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

Redeem

Soaring television costs

This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 458
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2008 10:44 am
Thanked: 3 times
Followed by:1 members

Soaring television costs

by gmat009 » Fri Oct 24, 2008 2:38 pm
Soaring television costs accounted for more than half the spending in the presidential campaign of 1992, a greater proportion than it was in any previous election.

A. a greater proportion than it was
B. a greater proportion than
C. a greater proportion than they have been
D. which is greater than was so
E. which is greater than it has been

Plz. explain....
Top
Source: — Sentence Correction |
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 543
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 1:01 am
Thanked: 43 times
GMAT Score:580

Re: Soaring television costs

by codesnooker » Fri Oct 24, 2008 4:00 pm
gmat009 wrote:Soaring television costs accounted for more than half the spending in the presidential campaign of 1992, a greater proportion than it was in any previous election.

A. a greater proportion than it was
B. a greater proportion than
C. a greater proportion than they have been
D. which is greater than was so
E. which is greater than it has been

Plz. explain....
This is a very simple question, which can be easily solved in three steps. Where did you get stuck?

Step 1: Costs is Plural, so choice (A) and (E) are out.
Step 2: Though it is a noun phrase but here WHICH can refer to whole phrase. WHICH should refer to COSTS. Hence, choice (D) is also out.
Step 3: Choice (B) makes it an incomplete sentence. We need verb here to complete the sentence. Hence choose (C).

Hope this helps...[/list]
Top
Legendary Member
Posts: 1159
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 10:35 pm
Thanked: 56 times

by raunekk » Fri Oct 24, 2008 9:19 pm
imo:A

i dont feel COSTS is the subject ova here...

"a greater proportion" seems to be the subject ...and thus a singular pronoun "it"...
Top
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 2134
Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2008 11:26 pm
Thanked: 237 times
Followed by:25 members
GMAT Score:730

Re: Soaring television costs

by logitech » Fri Oct 24, 2008 9:38 pm
First of all,

codesnooker , we are here to learn and discuss. OH IT IS VERY SIMPLE, I DONT UNDERSTAND HOW YOU CANT SOLVE THIS ONE is not really a good attitude.


And so you know, this question has been discussed in several forms since 2005 and it is not easy.

First of all, C can bu eliminated just because we need a PAST tense here. It is more close to the proportion, why do we want to send it back to the beginning of the sentence to COSTS ?

So IMO is there is nothing wrong with A.

gmat009 wrote:Soaring television costs accounted for more than half the spending in the presidential campaign of 1992, a greater proportion than it was in any previous election.

A. a greater proportion than it was
B. a greater proportion than
C. a greater proportion than they have been
D. which is greater than was so
E. which is greater than it has been

Plz. explain....
Top
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 871
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:48 am
Thanked: 48 times

Re: Soaring television costs

by stop@800 » Sat Oct 25, 2008 1:14 am
logitech wrote:First of all,

codesnooker , we are here to learn and discuss. OH IT IS VERY SIMPLE, I DONT UNDERSTAND HOW YOU CANT SOLVE THIS ONE is not really a good attitude.

Lets not fight. :)

I think you misunderstood codesnooker, his intentions were not to hurt anyone.

Has it been so, he would have not spent that much time writing a detailed explanation.

I really appreciate that he spends so much time in explaining things to us with detailed explanation.
At times even I avoid typing details.
And so you know, this question has been discussed in several forms since 2005 and it is not easy.

First of all, C can bu eliminated just because we need a PAST tense here. It is more close to the proportion, why do we want to send it back to the beginning of the sentence to COSTS ?

So IMO is there is nothing wrong with A.

gmat009 wrote:Soaring television costs accounted for more than half the spending in the presidential campaign of 1992, a greater proportion than it was in any previous election.

A. a greater proportion than it was
B. a greater proportion than
C. a greater proportion than they have been
D. which is greater than was so
E. which is greater than it has been

Plz. explain....
Top
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 543
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 1:01 am
Thanked: 43 times
GMAT Score:580

Re: Soaring television costs

by codesnooker » Sat Oct 25, 2008 10:20 am
logitech wrote:First of all,

codesnooker , we are here to learn and discuss. OH IT IS VERY SIMPLE, I DONT UNDERSTAND HOW YOU CANT SOLVE THIS ONE is not really a good attitude.
1.

I never stated the above words. Please don't modify my statements.

