BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem
TTP OnDemand GMAT Video Course
Featured Course

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Scott Woodbury-Stewart’s private virtual classroom — 400 hours of master-class video lessons for the GMAT Focus Edition.

  • 715+ score guarantee — highest in the industry (99th percentile)
  • 52 chapters · 1,500+ lessons · 4,000+ practice questions
  • 400 hours of video · 1,500+ instructor-led HD smartboard lessons
  • 300,000+ students accepted to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth & Sloan & more
  • 24/7 live support + weekly Zoom office hours with GMAT instructors
  • TTP AI Assist — 24/7 AI-powered virtual tutor for instant help
  • 1,200+ flashcards + AI-powered study assistant & daily calendar
  • OnDemand, LiveTeach & GMAT Bootcamp formats available
  • Also: GRE, SAT Math & Executive Assessment courses
  • MBA Admissions Consulting now available
  • 🏆 2025 EdTech Breakthrough Award: Test Prep Solution Provider of the Year
  • 200,000+ students served
  • 5-day free trial — $0 to start, no auto-billing, cancel anytime
★★★★★ 5.0 (559 reviews)
130-pt guarantee
$0 to start then $127/mo
Start Free 5-Day Trial Read 559 Reviews →

If Marcel Proust’s memory....

Expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
User avatar
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2011 5:35 pm
Location: Florence, Italy
by giovanni.gastone » Fri Apr 01, 2011 4:47 am
SOURCE: PrincetonReview

If Marcel Proust's memory had not been stirred by the felicitous taste of a madeleine, he might never have been moved to write Remembrance of Things Past.

A. had not been stirred by the felicitous taste of a madeleine
B. had not been stirred by means of the felicitous taste of a madeleine
C. were not to be stirred by the felicitous taste of a madeleine
D. were not to be stirred by the taste of a felicitous madeleine
E. should not be stirred by the felicitous taste of a madeleine

OA: A

PrincetonReview's Explanation: "Yes. This is correct as written."
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Source: — Sentence Correction |
User avatar
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2011 5:35 pm
Location: Florence, Italy

by giovanni.gastone » Fri Apr 01, 2011 4:58 am
Does anyone else agree that there seems to be a problem with the lack of a clear antecedent for "he"? Am I wrong, or does it seem like PR's grammar seems off?
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 1112
Joined: Sat Feb 26, 2011 11:16 amFollowed by: 49 members
Thanked: 77 times

by atulmangal » Fri Apr 01, 2011 5:16 am
giovanni.gastone wrote:Does anyone else agree that there seems to be a problem with the lack of a clear antecedent for "he"? Am I wrong, or does it seem like PR's grammar seems off?
I agree with you, i think all the choices are INCORRECT as HE has no referent...it can not refer to possessive Marcel Proust's...secondly in IF clause past perfect is used and in the following clause present perfect is used...is this correct???
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1101
Joined: Fri Jan 28, 2011 7:26 amFollowed by: 13 members
Thanked: 47 times
GMAT Score:640

by HSPA » Fri Apr 01, 2011 5:22 am
How is this " If I WERE you" kind of statement is missing here???

Is this MOOD for only first and second person???
First take: 640 (50M, 27V) - RC needs 300% improvement
Second take: coming soon..
Regards,
HSPA.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 1574
Joined: Fri Jan 28, 2011 2:52 amFollowed by: 13 members
Thanked: 88 times

by aspirant2011 » Fri Apr 01, 2011 9:49 am
we don't require a subjunctive mood over here,therefore,the usage of "if i were" for this following sentence is not correct, though I agree in A "he" doesn't have a clear antecedent but out of the 5 choices the best one seems to be A................
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 582
Joined: Tue Mar 08, 2011 12:48 amFollowed by: 6 members
Thanked: 61 times
GMAT Score:740

by force5 » Fri Apr 01, 2011 3:02 pm
I will go with A . As far as "HE" is concerned yes it is grammatically incorrect but it is not hurting us.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2011 5:35 pm
Location: Florence, Italy

by giovanni.gastone » Fri Apr 01, 2011 6:35 pm
Thanks guys. Yeah, I know this is really not an issue, and the correct answer is obvious either way, but I wanted to make sure I was correctly spotting grammatical errors. Thanks!
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 165
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2011 7:33 pmFollowed by: 1 member
Location: Pune, India
Thanked: 16 times

by tetura84 » Sat Apr 02, 2011 1:26 pm
I would rather prefer to avoid these kind of questions (and sources as well :-)) because this would only add confusion in my understanding.
This sentence is clearly wrongly written. He cannot refer back to Marcel P.
Remember,
Possessive noun + non-possessive pronoun (subject or object pronoun) IS NOT OK.
All other combinations are OK.
78 clicks can change my life !
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 641
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2009 3:07 pmFollowed by: 45 members
Location: Madison, WI
Thanked: 162 times
GMAT Score:760

by Jim@Grockit » Mon Apr 04, 2011 7:13 am
tetura84 wrote:I would rather prefer to avoid these kind of questions (and sources as well :-)) because this would only add confusion in my understanding.
This sentence is clearly wrongly written. He cannot refer back to Marcel P.
Remember,
Possessive noun + non-possessive pronoun (subject or object pronoun) IS NOT OK.
All other combinations are OK.
Just to be clear, it's wrong only because we lack context. If Marcel Proust had been the subject of an entire paragraph and there were no other male human mentioned in it, the sentence would be fine.

I know you may well have been speaking of the GMAT only in saying it's wrong, but since you all will go on to write many proposals, analyses, and memos in your MBA programs, I feel the need to point out where GMAT-correct deviates from Real English-correct.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 78
Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 2:22 amFollowed by: 1 member
Thanked: 2 times

by gig92 » Tue Apr 05, 2011 4:35 am
giovanni.gastone wrote:Does anyone else agree that there seems to be a problem with the lack of a clear antecedent for "he"? Am I wrong, or does it seem like PR's grammar seems off?
The sentence:
If Marcel Proust's memory had not been stirred by the felicitous taste of a madeleine, he might never have been moved to write Remembrance of Things Past.

Look again:
If Marcel Proust's memory had not been stirred by the felicitous taste of a madeleine

Here the main subject is Marcel Proust (and main noun Marcel Proust's memory) - Ok - followed by a description - this makes the whole clause "a noun phrase" and "he" which follows after "comma" acts as "conjunction" describing the subject (Marcel Proust).

Thus ans: A

B is wordier and clumsy
C,D, grammatically incorrect either due to subject-verb and tense errors.
E tense error.
gig92
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2010 1:34 am

by preeti6 » Tue Apr 05, 2011 8:28 am
Wouldnt this snetence represent a hypothetical subjunctive format? Then wouldn't D that uses "were" be right?
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 78
Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 2:22 amFollowed by: 1 member
Thanked: 2 times

by gig92 » Tue Apr 05, 2011 10:32 am
preeti6 wrote:Wouldnt this snetence represent a hypothetical subjunctive format? Then wouldn't D that uses "were" be right?
If it were a hypothetical subjunctive, we can write it "If Marcel Proust's memory were not stirred"... "to be" would be unnecessary here..
gig92
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 2330
Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2010 5:14 amFollowed by: 26 members
Thanked: 56 times

by mundasingh123 » Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:07 am
Surprisingl, no one has commented on the very precise Explanation given by PR . The OE has nothing to learn.
I Seek Explanations Not Answers
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Post new topic Locked
• Page 1 of 1