Truman

This topic has expert replies
User avatar
MBA Student
Posts: 1194
Joined: Sat Aug 16, 2008 9:42 pm
Location: Paris, France
Thanked: 71 times
Followed by:17 members
GMAT Score:710

Truman

by gmat740 » Thu Jun 18, 2009 12:25 am
350
In 1922, when Truman was almost forty years old, he was living in his mother-in-law’s house, watching the haberdashery store he opened three years earlier go bankrupt, and he faced a future with no visible prospects.
(A) opened three years earlier go bankrupt, and he faced
(B) opened three years earlier go bankrupt and faced
(C) had opened three years earlier go bankrupt, and he was facing
(D) had opened three years earlier go bankrupt, and facing
(E) was opening three years earlier going bankrupt, and facing


[spoiler]IMO-C
OA-D[/spoiler]

Legendary Member
Posts: 1799
Joined: Wed Dec 24, 2008 3:03 am
Thanked: 36 times
Followed by:2 members

by goelmohit2002 » Thu Jun 18, 2009 6:23 am
IMO "D" is better since watching....."he was facing" are non parallel....in "C"

User avatar
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 70
Joined: Wed Jun 25, 2008 8:33 pm
Thanked: 3 times

by axat » Thu Jun 18, 2009 6:41 am
IMO C too.

Since 'Facing' in D modifies the store.

Source? 1000 SC? Then we ought to take the OA with a pinch of salt.

Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 36
Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 1:20 am
Thanked: 2 times

by benissleeping » Thu Jun 18, 2009 6:56 am
I agree with OA D.


"he was living in his mother-in-law’s house, watching the haberdashery store...and facing"

all parallel

User avatar
MBA Student
Posts: 1194
Joined: Sat Aug 16, 2008 9:42 pm
Location: Paris, France
Thanked: 71 times
Followed by:17 members
GMAT Score:710

by gmat740 » Sat Jun 20, 2009 8:02 am
Guys let me answer my own question

I did a little research and came up with this

In 1922, when Truman was almost forty years old, he was living in his mother-in-law’s house, watching the haberdashery store he opened three years earlier go bankrupt, and he faced a future with no visible prospects.

check out the red colour


Only C,D and E has "Facing"

nOW CHECK them one by one
(C) had opened three years earlier go bankrupt, and he was facing
we do need a past perfect tense but was is really awkward here

(E) was opening three years earlier going bankrupt, and facing

changes to simple past (which is not required)

(D) had opened three years earlier go bankrupt, and facing
past perfect tense and proper parallelism

User avatar
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 4:47 am

by sands_of_time » Sat Jun 20, 2009 9:42 am
past perfect tense and proper parallelism
I second gmat740.

D is correct.

Legendary Member
Posts: 1578
Joined: Sun Dec 28, 2008 1:49 am
Thanked: 82 times
Followed by:9 members
GMAT Score:720

Re: Truman

by maihuna » Sat Jun 20, 2009 10:06 am
gmat740 wrote:350
In 1922, when Truman was almost forty years old, he was living in his mother-in-law’s house, watching the haberdashery store he opened three years earlier go bankrupt, and he faced a future with no visible prospects.
(A) opened three years earlier go bankrupt, and he faced
(B) opened three years earlier go bankrupt and faced
(C) had opened three years earlier go bankrupt, and he was facing
(D) had opened three years earlier go bankrupt, and facing
(E) was opening three years earlier going bankrupt, and facing


[spoiler]IMO-C
OA-D[/spoiler]
Two past activities watching and facing should be parallel...so possible answer choices are C D E, out of these, E is out, as opening a store is not an continious process....and he was facing is trouble with C as watching is one of the activity...so the other should be only facing...and not and he was facing.....
Charged up again to beat the beast :)

User avatar
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2008 6:13 am

by inactived » Tue Sep 28, 2010 7:49 am
Can someone please evaporate what role "go bankrupt" plays in the sentence?

Many thanks

Legendary Member
Posts: 520
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2010 10:44 am
Thanked: 70 times
Followed by:6 members

by niksworth » Tue Sep 28, 2010 8:16 am
inactived wrote:Can someone please evaporate what role "go bankrupt" plays in the sentence?

Many thanks
@inactived,

you meant elaborate right :)

go bankrupt is simply pointing out what Truman was watching - He was watching the haberdashery store go bankrupt.
scio me nihil scire

User avatar
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Sep 10, 2010 8:33 am
Thanked: 1 times

by shurti4you » Tue Sep 28, 2010 8:49 am
D because of parallelism.

Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 93
Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:03 am
Thanked: 2 times
Followed by:1 members

by max37274 » Tue Sep 28, 2010 8:58 am
In 1922, when Truman was almost forty years old, he was living in his mother-in-law's house, watching the haberdashery store he opened three years earlier go bankrupt, and he faced a future with no visible prospects.
(A) opened three years earlier go bankrupt, and he faced
(B) opened three years earlier go bankrupt and faced
(C) had opened three years earlier go bankrupt, and he was facing Here second "He" in He was facing can refer to anyone as it is a complete sentence on its own; Also "watching" and "he was facing" are not parallel
(D) had opened three years earlier go bankrupt, and facing correct
(E) was opening three years earlier going bankrupt, and facing