Sentence Correction

New techniques in thermal-scanning photography, a process that records radiation from surface areas, makes it possible to study the effects of calefaction, or warming, of a river in greater detail than ever before.
a. makes it possible to study the effects of calefaction, or warming, of a river in greater detail than ever before

b. make it possible to study, in greater detail, the effects of calefaction, or warming, of a river than ever before

c. have made it possible to study in greater detail than ever before the effects of calefaction, or warming, of a river

d. make possible the study of the effects of calefaction, or warming, of a river in greater detail than it ever was before

e. has made it more possible than ever before to study in greater detail the effects of calefaction, or warming, of a river

guys please share your ideas about B vs C
source Gprep

Well they are close. But assuming to study what the effects of calefaction and warming, they better be as close as possible, so I Will choose B.

hi maihuna
thanks for reply
you noticed very subtle difference, i even did not think about it
what about tenses: present vs perfect? to me it is more obvious difference. and can we made choice using this?

@clock60

I appreciate your question...IMO C

Op B and Op C are very close...moreover in such sentences where a general idea is present i like to use present tense which is there in Op B, But as i keep on reading the two options, i find the structure of Op C more clear...may be because the correct Idiom is

X greater than Y

and if change it a bit

X greater than ever before Y

However, i would say i'm really confused and would appreciate if you pm some expert to clear...

I btw C and D. For me C (like B) has problem with pronoun IT (it is unclear to which word IT relates). D corrects this, but has another flaw - THAN IT EVER WAS BEFORE (wrong comparison).

Finally C, but please explain whether it has pronoun error?

kvitkod wrote:I btw C and D. For me C (like B) has problem with pronoun IT (it is unclear to which word IT relates). D corrects this, but has another flaw - THAN IT EVER WAS BEFORE (wrong comparison).

Finally C, but please explain whether it has pronoun error?

The use of "IT" is CORRECT


this is an example of the ONLY pronoun that is allowed to go without standing for a noun.

THE ONLY PRONOUN ON THE GMAT THAT DON'T HAVE TO STAND FOR NOUNS:

It + description + that + complete sentence (independent clause)
It + description + to + verb (infinitive)

these "it"s DO NOT have to stand for nouns.
ALL other gmat pronouns must stand for nouns.

FIRST TYPE

It + is obvious + that Medellín will beat Nacional in Wednesday's game.
(for any paisas who might be reading this --vamox medallo!)

It + has been said + that the moon is made of green cheese.

Johnny found it + counterintuitive + that the GMAT tests exceptions to rules just as often as it tests the rules themselves.

SECOND TYPE

It + is often difficult + to distinguish between a past-tense verb and a past participle.

The rain made it + quite challenging + to drive on the freeway.

if you look at the examples you've given above, you will find that all of them conform exactly to the above templates.

also, if you have og12, check out #57.
there are four instances of "it".
the two instances of "it" that occur at the beginning of choices (present in choices (c) and (d)) fit the above templates, and so are ok even though they don't stand for nouns.
the other two instances of "it" (in choices (a) and (c)) do not fit the above templates, and so must stand for nouns; since there are no suitable nouns in those choices, those pronouns are incorrect.

Hi Atul,

Isnt C passive...

IMO B

@HSPA

Buddy, Op C is not passive...have made is present perfect tense...if you find anything else which is indicating passive then please share...

Moreover, just wanna suggest something, if you haven't created an account on GMAT website mba.com, then do make it now...there they throw some free questions also...i was surprised to see the fist question i encountered...out of 5 choices i easily eliminated 3, remain 2 choices...one uses "has used" and and another "has been used", so you see...second one is in passive but i select the passive one and thats the correct answer...actually the problem is now GMAT people has become more cautious...they know these simple tricks going on in education market and thats where they trick us...just thought to share this information with you thats why posted...if you find anything irrelevant please ignore.

Hi atul,

Whenever you write 'buddy ', I can infer or see a cover over your anger saying that I made a silly input.

Yes I was looking into some passive structs and got confused with a statement

The boy was made to do the whole work.. this was claimed passive...

