OG 10

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OG 10

by rah_pandey » Wed Jul 01, 2009 9:25 am
In the mid-1960's a newly installed radar warning system mistook the rising of the moon as a massive missile attack by the Soviets.

(A) rising of the moon as a massive missile attack by the Soviets
(B) rising of the moon for a massive Soviet missile attack
(C) moon rising to a massive missile attack by the Soviets
(D) moon as it was rising for a massive Soviet missile attack
(E) rise of the moon as a massive Soviet missile attack

Please explain the choices
Source: — Sentence Correction |

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by btg760 » Wed Jul 01, 2009 9:36 am
Mistake X for Y is the correct IDIOM. Choose B.

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by goelmohit2002 » Wed Jul 01, 2009 10:04 am
btg760 wrote:Mistake X for Y is the correct IDIOM. Choose B.
Can you please tell what is the problem with D...looks like D also following the same idiom.

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by rah_pandey » Wed Jul 01, 2009 8:51 pm
i chose massive missile attack by soviets over massive soviet missile attack.

is there a difference in the two forms

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by imhimanshu » Thu Jul 02, 2009 2:50 am
rah_pandey wrote:i chose massive missile attack by soviets over massive soviet missile attack.

is there a difference in the two forms
active voice is always preffered over passive.

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by freshy » Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:15 am
IMO:B

Idiom: Mistake X for Y

B)....mistook "the rising of the moon" for "a massive soviet missile attack"

"the rising of the moon" (noun in the form of complex gerund)
"a massive soviet missle attack" (noun)

The reason why D is wrong
D)...mistook "moon as it was rising" for "a massive Soviet missle attack"

moon as it was rising (noun + noun modifying clause)
a massive soviet missle attack (noun)

D is not parallel

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by goelmohit2002 » Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:27 am
freshy wrote:IMO:B

Idiom: Mistake X for Y

B)....mistook "the rising of the moon" for "a massive soviet missile attack"

"the rising of the moon" (noun in the form of complex gerund)
"a massive soviet missle attack" (noun)

The reason why D is wrong
D)...mistook "moon as it was rising" for "a massive Soviet missle attack"

moon as it was rising (noun + noun modifying clause)
a massive soviet missle attack (noun)

D is not parallel
For kicking out D....OG says the following...can someone please help me decrypt what OG mean here:

"Though choice D manages the correct preposition, for, the phrase the moon as it was rising for is less efficient and precise than the phrasing
of choice B: since rising functions as a verb in D, the phrase for a massive... attack now seems to modify rising rather than mistook."

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