are handled
3. rather than vs. instead of


The easiest place to start is #1: in which vs. where. No matter which one we end up choosing, we'll eliminate 2-3 options rather quickly. There is a difference between using "where" and "in which" to modify nouns, so let's explore that first:

where = indicates or modifies a location
(We got married at our local park, where we first met last summer, because it was beautiful and fit our whole family. --> "where" is modifying "park," which is a location.)

in which = modifies nouns
(The wedding lasted only 30 minutes, in which the officiant only stuck to the basic ceremony traditions. --> "in which" is modifying "wedding," which is a noun.)

If we look closely at the original sentence, this phrase is supposed to modify the noun "critical tasks," so we know we need to use "in which" to indicate we're modifying a noun, and not a location:

(A) in which standard business transactions are handled via computer rather than on paper
(B) where computers handle standard business transactions rather than on paper
(C) in which computers handle standard business transactions instead of on paper
(D) where standard business transactions are handled, not with paper, but instead via computer
(E) in which standard business transactions are being handled via computer, in place of on paper

We can eliminate options B and D because they use "where," which is suppose to show location, instead of "in which," which is used to modify a noun.

Now that we have it narrowed down to only 3 options, let's take a closer look at each remaining option. We need to focus on both #2 and #3 on our list: what order to put the computers and the transactions, and making sure we're using "instead of" or "rather than" properly:

(A) in which standard business transactions are handled via computer rather than on paper

This is CORRECT! The two things that are contrasted here make sense (via computer vs. on paper), and everything is written clearly and concisely!

(C) in which computers handle standard business transactions instead of on paper

This is INCORRECT because the two things being contrasted here don't make sense (the computers vs. on paper). It also suggests that the computers handle the business transactions themselves, instead of a PERSON handling the business transactions by using a computer or paper. As of right now, computers can't do things like that by themselves, so it makes more sense to suggest a person is doing the action, and they're merely using different tools to do that task.

(E) in which standard business transactions are being handled via computer, in place of on paper

This is INCORRECT because it's overly wordy, and the phrase "in the place of" is confusing. It's too wordy to say "are being handled," and it subtly suggests that the computer is handling the transactions. Saying "are handled" is better because it's less wordy, and it doesn't suggest the computer is doing the action itself. The phrase "in place of" is also overly wordy and confusing. "In place of" means that you replace one thing with another because you need to - as if you're saying paper is no longer an option for them to use. Saying "rather than" means you PREFER to do your work via computer rather than on paper. You could still use paper, but you prefer not to!


There you have it - option A was the correct choice!


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by vietnam47 » Wed Aug 07, 2019 7:59 am

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Neilsheth2 wrote:80. Companies are relying more and more on networked computers for such critical tasks as inventory management, electronic funds transfer, and electronic data interchange, in which standard business transactions are handled via computer rather than on paper.



(A) in which standard business transactions are handled via computer rather than on paper


(B) where computers handle standard business transactions rather than on paper


(C) in which computers handle standard business transactions instead of on paper


(D) where standard business transactions are handled, not with paper, but instead via computer


(E) in which standard business transactions are being handled via computer, in place of on paper


The OA is A I need some help on the usage of Instead of vs Rather than . Is there any rule for these idioms?
Also in which= where ? Is it okay to use ?
"rather than' connect 2 similar things. "instead of" can not connect 2 similar thing because it is not a conjunction. look at Penguin english usage to know this point.
instead of leaning gmat, i go out tonight
this is correct sentence. google "instead of" to see many similar sentence.
"instead of " in choice c is correct. "computers" in choice c is wrong because we can not say "in networked computers, computers do...".