I still have a doubt, persent perfect is used for actions just completed in immediate past...the stem wrote two words... ' a technique ' 'a process'... how can the technique serve without going through the entire process to get the results... how can we say the process just got completed??

i'll add few more lines abt passive here:
i was watching thrusdays with ron the other day, Ron said the new edition of MGMAT SC will remove the part which says passive voice is preferred over active.Just do not eliminate an answer choice just because it is passive as GMAC uses this often these days. You can watch the video where Ron explains this very well. i guess its of march31st.

@HSPA,

Buddy, please be assured that i'm not at all thinking what you thought...I never got angry or made someone think why he ask silly questions...first because i'm not that kind off guy and second i respect everyone (specially all of you people AIM, ROHU, Aispraint who are so much participative in nature) here on forum...i learned a lot from you people and still learning and it goes on..

I suggested you to join mba.com because its really helpful not to tease your approach buddy...and ROHU also suggested the same...

Regarding passive concept...i learn these concepts from a grammar book..let me share the same..hope you find it helpful...or may be already knowing this...

Passive is actually a voice when SUBJECT is receiving the action and the OBJECT is doing the action...while in case of ACTIVE voice subject is doing the action and object receives the action.

ACTIVE VOICE:
RAVI (sub: doing action) wash (verb:action) the CAR (obj: receiving the action:wash)

PASSIVE VOICE:

CAR (sub: receiving the action:wash) was washed (verb:action) by RAVI (obj: doing action)

Now, look at your example

The boy was made to do the whole work.. this was claimed passive...

Nice example: Here the action is "was made"...see, in this example, someone else made the boy to do work..so someone else is doing the action (making boy to do work)...the verb DO is followed by to so its acting as infinitive not verb..if we delete "was made to" then the ex:

The boy do the whole work----> active voice (who do..the boy(sub) doing an action)

I still have a doubt, persent perfect is used for actions just completed in immediate past

Just to add, Present perfect is actually used when some action starts in past and completed in present. For ex, He has drunk two glasses of lemonade, means he has finished drinking two glasses...the action is in complete state...

For Op C, if you chop of the modifier "a process..." you get

New techniques in thermal-scanning photography have made it possible to study in greater detail than ever before the effects of calefaction, or warming, of a river

first its an active construction...why..ask question from VERB..WHO HAVE MADE it possible, you get New techniques as your answer, and New techniques is the subject, doing action hence active...did you get my point..and my way of identifying passive voice???

Moreover, the use of present perfect is okay in Op C...as what we want to do in future...answer is we want to study effects...and the New techniques have made present perfect indicates that what ever is required is in completed state..its present...

Hope this help...and please don't think otherwise, i respect your thoughts

Cheers

first its an active construction...why..ask question from VERB..WHO HAVE MADE it possible, you get New techniques as your answer, and New techniques is the subject, doing action hence active...did you get my point..and my way of identifying passive voice???

Nice one... thanks Atul...
By the way I was pulling your leg...tried myself to learn your thoughts or playing poker..
Now my thought..I asked you because I perferred your approach

HSPA wrote:first its an active construction...why..ask question from VERB..WHO HAVE MADE it possible, you get New techniques as your answer, and New techniques is the subject, doing action hence active...did you get my point..and my way of identifying passive voice???

Nice one... thanks Atul...
By the way I was pulling your leg...tried myself to learn your thoughts or playing poker..
Now my thought..I asked you because I perferred your approach

by the way this is the question from mba.com i talked about

In astronomy the term "red shift" denotes the extent to which light from a distant galaxy has been shifted toward the red, or long-wave, end of the light spectrum by the rapid motion of the galaxy away from the Earth.

Which of the following represents the most grammatically correct way to express the underlined portion of the sentence above?

to which light from a distant galaxy has been shifted

to which light from a distant galaxy has shifted

that light from a distant galaxy has been shifted

of light from a distant galaxy shifting

of the shift of light from a distant galaxy

@Atul

Amazing explination.

@Atul and @HSPA

Great job guys in clearing some relevant concepts. I am learning a lot here from both of u.