BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem
TTP OnDemand GMAT Video Course
Featured Course

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Scott Woodbury-Stewart’s private virtual classroom — 400 hours of master-class video lessons for the GMAT Focus Edition.

  • 715+ score guarantee — highest in the industry (99th percentile)
  • 52 chapters · 1,500+ lessons · 4,000+ practice questions
  • 400 hours of video · 1,500+ instructor-led HD smartboard lessons
  • 300,000+ students accepted to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth & Sloan & more
  • 24/7 live support + weekly Zoom office hours with GMAT instructors
  • TTP AI Assist — 24/7 AI-powered virtual tutor for instant help
  • 1,200+ flashcards + AI-powered study assistant & daily calendar
  • OnDemand, LiveTeach & GMAT Bootcamp formats available
  • Also: GRE, SAT Math & Executive Assessment courses
  • MBA Admissions Consulting now available
  • 🏆 2025 EdTech Breakthrough Award: Test Prep Solution Provider of the Year
  • 200,000+ students served
  • 5-day free trial — $0 to start, no auto-billing, cancel anytime
★★★★★ 5.0 (559 reviews)
130-pt guarantee
$0 to start then $127/mo
Start Free 5-Day Trial Read 559 Reviews →

A large praetorian bureaucracy

Expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 418
Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2010 12:48 pmFollowed by: 3 members
Thanked: 6 times
by gmatdriller » Sat Sep 11, 2010 3:07 am
A large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and is filled with often sycophantic people makes work and makes trouble

A) A large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and is filled with often sycophantic people makes work and makes trouble
B) a large praetorian bureaucracy filled from ambitious and often sycophantic people makes work and makes trouble
C) a large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and often sycophantic people make work and make trouble
D) a large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and often sycophantic people makes work and makes trouble
E) a large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and often sycophantic people makes work and trouble


which is preferred?
X makes Y and makes Z
X makes Y and Z
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Source: — Sentence Correction |
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 68
Joined: Sun Apr 11, 2010 3:22 amFollowed by: 1 member

by gsinghal » Sat Sep 11, 2010 3:47 am
IMO D

bureaucracy is singular so require makes and not plural make.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1893
Joined: Sun May 30, 2010 11:48 pmFollowed by: 7 members
Thanked: 215 times

by kvcpk » Sat Sep 11, 2010 3:53 am
makes work and makes trouble is required in this case.

I am not quite sure. But here is my reasoning:

"makes" is verb, "work" is noun
If we write makes work and trouble, we are making "trouble" as verb.

But trouble should be noun. Hence we need a verb before it.

Hope tis helps!!

Others- Let me know if I am wrong.
"Once you start working on something,
don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it.
People who work sincerely are the happiest."
Chanakya quotes (Indian politician, strategist and writer, 350 BC-275BC)
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 293
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2010 9:08 amFollowed by: 5 members
Location: India
Thanked: 36 times
GMAT Score:730

by mohit11 » Sat Sep 11, 2010 6:34 am
gmatdriller wrote:A large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and is filled with often sycophantic people makes work and makes trouble

A) A large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and is filled with often sycophantic people makes work and makes trouble
B) a large praetorian bureaucracy filled from ambitious and often sycophantic people makes work and makes trouble
C) a large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and often sycophantic people make work and make trouble
D) a large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and often sycophantic people makes work and makes trouble
E) a large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and often sycophantic people makes work and trouble


which is preferred?
X makes Y and makes Z
X makes Y and Z
As long as meaning or author's intent is not altered, the succinct choice is preferred

makes work and makes trouble conveys the same meaning as makes work and trouble - Since E is more succinct go with E. Our answer.
Founder of Consulting Network: https://consultingnetwork.co.in - A portal for consultants

Facebook Page for Consulting Network: https://www.facebook.com/globalconsultingnetwork

My Blog: https://outspoken-mind.blocked

730 Debrief: https://www.beatthegmat.com/730-q49-v41- ... 80010.html
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 305
Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2009 5:38 am
Thanked: 10 times

by Shawshank » Sat Sep 11, 2010 6:46 am
imo == e..

looks less wordy.. than d
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Shawshank Redemtion -- Hope is still alive ...
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1261
Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 3:46 am
Thanked: 27 times
GMAT Score:570

by reply2spg » Sat Sep 11, 2010 9:50 am
IMO A is best. Bureaucracy filled with 2 things.

