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Mgmat SC

by adi_800 » Tue Aug 31, 2010 7:00 pm
Although the Argentine ant is neither poisonous nor predatory, individual colonies cooperate in a super-colony so large that its collective appetite can become a competitive threat to bird, lizard, and other insect populations.

A. individual colonies cooperate in a super-colony so large that its collective appetite can become a competitive
B. individual colonies cooperate in a super-colony of such size, its collective appetite can become a competing
C. individual colonies cooperate in a super-colony so large as to cause its collective appetite to become a competitive
D. such is the size of the cooperative super-colony comprising individual colonies, its collective appetite can become a competing
E. there is so much size to the individual colonies' cooperative super-colony that its collective appetite can become a competitive

This is what OE for C is frm Mgmat...

The construction "so x as to y," presented here as "so large as to cause..." is a suspect idiomatic form, one that is not preferred by the GMAT. Moreover, the meaning is changed; "so large as to cause..." means that the outcome definitely happens. However, the original sentence only indicates that the "collective appetite CAN become..."

My q: So X as to Y is wrong on GMAT?

OA is A
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by BastiG » Tue Aug 31, 2010 7:34 pm
adi_800 wrote:Although the Argentine ant is neither poisonous nor predatory, individual colonies cooperate in a super-colony so large that its collective appetite can become a competitive threat to bird, lizard, and other insect populations.

A. individual colonies cooperate in a super-colony so large that its collective appetite can become a competitive
B. individual colonies cooperate in a super-colony of such size, its collective appetite can become a competing
C. individual colonies cooperate in a super-colony so large as to cause its collective appetite to become a competitive
D. such is the size of the cooperative super-colony comprising individual colonies, its collective appetite can become a competing
E. there is so much size to the individual colonies' cooperative super-colony that its collective appetite can become a competitive

This is what OE for C is frm Mgmat...

The construction "so x as to y," presented here as "so large as to cause..." is a suspect idiomatic form, one that is not preferred by the GMAT. Moreover, the meaning is changed; "so large as to cause..." means that the outcome definitely happens. However, the original sentence only indicates that the "collective appetite CAN become..."

My q: So X as to Y is wrong on GMAT?

OA is A
On page 702 OG #12, it is clearly said, that this idiom is incorrect. But it used to be correct in older versions of the OG.
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by adi_800 » Tue Aug 31, 2010 7:52 pm
Oh...thanks for the reply...
Somehow missed it..
Takeaway: So x as to y is wrong...
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by paes » Tue Aug 31, 2010 10:36 pm
Adi@

so X as to Y [ or so X as to be Y ] --> is NOT WRONG on gmat.

'so as' is incorrect on GMAt


It is the meaning of the sentence which decide 'so that' or 'so X as to Y' need to be used.

MgMat has given the right reason to discard C.
Let me know if you have any confusion here.
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by anantbhatia » Wed Sep 01, 2010 5:20 am
confused. Experts please opine.
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by BastiG » Wed Sep 01, 2010 7:51 am
paes wrote:Adi@

so X as to Y [ or so X as to be Y ] --> is NOT WRONG on gmat.

'so as' is incorrect on GMAt


It is the meaning of the sentence which decide 'so that' or 'so X as to Y' need to be used.

MgMat has given the right reason to discard C.
Let me know if you have any confusion here.
I quote from the Official Guide:
"The construction "so X as to Y" is not a correct idiom.

The Official Guide is always right.^^

How do you explain that??
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by paes » Wed Sep 01, 2010 9:04 am
BastiG@

See some examples from OG only :

The Emperor Augustus, it appears, commissioned an idealized sculptured portrait, the features of which are so unrealistic as to constitute what one scholar calls an "artificial face."

Students are so lacking in math skills as to be difficult to absorb into a city's economy.

Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable at first from ordinary fluctuations in the financial markets.

Whatever OG has written, probably it is written w.r.t that sentence only.
If you can point out the problem number, then we can discuss it further.
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by Gurpinder » Wed Sep 01, 2010 9:17 am
"So X as to Y" is a correct Idiom.

https://www.beatthegmat.com/so-x-as-to-be-y-t8612.html
"Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress."
- Alfred A. Montapert, Philosopher.
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by BastiG » Wed Sep 01, 2010 9:19 am
paes wrote:BastiG@

See some examples from OG only :

The Emperor Augustus, it appears, commissioned an idealized sculptured portrait, the features of which are so unrealistic as to constitute what one scholar calls an "artificial face."

Students are so lacking in math skills as to be difficult to absorb into a city's economy.

Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable at first from ordinary fluctuations in the financial markets.

Whatever OG has written, probably it is written w.r.t that sentence only.
If you can point out the problem number, then we can discuss it further.
Can you plz post the numer of the questions from the og #12. Mine was NO. 37 and I posted the page number. For example the first example you have posted is from OG # 10, but there GMAt said that it is right. (old)
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by paes » Wed Sep 01, 2010 9:30 am
BastiG,

The examples what I have given are from OG, I am not sure whether they are from OG12 or OG10.

Coming to your question, check the following post :

https://www.beatthegmat.com/so-x-as-to-y ... 43530.html

In Q-37, OG-12,

Here is some discussion from BTG only [ I have this in my notes, currently unable to point you the link ]
##***********
Although schistosomiasis is not often fatal, so debilitating is it as to become an economic drain on many developing countries. [ Wrong ]

 However, in my view the above answer choice could have been written correctly as:

it is so debilitating as to become an economic drain on many developing countries.

In my view, the GMAT recognized that this answer choice, as re-written above, would have been correct. Thus, it reordered the words in this answer choice to make this incorrect.

In my opinion, the answer choice explanation is incorrect as to rule out the possibility of so X as to Y as an idiom, and this answer choice is wrong largely because of poor word order. I would not rule out an answer choice that uses this idiom, and regard is as an appropriate possibility.
##**********************8
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