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Confusion about wordy answers

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Confusion about wordy answers

by Indradeep » Wed Sep 24, 2008 11:01 pm
If A is correct but wordy and if another option is also correct and concise, do we still select the other answer do we just select A?
The reason why I ask is I know that unless A is wrong, you can not select any other answer...

Question:

Darwin was not the first to advance a theory of evolution; his tremendous originality lay in the fact that he proposed the idea of natural selection as the means by which evolution worked.

(A) lay in the fact that he proposed the idea
(B) lay in the fact of his proposing the idea
(C) laid in the fact of his proposing the idea
(D) laid in his proposal
(E) lay in his proposal
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by stop@800 » Thu Sep 25, 2008 2:29 am
The catch here is
his tremendous originality lay in the fact that he proposed the idea of ....
is incorrect.

His originality does not in lay in the fact that he proposed the idea
rather
it lay in the proposal.
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by Indradeep » Thu Sep 25, 2008 3:55 am
His orginality lay in the fact that A

means that his originality lay in A. "The fact that" is only more information, isnt it? I dont think that "the fact that" should be the wrong portion. Just my feel.

Anyway, going back to the original question, should we select an answer which is less wordy than A only because it is less wordy.
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by stop@800 » Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:36 pm
Indradeep wrote:His orginality lay in the fact that A

means that his originality lay in A. "The fact that" is only more information, isnt it? I dont think that "the fact that" should be the wrong portion. Just my feel.

Anyway, going back to the original question, should we select an answer which is less wordy than A only because it is less wordy.
IMO NO.
I don't A can be marked if it is more wordy than other correct choice.

A will have priority in terms of meaning.
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by 4meonly » Fri Sep 26, 2008 5:33 am
I vote for E
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by Indradeep » Fri Sep 26, 2008 8:19 am
The correct answer is E and I also agree that E is shorter and more concise than A. So even if apparently A isnt gramatically wrong, E is more concise and hence a better answer.
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