Winner2013 wrote:Contrary to the scholarly wisdom of the 1950's and early 1960's that predicted the processes of modernization and rationalization would gradually undermine it, ethnicity is a worldwide phenomenon of increasing importance.
(A) would gradually undermine it
(B) to be a gradual undermining of it
(C) would be a gradual undermining of ethnicity
(D) to gradually undermine ethnicity
(E) gradually undermining it
Pj
Answer to follow
Dear
Winner2013,
I'm happy to respond.
I can't determine what the source of this question is, but I don't think it's the highest quality question. It's trying to test an idiom, among other things. Here's a free GMAT idiom ebook.
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/gmat-idiom-ebook/
It falls short of the standards the GMAT keeps. The word "
predicted" needs to be followed by the word "
that". The question is trying to test the split of
predicted that A does B
predicted A to do B
predicted A doing B
but in order for the first to be correct, they need to have the word "
that", which means the underlined section needs be longer.
Of the answers, there is nothing wrong with
(A) beside the missing "
that". Choice
(B) &
(E) follow the incorrect splits for "predicted". Choices
(C) &
(D) awkwardly repeat the word "
ethnicity" unnecessarily. Choice
(A) is the best answer, and from what I can tell, it's the answer that the question-author had in mind, although as I say, from the quality of this question overall, I would not necessarily place a great deal of credence in the source.
Do not assume, simply because you find something that someone purports is a GMAT SC question, that the question is of high quality. GMAT practice question quality varies wildly. There are some very high quality sources, but I have also seen very low quality questions, even in this forum. Don't be naïve in trusting everything. Always think critically about whether to trust a source.
Does all this make sense?
Mike
