Columnist: The winner---tough Q

Expert replies

atulmangal: Legendary Member; Posts: 1112; Joined: Sat Feb 26, 2011 11:16 amFollowed by: 49 members; Thanked: 77 times

by atulmangal » Sun Apr 10, 2011 8:53 pm

Columnist: The winner of this year's national spelling bee won by correctly spelling the spoken word Ursprache, which means "fame" in German. Given the richness of our language, why must we resort to words taken from modern foreign languages to challenge our best spellers? Ursprache is listed in our dictionary, as are words from many other foreign languages, but future spelling bees should limit themselves to words in our dictionary that have been anglicized in all aspects because spelling English words, not knowledge of linguistics and international phonetics,is the point of these contests. Which of the following can most reasonably be inferred from the argument above?

"¢ The spelling contest winner knew how to spell most of the anglicized words in the dictionary.
"¢ Foreign words are more difficult than anglicized words for all contestants to spell.
"¢ Spelling contestant winners should be determined by their facility with all aspects of language.
"¢ To spell foreign words, contestants must recognize the language and know its pronunciation.
"¢ The English language contains more borrowed words than most other languages.

Source: Beat The GMAT — Critical Reasoning | Sun Apr 10, 2011 8:53 pm

HSPA: Legendary Member; Posts: 1101; Joined: Fri Jan 28, 2011 7:26 amFollowed by: 13 members; Thanked: 47 times; GMAT Score:640

by HSPA » Sun Apr 10, 2011 9:09 pm

IMO D

future spelling bees should limit themselves to words in our dictionary that have been anglicized in all aspects because spelling English words, not knowledge of linguistics and international phonetics,is the point of these contests

Tough GMAT question : 2.41sec

First take: 640 (50M, 27V) - RC needs 300% improvement
Second take: coming soon..
Regards,
HSPA.

singh181: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 121; Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2009 8:44 amFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 9 times; GMAT Score:610

by singh181 » Sun Apr 10, 2011 9:12 pm

"¢ The spelling contest winner knew how to spell most of the anglicized words in the dictionary. The passage does not give info. on what the winner knew.
"¢ Foreign words are more difficult than anglicized words for all contestants to spell. difficulty of Foreign words is not elaborated in the passage.
"¢ Spelling contestant winners should be determined by their facility with all aspects of language. I was confused with this, but "all aspects of language" made my job easier. EXTREME
"¢ To spell foreign words, contestants must recognize the language and know its pronunciation. Correct
"¢ The English language contains more borrowed words than most other languages.Cannt infer

bubbliiiiiiii: Legendary Member; Posts: 979; Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 1:38 amFollowed by: 12 members; Location: Hyderabad, India; Thanked: 49 times; GMAT Score:700

by bubbliiiiiiii » Sun Apr 10, 2011 11:53 pm

atulmangal wrote:Columnist: The winner of this year's national spelling bee won by correctly spelling the spoken word Ursprache, which means "fame" in German. Given the richness of our language, why must we resort to words taken from modern foreign languages to challenge our best spellers? Ursprache is listed in our dictionary, as are words from many other foreign languages, but future spelling bees should limit themselves to words in our dictionary that have been anglicized in all aspects because spelling English words, not knowledge of linguistics and international phonetics,is the point of these contests. Which of the following can most reasonably be inferred from the argument above?

"¢ The spelling contest winner knew how to spell most of the anglicized words in the dictionary.
Contender - since the author argues to use anglicized words in competition.
"¢ Foreign words are more difficult than anglicized words for all contestants to spell.
The comparison between foreign words and andglicized words is not discussed.
"¢ Spelling contestant winners should be determined by their facility with all aspects of language.
Refutes with what is stated in argument.
"¢ To spell foreign words, contestants must recognize the language and know its pronunciation.
Contender - since to win the quiz the qualities should be possesed.
"¢ The English language contains more borrowed words than most other languages. The argument says that english dictionary contains so but doesnot guarantee that all words in dictionary are angilcized.

Confused between A and D. But, since one has to be chosen, I prefer A over D as I feel that D restated what is given in passage.

OA and experts guidance please.

Regards,

Pranay

HSPA: Legendary Member; Posts: 1101; Joined: Fri Jan 28, 2011 7:26 amFollowed by: 13 members; Thanked: 47 times; GMAT Score:640

by HSPA » Mon Apr 11, 2011 12:16 am

bubbliiiiiiii wrote:Confused between A and D. But, since one has to be chosen, I prefer A over D as I feel that D restated what is given in passage.

OA and experts guidance please.

Pranay,
[A] support chese proof emi ledu ga stem lo... edi base chesukoni A > D
or
Can you point me to a proof supporting A

Last edited by HSPA on Mon Apr 11, 2011 12:33 am, edited 1 time in total.

First take: 640 (50M, 27V) - RC needs 300% improvement
Second take: coming soon..
Regards,
HSPA.

bubbliiiiiiii: Legendary Member; Posts: 979; Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 1:38 amFollowed by: 12 members; Location: Hyderabad, India; Thanked: 49 times; GMAT Score:700

by bubbliiiiiiii » Mon Apr 11, 2011 12:25 am

HSPA wrote:
bubbliiiiiiii wrote:Confused between A and D. But, since one has to be chosen, I prefer A over D as I feel that D restated what is given in passage.

OA and experts guidance please.
Pranay,
[A] support chese proof emi ledu ga stem lo... edi base chesukoni A > D

Could you please translate to english?

Regards,

Pranay

Testluv: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1302; Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 2:13 pmFollowed by: 164 members; Location: Toronto; Thanked: 539 times; GMAT Score:800

by Testluv » Tue Apr 12, 2011 1:06 am

Confused between A and D. But, since one has to be chosen, I prefer A over D as I feel that D restated what is given in passage.

TIP: In an inference question, if an answer choice restates what is given in the passage, then it is the correct answer. (Why?)

Using the Kaplan denial test: the author's position would make no sense if (D) were false. Thus, (D) is supported by the passage, and is the correct answer.

Kaplan Teacher in Toronto

bubbliiiiiiii: Legendary Member; Posts: 979; Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 1:38 amFollowed by: 12 members; Location: Hyderabad, India; Thanked: 49 times; GMAT Score:700

by bubbliiiiiiii » Tue Apr 12, 2011 1:15 am

Thanks testluv for the inputs.

Mostly, I go wrong in inference questions. This appears to be one of my most frequent mistakes.

Can you redirect me to posts where you have shared more information on inference questions?

Regards,

Pranay

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