So as Vs So that

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nishant1309: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 51; Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2011 2:34 am; Thanked: 2 times

by nishant1309 » Fri Sep 16, 2011 7:45 am

In 1527 King Henry VIII sought to have his marriage to Queen Catherine annulled so as to marry Anne Boleyn.

A so as to marry
B and so could be married to
C to be married to
D so that he could marry
E in order that he would marry

OA after discussion. Please do explain your answers.

Thanks!

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Sentence Correction | Fri Sep 16, 2011 7:45 am

cans: Legendary Member; Posts: 1309; Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2011 5:34 amFollowed by: 123 members; Location: India; Thanked: 310 times; GMAT Score:750

by cans » Fri Sep 16, 2011 7:52 am

IMO D

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nishant1309: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 51; Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2011 2:34 am; Thanked: 2 times

by nishant1309 » Fri Sep 16, 2011 7:57 am

Hallo cans!
Could you please explain ur answer?

cans wrote:IMO D

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VivianKerr: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1035; Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:13 amFollowed by: 365 members; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 474 times

by VivianKerr » Fri Sep 16, 2011 8:02 am

On the GMAT,we don't just learn grammar, we learn history.

"so as to" and "so that" are both idioms that can be used correctly on the GMAT. Usually we see an adjective between "so" and "as to". EX: "He was SO angry AS TO punch the wall."

"so as" is not correct alone. It needs the "to."

Here we need to look for the MEANING.

The idea is he SOUGHT something in the first half, and then the second half explains WHY. We can tell A has the wrong idiom, and B and C muddle the meaning, so we can eliminate those quickly.

Let's examine D and E:

D. sought X so that he could Y
E. sought X in order that he would Y

D is less wordy and makes the meaning solid. "In order TO" is the correct Idiom. Furthermore, the meaning of "would" is unclear. His marrying of Anne doesn't seem to be a question of willpower, but rather clearing obstacles so that he "could."

IMO: D

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nishant1309: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 51; Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2011 2:34 am; Thanked: 2 times

by nishant1309 » Fri Sep 16, 2011 8:35 am

VivianKerr wrote:On the GMAT,we don't just learn grammar, we learn history.

"so as to" and "so that" are both idioms that can be used correctly on the GMAT. Usually we see an adjective between "so" and "as to". EX: "He was SO angry AS TO punch the wall."

"so as" is not correct alone. It needs the "to."

Here we need to look for the MEANING.

The idea is he SOUGHT something in the first half, and then the second half explains WHY. We can tell A has the wrong idiom, and B and C muddle the meaning, so we can eliminate those quickly.

Let's examine D and E:

D. sought X so that he could Y
E. sought X in order that he would Y

D is less wordy and makes the meaning solid. "In order TO" is the correct Idiom. Furthermore, the meaning of "would" is unclear. His marrying of Anne doesn't seem to be a question of willpower, but rather clearing obstacles so that he "could."

IMO: D

VivianKerr: Could you please explain why "A" is a worng idiomatic usage? So as to means "in order to", which refers to WHY he wants to anull his marriage. Moreover this construction is more concise.

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navami: Legendary Member; Posts: 540; Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 7:24 pmFollowed by: 6 members; Thanked: 37 times

by navami » Fri Sep 16, 2011 12:38 pm

So as to - is not OK

so weak as to ... is correct

This time no looking back!!!
Navami

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VivianKerr: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1035; Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:13 amFollowed by: 365 members; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 474 times

by VivianKerr » Mon Sep 19, 2011 6:46 am

@navimi Just to clarify, as I used it in the example, "so as to" is correct. But yes, you would need a word between the "so" and the "as to."

@nishant "So ____ as to" = the usual correct way GMAT uses this idiom.

Choice D also makes it clear WHO is going to marry Anne, by using the pronoun "he." And D provides more clarity to the meaning of the sentence. It's not just that he annulled his marriage IN ORDER to marry Anne. It's that he annulled his marriage so he COULD marry Anne. It's not cause/effect. It's conditional. He HAD to annul the marriage first.

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