1. ambitious and 2. often sycophantic people
also it makes 2 things
1. work and 2 trouble

other options lack ||ism
gmatdriller wrote:A large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and is filled with often sycophantic people makes work and makes trouble

A) A large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and is filled with often sycophantic people makes work and makes trouble
B) a large praetorian bureaucracy filled from ambitious and often sycophantic people makes work and makes trouble
C) a large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and often sycophantic people make work and make trouble
D) a large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and often sycophantic people makes work and makes trouble
E) a large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and often sycophantic people makes work and trouble


which is preferred?
X makes Y and makes Z
X makes Y and Z
Sudhanshu
(have lot of things to learn from all of you)
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:20 pmFollowed by: 4 members
Thanked: 74 times

by uwhusky » Sat Sep 11, 2010 10:03 am
This question is testing idiom, subject/verb agreement, and concision.

The answer should be E.

A) A large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and is filled with often sycophantic people makes work and makes trouble
Missing the main verb "is", and it failed concision. Worst of all, I don't think this is even a grammatical sentence.

X is filled with Y makes G and makes Z? There are definitely too many main verbs.
B) a large praetorian bureaucracy filled from ambitious and often sycophantic people makes work and makes trouble
"filled from" is incorrect idiom, and redundancy of repeating verb in the end is also less concise.
C) a large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and often sycophantic people make work and make trouble
"make" does not agree with the subject, which is singular, and again, concision is an issue here.
D) a large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and often sycophantic people makes work and makes trouble
Concision issue.
E) a large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and often sycophantic people makes work and trouble
Correct.
Last edited by uwhusky on Sat Sep 11, 2010 10:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
Yep.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 520
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2010 10:44 amFollowed by: 6 members
Thanked: 70 times

by niksworth » Sat Sep 11, 2010 10:04 am
Can someone please explain to me what on earth does this sentence mean?

A large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and is filled with often sycophantic people makes work and makes trouble

It sure doesn't look like a complete sentence. Or is the meaning only lost to me? Working with incomplete sentences does not make any sense.
scio me nihil scire
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:20 pmFollowed by: 4 members
Thanked: 74 times

by uwhusky » Sat Sep 11, 2010 10:10 am
kvcpk wrote:makes work and makes trouble is required in this case.

I am not quite sure. But here is my reasoning:

"makes" is verb, "work" is noun
If we write makes work and trouble, we are making "trouble" as verb.

But trouble should be noun. Hence we need a verb before it.

Hope tis helps!!

Others- Let me know if I am wrong.
This is where sentence constituency kicks in!

The structure of this sentence should be:

[noun phrase] + [main verb] + [noun phrase].

Noun phrase: "a large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and often sycophantic people"

Main verb: "makes"

Noun phrase: "work and trouble"
Yep.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1893
Joined: Sun May 30, 2010 11:48 pmFollowed by: 7 members
Thanked: 215 times

by kvcpk » Sat Sep 11, 2010 10:20 am
uwhusky wrote:This is where sentence constituency kicks in!

The structure of this sentence should be:

[noun phrase] + [main verb] + [noun phrase].

Noun phrase: "a large praetorian bureaucracy filled with ambitious and often sycophantic people"

Main verb: "makes"

Noun phrase: "work and trouble"
Hey uwhusky, I searched for this question and found this.
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/praetorian

After seeing this link, I like to know what is the source of this question.
"Once you start working on something,
don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it.
People who work sincerely are the happiest."
Chanakya quotes (Indian politician, strategist and writer, 350 BC-275BC)
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1261
Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 3:46 am
Thanked: 27 times
GMAT Score:570

by reply2spg » Sat Sep 11, 2010 10:43 am
what is OA?
Sudhanshu
(have lot of things to learn from all of you)
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:20 pmFollowed by: 4 members
Thanked: 74 times

by uwhusky » Sat Sep 11, 2010 11:11 am
@kvcpk

I see. However, work and trouble are both nouns, and it makes sense to group them together as a compound object. Perhaps it was a stylistic approach to repeat the verb.
Yep.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 418
Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2010 12:48 pmFollowed by: 3 members
Thanked: 6 times

by gmatdriller » Mon Sep 13, 2010 11:58 pm
OA is D
Source: grockit.com
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 516
Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2009 6:42 amFollowed by: 1 member
Location: Mumbai
Thanked: 14 times
GMAT Score:710

by ankurmit » Tue Sep 14, 2010 3:18 am
I agree with Unwhusky.

E is more precise than D.

Both work and trouble are noun and can be grouped together.

please post OA
--------
Ankur mittal
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 516
Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2009 6:42 amFollowed by: 1 member
Location: Mumbai
Thanked: 14 times
GMAT Score:710

by ankurmit » Tue Sep 14, 2010 3:22 am
GMAT driller

Can you please post official explanation.
--------
Ankur mittal
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Post new topic Locked