2.
The point of stating this problem as simple one is to get the questioner more comfortable with the problem. It depends on how we look at the problems. For example, a kid, who is new to bicycle learning is always thinks learning cycle as a difficult one. But the day, he learned it, then it's become easy for him to ride the cycle. I hope that you would have remember your experience. Your instructor must had told you at time that it is easy to ride the cycle, just you have to keep paddling and maintain the balance. So it's nothing but the fear of unfamiliarity with the context and we all face this fear in our life. The day we get familiar with the things/situations, we feel more comfortable with the problems.

3.
If a question being asked on several forums doesn't mean that the problem is difficult. For example, many non-math students ask similar problems on the same forum but does those problems do look difficult to math students? No, it should not. Most of the math students find those problems as simple one. So once again it depends upon the familiarity of the problem.

KEY POINT: Remove the fear of unfamiliarity.

4.
I don't know but where did I mock at gmat009 or someone else. Gmat009 simply asked "plz. explain" and I just simply asked him the point at which he/she stuck so that I can explain more on that context. I apologize if my answer showed any ridiculing behavior.

5. If I would have to mock then I would have simply mocked on that post and just would have written the OA? Why should I waste my energy on writing the detailed answers on each post for which I have to do extensive research. Sorry to say but I am not a psycho at all. :D

I have many more things/reasons to say but let's not make the post bigger. My pure intention is to help people in need.

Thanks for your understanding and cooperation.
Top
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 543
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 1:01 am
Thanked: 43 times
GMAT Score:580

Re: Soaring television costs

by codesnooker » Sat Oct 25, 2008 10:29 am
stop@800 wrote: Lets not fight. :)

I think you misunderstood codesnooker, his intentions were not to hurt anyone.

Has it been so, he would have not spent that much time writing a detailed explanation.

I really appreciate that he spends so much time in explaining things to us with detailed explanation.
At times even I avoid typing details.
Thanks for your understanding.

Actually I hate verbal because to write the detailed explanation; I need to extensive research and to refer many grammar books where as I can easily answered the questions on Quant forum without any serious effort. Earlier I used to do so but later on I find that there are more people/instructors to answers the Quant post as compare to Verbal's. So I decided to study the verbal in detail and to answer the verbal's posts.
Top
Legendary Member
Posts: 541
Joined: Thu May 31, 2007 6:44 pm
Location: UK
Thanked: 21 times
Followed by:3 members
GMAT Score:680

by rohangupta83 » Sat Oct 25, 2008 10:38 am
Codesnooker - you the man!!!

your posts are terrific

so are yours 'stop'

I surely have learnt a lot from your posts.
Top
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 2134
Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2008 11:26 pm
Thanked: 237 times
Followed by:25 members
GMAT Score:730

Re: Soaring television costs

by logitech » Sat Oct 25, 2008 10:48 am
Thanks man. I will try to do the same.
codesnooker wrote:
stop@800 wrote: Lets not fight. :)

I think you misunderstood codesnooker, his intentions were not to hurt anyone.

Has it been so, he would have not spent that much time writing a detailed explanation.

I really appreciate that he spends so much time in explaining things to us with detailed explanation.
At times even I avoid typing details.
Thanks for your understanding.

Actually I hate verbal because to write the detailed explanation; I need to extensive research and to refer many grammar books where as I can easily answered the questions on Quant forum without any serious effort. Earlier I used to do so but later on I find that there are more people/instructors to answers the Quant post as compare to Verbal's. So I decided to study the verbal in detail and to answer the verbal's posts.
LGTCH
---------------------
"DON'T LET ANYONE STEAL YOUR DREAM!"
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 458
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2008 10:44 am
Thanked: 3 times
Followed by:1 members

by gmat009 » Sun Oct 26, 2008 7:53 pm
Sorry for late reply. I came after 2 days and was looking at my post.
I was confused between B and C.
OA is C and I was not sure why , so looking for some good explanation.
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 55
Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2009 1:37 pm

by andy123 » Sun Oct 11, 2009 7:18 am
Oa is B

but why is A wrong somebody please exlain clearly.
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 171
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 8:59 pm
Thanked: 8 times

my 2 cent:

by brick2009 » Sun Oct 11, 2009 10:57 pm
A is wrong.
IT...what does IT refere back to?

C : is wrong because of the THEY

B: follows the GMAT rule of being concise.
Top

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 3380
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 1:20 am
Thanked: 2256 times
Followed by:1535 members
GMAT Score:800

by lunarpower » Mon Mar 15, 2010 2:24 am
@ codesnooker --
codesnooker wrote:This is a very simple question, which can be easily solved in three steps. Where did you get stuck?
i know that you guys already settled this brief contretemps -- that's good to see -- but, two things.

