Sentence Correction

(c) is wrong because its meaning is completely different from that of the original sentence.

the original sentence declares, unequivocally, that the novel does not read like an apprentice work. there is no uncertainly or hypothetical quality about this statement.
choice (c), by contrast, uses the word "seems", implying that this is only a veneer - a trick of external appearances. (in other words, the book doesn't seem to read like an apprentice work ... but maybe it still does.)

if you overlooked this difference, it's because we often use words like "seems" in spoken language in order to soften messages. (think about the way in which you'd say to a friend, "it seems as though you've gained some weight".)
just keep in mind that written language is not spoken language. the conventions of the two are completely different: written language should be without the pleasantries, softeners, and euphemisms that serve as "social lubricant" in spoken language. in written language, you must read very literally: the sentence means exactly what it says, and every word counts toward that meaning.

JJJooe wrote:i agree with A

'Unlike' is rarely used after a verb...I've never seen such use in the E

i'm with JJJooe here.

i don't think you're allowed to use "unlike" after a verb, unless that verb is a form of "to be" (such as "is" or "are").

this is annoying, since you are certainly allowed to use "like" after action verbs.
e.g., ron runs like a water buffalo
...or the correct answer to this problem.

oh well. idioms are annoying.

duongthang wrote:ok, we come back the problems of like and as, pls see Q. 122 in OG11

pls tell me the difference among

like you, I learn gmat (1)

I learn gmat like you (2)

I learn gmat as you do (3)

ron, Stacey, Stuart, pls, help.

Because this question being discussed and Q122 in OG11 are from official source, we should study them thoroughly

LIKE / AS RULE:

first of all, these rules are concerned with what COMES AFTER the "like" or "as". it makes no difference what comes before (as long as you have words that make sense).

you make comparisons with LIKE when you compare nouns, or noun phrases. i.e., anything that doesn't have a VERB.
(exception: prepositional phrases take "as" -- see below)
note that there may be modifiers attached to these nouns; if there are, you don't care. modifiers are disposable.

you make comparisons with AS when you compare clauses (things that have real VERBS), or prepositional phrases.

when you're deciding whether something is a clause or just a noun phrase, remember that -ING FORMS DO NOT COUNT AS VERBS (unless there's a helping verb attached to them).

examples:
those babies are cute, like little pandas sliding down rainbows
--> correct
note that:
* "sliding" is NOT a verb.
* "sliding down rainbows" is a modifier, and thus doesn't have to be considered in the grammar of the sentence.

those babies are cute, as are little pandas that slide down rainbows
--> correct
* "are" is a verb, so this is a clause.
* "that slide..." DOES NOT count, since it's part of a modifier.

those babies are cute, like little pandas that slide down rainbows
--> correct
* "little pandas" is a noun.
* "that slide..." DOES NOT count, since it's part of a modifier.

Our family lives on a farm now, as in the 19th century.
--> correct (prepositional phrases take "as")

--

a very good general principle:
IF YOU ELIMINATE A MODIFIER FROM A SENTENCE, THEN NONE OF THE REMAINING GRAMMAR SHOULD CHANGE AT ALL.
the meaning might change, but not the grammar. a sentence that is grammatically correct WITH a modifier should remain grammatically correct if that modifier is removed.

for instance:
those babies are cute, like little pandas sliding down rainbows
should have the same grammar as
those babies are cute, like little pandas
(since "sliding down rainbows" is a modifier)

also, this problem raises the question of where to place helping verbs (such as "do" in the OG problem mentioned above) in these sorts of constructions.

--

PLACEMENT OF HELPING VERBS:

if you have a parallel structure, then

* if you have an UNMODIFIED second noun, then the helping verb can go BEFORE OR AFTER that noun.
my roommate likes to drink vodka, as my best friend does.
my roommate likes to drink vodka, as does my best friend.
both correct (because "best friend" is unmodified)
in these cases, you'll normally place the helping verb after the noun (see #85 in OG11 / #89 in OG12), but it's also ok before the noun.

* if you have a MODIFIED second noun, then the helping verb MUST GO BEFORE that noun.
my roommate likes to drink vodka, as does my best friend, who was born and raised in finland. --> correct
my roommate likes to drink vodka, as my best friend, who was born and raised in finland, does. --> incorrect (you can't use a long modifier to separate the noun from the verb)

papgust wrote:Hi Ron,

I'm quite baffled with this quote in OG. Please help with this.

hi -

heh. heh. hahaha. ha!

nice find.

the reason i'm electronically laughing is that, in several instances, the OG sentence correction explanations are just plain wrong about this stuff. (to an experienced enough eye, it's quite clear that GMAC's best writers write the questions themselves, and that their "junior" writers get the task of writing the answer keys.)
sadly, you've found one such instance.

it's totally fine to stick "as" in front of a prepositional phrase; whoever wrote the answer key, in this instance, was just being stupid.

proof: note the following OFFICIAL problem, from gmat prep:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/in- ... t5864.html

here's another instance of blatantly wrong statements in the answer key:
og11 #51 states that the construction "in that" is "stilted and overly formal", thus implying that you should never use it.

...but then there are at least TWO official problems containing "in that":

this one (in which it's in the non-underlined part),
and
this one (in which it appears in the correct answer).

the real reason why the "in that" choices are wrong, in that problem, is that the meaning is incorrect.
(the answer key is especially ironic / humorous in this instance, since the entire writing style of GMAT sentence correction sentences could quite accurately be described as "stilted" and/or "formal".)

money9111 wrote:wait... so do we know what the official correct answer is? A?

(a) is definitely the best of the choices on the menu.