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contact directly thru or contact by means of

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contact directly thru or contact by means of

by mundasingh123 » Sat Aug 13, 2011 10:23 am
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The Quechuans believed that all things participated in both the material level and the mystical level of reality, and many individual Quechuans claimed to have contact with it directly with an ichana (dream) experience.
(A) contact with it directly with
(B) direct contact with it by way of
(C) contact with the latter directly through
(D) direct contact with the latter by means of
(E) contact directly with the mystical level due to

the source is GMATPrep.
the answer is D.
Quote:
(C) contact with the latter directly through
this is incorrect because it's ambiguous.

possible interpretation #1:
contact with the latter directly through...
i.e., the contact is what is direct; the dream experience is just a conduit. in this interpretation, "through" is not used with directly; therefore, it's possible, in this interpretation, that the dream experience is only one of a number of consecutive channels through which contact is achieved.

possible interpretation #2:
contact with the latter directly through...
i.e., we are not sure whether the actual contact is direct, but the dream experience is the only channel of transmission.

if you're still having trouble seeing the ambiguity here, consider the following:
Use this door only after 5pm.

interpretation #1:
Use this door only after 5pm (i.e., don't use any other doors after 5pm)

interpretation #2:
Use this door only after 5pm (i.e., don't use this door until 5pm)
The explanation in quotes above went over the top .Could someone explain this ?
I want t0o understand why contact directly through is ambiguous
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by SticklorForDetails » Sat Aug 13, 2011 12:02 pm
mundasingh123 wrote:https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/sc- ... 10932.html

The Quechuans believed that all things participated in both the material level and the mystical level of reality, and many individual Quechuans claimed to have contact with it directly with an ichana (dream) experience.
(A) contact with it directly with
(B) direct contact with it by way of
(C) contact with the latter directly through
(D) direct contact with the latter by means of
(E) contact directly with the mystical level due to

the source is GMATPrep.
the answer is D.
Quote:
(C) contact with the latter directly through
this is incorrect because it's ambiguous.

possible interpretation #1:
contact with the latter directly through...
i.e., the contact is what is direct; the dream experience is just a conduit. in this interpretation, "through" is not used with directly; therefore, it's possible, in this interpretation, that the dream experience is only one of a number of consecutive channels through which contact is achieved.

possible interpretation #2:
contact with the latter directly through...
i.e., we are not sure whether the actual contact is direct, but the dream experience is the only channel of transmission.

if you're still having trouble seeing the ambiguity here, consider the following:
Use this door only after 5pm.

interpretation #1:
Use this door only after 5pm (i.e., don't use any other doors after 5pm)

interpretation #2:
Use this door only after 5pm (i.e., don't use this door until 5pm)
The explanation in quotes above went over the top .Could someone explain this ?
I want t0o understand why contact directly through is ambiguous
It's the adverb "directly" that is ambiguous. It could modify the verb "have," which would mean that they have this contact in a direct way (closer to the original meaning of the sentence). For example:

"Now that we are married, I what to directly have contact with you." [notice that this is awkward -- it should probably be "to have direct contact," which will make sense after reading the explanation below]

However, it could also modify the adverbial modifier "through an ichana experience," and based on its placement, this is probably what it does modify. This suggests that there are other methods of contact, but only the ichana is direct. For example:

"Of course, honey, you can have direct contact with me through my private extension."

Neither of these meanings is the same as the adjective "direct," however. In (B) and (D), the emphasis is on the fact that the contact itself is direct, a surprising fact since the "mystical level" is not directly accessible to most of us, yet apparently these Quechuans can in their dreams. Although the original sentence uses the adverb "directly," (B) and (D) are the clearer constructions when you think about what the original sentence meant to say. An example of this:

"No, my love, I want to have DIRECT contact with you at all times, through an implant in your brain stem!"

When given a difference among answer choices between adjective/adverb, as here, ask yourself as simply as possible which word is supposed to be modified by the modifier in question. This is often best accomplished by thinking of the opposite. Here, that means asking yourself, "what is 'direct' as opposed to indirect?" Once you realize it's "contact," you can conclude it should be the adjective.
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by mundasingh123 » Sat Aug 13, 2011 12:08 pm
Hi Sticklor , Thanks for the help .
Could you please explain how would you interpret the following sentence . I understood the meaning that is conveyed when direct modifies contact as an adjective . But in the following sentence directly modifies have . so how does the following sentence differ in meaning from the other sentence in which direct contact is used .
"Now that we are married, I what to directly have contact with you."
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