(1) the other posters have a point: you should never describe something as "easy" or "simple" unless it is so easy that everyone is certain to grasp it immediately.
as for the rationale that this sort of description will somehow make students more comfortable: this is simply not true. take it from about 15 years' worth of teaching experience -- there is no upside to describing something as "easy". you curry no favor (and build no comfort) with students who DO know how to solve the problem, and you risk alienating those who don't. hopefully this is a takeaway for next time.

(2) if you're going to describe a problem as "a very simple question ... easily solved" -- first, make sure you don't post the wrong answer.

the answer to this problem is NOT (c).
the answer to this problem is (b).

see the post below
Last edited by lunarpower on Mon Mar 15, 2010 2:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ron has been teaching various standardized tests for 20 years.

--

Pueden hacerle preguntas a Ron en castellano
Potete chiedere domande a Ron in italiano
On peut poser des questions à Ron en français
Voit esittää kysymyksiä Ron:lle myös suomeksi

--

Quand on se sent bien dans un vêtement, tout peut arriver. Un bon vêtement, c'est un passeport pour le bonheur.

Yves Saint-Laurent

--

Learn more about ron
Top

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 3380
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 1:20 am
Thanked: 2256 times
Followed by:1535 members
GMAT Score:800

by lunarpower » Mon Mar 15, 2010 2:26 am
let's dispose of (a) and (c), the two answers that other posters seem to favor.

-- (A) --

in this choice, "it" doesn't stand for anything at all.

the only singular nouns that precede it are "spending" and "the presidential campaign of 1992". clearly, neither of these is an appropriate antecedent, so this choice is incorrect..


-- (C) --

in (c), "they" would have to refer to "soaring television costs", by elimination: there aren't any other plural nouns.

literally, this makes no sense, since television costs weren't "soaring" in OTHER elections.
(note that you MUST take the pronoun to stand for "soaring television costs"; you are NOT allowed to extract just "television costs" and pretend that the pronoun stands only for that.)

"have been" is an even bigger problem, though, since it implies the presence of "accounting". you can't do this unless the word "accounting" is actually present elsewhere in the sentence; it isn't.
Ron has been teaching various standardized tests for 20 years.

--

Pueden hacerle preguntas a Ron en castellano
Potete chiedere domande a Ron in italiano
On peut poser des questions à Ron en français
Voit esittää kysymyksiä Ron:lle myös suomeksi

--

Quand on se sent bien dans un vêtement, tout peut arriver. Un bon vêtement, c'est un passeport pour le bonheur.

Yves Saint-Laurent

--

Learn more about ron
Top

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 3380
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 1:20 am
Thanked: 2256 times
Followed by:1535 members
GMAT Score:800

by lunarpower » Mon Mar 15, 2010 2:28 am
as for why (b) is correct:
Step 3: Choice (B) makes it an incomplete sentence. We need verb here to complete the sentence.
nope. this is a correct, albeit not very common, form of modifier.

i'm not 100% sure what it's called -- it might be "absolute phrase", though i don't think that's quite right -- but here's how it's used:

this sort of modifier (COMMA + ABSTRACT NOUN) can be used to refer back to the WHOLE IDEA of the preceding clause.

let's say that scientists discover that X is 60 percent of Y, and that they are shocked by this finding.

then:
recent studies have shown that X is 60 percent of Y, which has shocked many in the scientific community.
incorrect.
this sentence implies that Y itself has shocked many in the scientific community. that's not true.

recent studies have shown that X is 60 percent of Y, a finding that has shocked many in the scientific community.
or
recent studies have shown that X is 60 percent of Y, a statistic that has shocked many in the scientific community.
these are correct.
the abstract noun "finding" or "statistic" may refer to the whole idea of the preceding clause.

in fact, that's the whole point of these modifiers. they are fatally awkward in spoken language (i.e., you can NEVER EVER say them out loud), but they do things that more "normal-sounding" modifiers (such as "which") aren't allowed to do.

for 2 problems that use this sort of modifier, see:
* #59 in the purple OG verbal supplement (in which this sort of modifier is present in the NON underlined section)
* #79 in the same source (in which it's present in the correct answer choice)
Ron has been teaching various standardized tests for 20 years.

--

Pueden hacerle preguntas a Ron en castellano
Potete chiedere domande a Ron in italiano
On peut poser des questions à Ron en français
Voit esittää kysymyksiä Ron:lle myös suomeksi

--

Quand on se sent bien dans un vêtement, tout peut arriver. Un bon vêtement, c'est un passeport pour le bonheur.

Yves Saint-Laurent

--

Learn more about ron
Top
Post new topic Locked