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

Redeem

George Eliot

This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 377
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:45 am
Thanked: 10 times
Followed by:1 members

George Eliot

by imskpwr » Tue Jan 17, 2012 10:17 pm
Before George Eliot became the popular and respected novelist known as George Eliot, she had been an anonymous translator and essayist of formidably far-ranging scholarship.

a
b. Before she had been the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, she was
c. George Eliot has been the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, after such time as she was
d. Before George Eliot became the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, she was
e. George Eliot, before she was the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, had been

Please explain your answers.

OA: after discussion.
Top
Source: — Sentence Correction |
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 88
Joined: Tue Jan 17, 2012 5:01 pm
Thanked: 54 times
Followed by:37 members

by chris@magoosh » Wed Jan 18, 2012 3:32 pm
First off, this question does not seem up to the standards of an OG question.

Note that all of the wrong answer choices (B, C, D, E) simply repeat she and George Eliot. Had even one answer
used this rather obvious error it would have been suspect. But all four answer choices to rely on the
redundancy of 'George Eliot' and 'she' shows that you are dealing with content that is...uh, slightly
subpar.

But no worries - just make sure to use OG content, as it'll reflect your score test day.
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 57
Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 6:27 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Thanked: 17 times

by [email protected] » Wed Jan 18, 2012 5:17 pm
Sequence of events with time, so tense should in past perfect:
1.she was an anonymous translator ....
2.she became the popular & respected ..

B reverses the sequence of these events. C - very awkward. E, same as B ,by reversing the events.

A or D .

A looks better than D . I'll go for A.
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 382
Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2011 5:47 pm
Thanked: 15 times

by ArunangsuSahu » Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:47 pm
(A) is the answer.. Explanation

The last part of the sentence happened before the first part

So (D) is incorrect
Top
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 377
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:45 am
Thanked: 10 times
Followed by:1 members

by imskpwr » Wed Jan 18, 2012 9:16 pm
chris@magoosh wrote:First off, this question does not seem up to the standards of an OG question.

Note that all of the wrong answer choices (B, C, D, E) simply repeat she and George Eliot. Had even one answer
used this rather obvious error it would have been suspect. But all four answer choices to rely on the
redundancy of 'George Eliot' and 'she' shows that you are dealing with content that is...uh, slightly
subpar.

But no worries - just make sure to use OG content, as it'll reflect your score test day.
Is this a very bad Q.
I have got it in one of the quizzes of KAPLAN Live Premiere 2012.
The explanation was also not very satisfactory.

OA is A.
Top
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2011 5:43 pm

by msrdon » Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:43 pm
"D",

both parts should be in simple past. :?:
Top
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 934
Joined: Tue Nov 09, 2010 5:16 am
Location: AAMCHI MUMBAI LOCAL
Thanked: 63 times
Followed by:14 members

by [email protected] » Wed Jan 18, 2012 11:24 pm
No imskpwr, this is not a bad question at all...
In fact it is testing the usage of past perfect and the past tense.

See the option A properly, you will find that before George Eliott became famous, she had been....

So before the happening of an event i.e famous, she had been something... i.e an anonymous translator and essayist of formidably far-ranging scholarship.

I hope I m right. If I am right, please thank me or rectify my error by giving an explanation!!!
IT IS TIME TO BEAT THE GMAT

LEARNING, APPLICATION AND TIMING IS THE FACT OF GMAT AND LIFE AS WELL... KEEP PLAYING!!!

Whenever you feel that my post really helped you to learn something new, please press on the 'THANK' button.
Top
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 377
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:45 am
Thanked: 10 times
Followed by:1 members

by imskpwr » Thu Jan 19, 2012 12:43 am
[email protected] wrote:No imskpwr, this is not a bad question at all...
In fact it is testing the usage of past perfect and the past tense.

See the option A properly, you will find that before George Eliott became famous, she had been....

So before the happening of an event i.e famous, she had been something... i.e an anonymous translator and essayist of formidably far-ranging scholarship.

I hope I m right. If I am right, please thank me or rectify my error by giving an explanation!!!
By bad, i mean the level of this question is below par as quoted by Chris.
Top
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 15539
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 12:04 pm
Location: New York, NY
Thanked: 13060 times
Followed by:1906 members
GMAT Score:790

by GMATGuruNY » Thu Jan 19, 2012 4:45 am
imskpwr wrote:Before George Eliot became the popular and respected novelist known as George Eliot, she had been an anonymous translator and essayist of formidably far-ranging scholarship.

a
b. Before she had been the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, she was
c. George Eliot has been the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, after such time as she was
d. Before George Eliot became the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, she was
e. George Eliot, before she was the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, had been

Please explain your answers.

OA: after discussion.
In B, C, D and E, we're given the following construction:
George Eliot had been/has been/became/was the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot.
Here, George Eliot is in APPOSITION to novelist.
Nouns are in apposition when they appear side-by-side, with the second serving to explain or define the first.
The implication here is that novelist = George Eliot.
The result is a strange meaning: that George Eliot had been/has been/became/was HERSELF.
Only A conveys the intended meaning: that George Eliot became the popular and respected novelist KNOWN AS George Eliot.

The correct answer is A.
Last edited by GMATGuruNY on Thu Jan 19, 2012 7:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
Private tutor exclusively for the GMAT and GRE, with over 20 years of experience.
Followed here and elsewhere by over 1900 test-takers.
I have worked with students based in the US, Australia, Taiwan, China, Tajikistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia -- a long list of countries.
My students have been admitted to HBS, CBS, Tuck, Yale, Stern, Fuqua -- a long list of top programs.

As a tutor, I don't simply teach you how I would approach problems.
I unlock the best way for YOU to solve problems.

