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charity walk

by pharmxanthan » Thu May 13, 2010 1:26 pm
During the charity walk-a-thon, the number of miles walked by the fifteen volunteers were combined to total 110 miles, a dis ... 's length.
A)
B) were combined to total 110 miles, a distance about the length of Long Island.
C) was combined to total 110 miles, a distance that is about Long Island's length.
D) was combined to total 110 miles, about Long Island's length.
E) was combined to total 110 miles, a distance about the length of Long Island.

[spoiler]OA E

I picked D which is wrong. The book states

"Choice D removed a distance, causing the sentence to become less clear and leaving about without a definite noun to modify."

I am not able to understand the later part of previous sentence regarding "about". [/spoiler]
Last edited by pharmxanthan on Thu May 13, 2010 7:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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by tpr-becky » Thu May 13, 2010 4:44 pm
you need "a distance" becuase 110 miles is a distance - and you need to compare that distance to the length of Long Island. Without a distance the about becomes unclear in meaning.
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by krazy800 » Thu May 13, 2010 7:30 pm
Adding to what Becky has said,

Possessive case is used for living things

Ex: Rams' Umbrella - CORRECT

Possessive Case cannot be used with inanimate things

EX: Table's Leg - WRONG

It should be the 'Leg of the Table'

In the sentence posted 'Long Island's Length' - Wrong as Long Island is Inanimate

It should be 'Length of Long Island'

OA - E
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by tpr-becky » Thu May 13, 2010 8:50 pm
I do not believe this is correct on the GMAT. The issue of inanimate objects having possessives is very controversial but, in my experience, it is allowed on the GMAT. see the following quote from the Grammar Bible

"¢"Many English teachers advise against applying the possessive case to inanimate objects. Possession is a privilege limited to living things. It does not make sense for a car or a house or a bicycle to own anything in the way that the possessive case expresses ownership. The type of possession allowed inanimate objects is typically expressed by the phrase beginning with of:
the roof of the house not the house's roof

the hood of the car not the car's hood

the tire of the bike not the bike's tire
"Like many grammar issues, however, this one requires a judgment call. Through popular usage, some nouns that name inanimate objects have acquired the rights to their possessive case forms:
my mind's eye
a moment's delay
a week's vacation
two weeks' notice
the sun's rays
the Season's Greetings
At times creative license may grant you the right to make use of an inanimate object in a possessive form."
(Michael Strumpf and Auriel Douglas, The Grammar Bible, Owl Books, 2004)
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by krazy800 » Thu May 13, 2010 9:14 pm
Becky:

I truly appreciate your feedback!

It would be of great help if you can cite some examples from OG or Gprep that allow usage of possessive case for inanimate objects.

Also, Is the 'Long Island's Length' Correct in the answer options?
Last edited by krazy800 on Thu May 13, 2010 9:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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by adi_800 » Thu May 13, 2010 9:14 pm
I went for C first but then realized why C is wrong...
As per what is given in Manhattan guide...

Noun-Adjective 1 + Noun 2 -> Noun-Adjective 1 is basically a noun but it modifies the Noun2. Hence first noun is also called Adjective...Below are few examples that ARE ALLOWED...
Independence week OR week of independence.
Cloth bag OR bag of cloth...
Now, this Noun-Adj + Noun construction is allowed only for prepositional phases that involve OF. If the prep. phrase does not contain OF, then you are not allowed to use Noun-Adj + Noun construction...

BUT, you are not allowed to use Noun-Adj + Noun construction when one of the noun involved is measurement, quantity or time period EVEN IF you have OF present in the prepositional phrase...
There is one question in OG that says phosphate amount and that question rejects options containing phosphate amount because a quantity is involved...so phosphate amount is incorrect...Amount of phosphate would be correct...

Coming back to what the problem had...

You can eliminate A and B for not matching subject with its verb.
A-> The number of is singular and were is plural, a subject-verb mismatch condition that is not allowed on GMAT.
B-> Same as A.
C-> This option is wrong for whatever theory I mentioned before
D-> This option does not use absolute phrase properly..You need a noun to start an absolute phrase and absolute phrase is must here to connect two ideas..
E-> Subject verb is matched. Correct usage of Absolute phrase and Noun-Adj + Noun construction avoided when a measurement is involved..
GMAT endorses the use of Absolute phrase in the answer choices...

N There is no GUIDELINE as using a possessive form of inanimate object is wrong on GMAT...
HTH!!
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by pharmxanthan » Thu May 13, 2010 9:46 pm
Thanks adi_800

C-> Could you explain how noun-adj + noun rule is working in this question?
D-> Is Long Island's length not a noun here? Can it not start the absolute phrase?
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by gmatmachoman » Sat May 15, 2010 1:54 am
krazy800 wrote:Becky:

I truly appreciate your feedback!

It would be of great help if you can cite some examples from OG or Gprep that allow usage of possessive case for inanimate objects.

Also, Is the 'Long Island's Length' Correct in the answer options?
Example from OG 10 SC 3

Since 1981, when the farm depression began, the number of acres overseen by professional
farm-management companies have grown from 48 million to nearly 59 million, an area that is about
Colorado's size.
(A) have grown from 48 million to nearly 59 million, an area that is about Colorado's size
(B) have grown from 48 million to nearly 59 million, about the size of Colorado
(C) has grown from 48 million to nearly 59 million, an area about the size of Colorado
(D) has grown from 48 million up to nearly 59 million, an area about the size of Colorado's
(E) has grown from 48 million up to nearly 59 million, about Colorado's size

Now u can say the answer!!
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by Pdgmat2010 » Sat May 15, 2010 4:42 am
isn't the answer for the above OG10 question C?
(C) has grown from 48 million to nearly 59 million, an area about the size of Colorado

i rejected E because it said ' has grown from X UP TO Y'. i feel using UP is redundant when we already have 'grown' which indicates that the area has grown from a lower value to a higher value.
pls publish OA
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by Pdgmat2010 » Sat May 15, 2010 4:44 am
here's a thread to the OG 10 SC question
https://www.beatthegmat.com/new-sentence ... 27232.html
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