For more information, please email me (Mitch Hunt) at [email protected].
Student Review #1
Student Review #2
Student Review #3
Top
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 377
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:45 am
Thanked: 10 times
Followed by:1 members

by imskpwr » Thu Jan 19, 2012 7:02 am
GMATGuruNY wrote:
imskpwr wrote:Before George Eliot became the popular and respected novelist known as George Eliot, she had been an anonymous translator and essayist of formidably far-ranging scholarship.

a
b. Before she had been the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, she was
c. George Eliot has been the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, after such time as she was
d. Before George Eliot became the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, she was
e. George Eliot, before she was the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, had been

Please explain your answers.

OA: after discussion.
In B, C, D and E, we're given the following construction:
George Eliot was/became the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot.
Here, George Eliot is in APPOSITION to novelist.
Nouns are in apposition when they appear side-by-side, with the second serving to explain or define the first.
The implication here is that novelist = George Eliot.
The result is a strange meaning: that George Eliot was/became HERSELF.
Only A conveys the intended meaning: that George Eliot became the popular and respected novelist KNOWN AS George Eliot.

The correct answer is A.
Thanks GMATguruNY.

So you mean to say,

b. Before she had been the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, she was
c. George Eliot has been the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, after such time as she was
d. Before George Eliot became the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, she was

But, is it because of the Meaning or the Structure(esp because of appositive nouns) of these sentences.

If it is only structure, then (as per what i understood from your reasoning) in the below mentioned example "Honest" and "World" are Appositive Nouns.

Before I was honest, world was charming .
Before I was honest, world was charming .

But I think this is not the case here.

Please elaborate a bit more on
George Eliot was/became the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot.[/i]
Here, George Eliot is in APPOSITION to novelist.
Nouns are in apposition when they appear side-by-side, with the second serving to explain or define the first.
Last edited by imskpwr on Thu Jan 19, 2012 7:37 am, edited 2 times in total.
Top
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 15539
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 12:04 pm
Location: New York, NY
Thanked: 13060 times
Followed by:1906 members
GMAT Score:790

by GMATGuruNY » Thu Jan 19, 2012 7:10 am
imskpwr wrote:
GMATGuruNY wrote:
imskpwr wrote:Before George Eliot became the popular and respected novelist known as George Eliot, she had been an anonymous translator and essayist of formidably far-ranging scholarship.

a
b. Before she had been the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, she was
c. George Eliot has been the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, after such time as she was
d. Before George Eliot became the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, she was
e. George Eliot, before she was the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, had been

Please explain your answers.

OA: after discussion.
In B, C, D and E, we're given the following construction:
George Eliot had been/has been/became/was the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot.
Here, George Eliot is in APPOSITION to novelist.
Nouns are in apposition when they appear side-by-side, with the second serving to explain or define the first.
The implication here is that novelist = George Eliot.
The result is a strange meaning: that George Eliot had been/has been/became/was HERSELF.
Only A conveys the intended meaning: that George Eliot became the popular and respected novelist KNOWN AS George Eliot.

The correct answer is A.
Thanks GMATguruNY.

you mean to say,
b. Before she had been the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, she was
c. George Eliot has been the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, after such time as she was
d. Before George Eliot became the popular and respected novelist, George Eliot, she was

Correct me, if I am wrong.
You got it.
Private tutor exclusively for the GMAT and GRE, with over 20 years of experience.
Followed here and elsewhere by over 1900 test-takers.
I have worked with students based in the US, Australia, Taiwan, China, Tajikistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia -- a long list of countries.
My students have been admitted to HBS, CBS, Tuck, Yale, Stern, Fuqua -- a long list of top programs.

As a tutor, I don't simply teach you how I would approach problems.
I unlock the best way for YOU to solve problems.

For more information, please email me (Mitch Hunt) at [email protected].
Student Review #1
Student Review #2
Student Review #3
Top
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 15539
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 12:04 pm
Location: New York, NY
Thanked: 13060 times
Followed by:1906 members
GMAT Score:790

by GMATGuruNY » Thu Jan 19, 2012 3:01 pm
imskpwr wrote: But, is it because of the Meaning or the Structure(esp because of appositive nouns) of these sentences.

If it is only structure, then (as per what i understood from your reasoning) in the below mentioned example "Honest" and "World" are Appositive Nouns.

Before I was honest, world was charming .
Before I was honest, world was charming .

But I think this is not the case here.
For nouns to be in APPOSITION, they must appear side-by-side and refer to the same thing.
The second noun serves to explain or define the first.
To illustrate, the nouns in red are in apposition:

Dr. Jones, the best pediatrician in the city, has practiced medicine for the past ten years.
John got an A in chemistry, his favorite subject.

In each case, the second noun is the APPOSITIVE of the first because the two nouns are side-by-side and clearly refer to the same thing.
The second noun serves to explain or define the first.

In your example, world cannot be in apposition to honest because honest is not a noun but an ADJECTIVE.

If you need further explanation, I suggest that you google APPOSITION or APPOSITIVE.
Private tutor exclusively for the GMAT and GRE, with over 20 years of experience.
Followed here and elsewhere by over 1900 test-takers.
I have worked with students based in the US, Australia, Taiwan, China, Tajikistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia -- a long list of countries.
My students have been admitted to HBS, CBS, Tuck, Yale, Stern, Fuqua -- a long list of top programs.

As a tutor, I don't simply teach you how I would approach problems.
I unlock the best way for YOU to solve problems.

For more information, please email me (Mitch Hunt) at [email protected].
Student Review #1
Student Review #2
Student Review #3
Top
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 377
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:45 am
Thanked: 10 times
Followed by:1 members

by imskpwr » Thu Jan 19, 2012 9:34 pm
I was afraid of this structure,but now its clear.

Thanks again!
Top
Post new topic Locked
• Page 1 of 1