Whereas a typical Master's thesis is approximately one hundr

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aditya8062: Legendary Member; Posts: 774; Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:32 am; Thanked: 46 times; Followed by:14 members

Whereas a typical Master's thesis is approximately one hundr

by aditya8062 » Mon Apr 07, 2014 4:15 am

Whereas a typical Master's thesis is approximately one hundred pages long, Ph.D theses is usually over two hundred pages.

A) Whereas a typical Master's thesis is approximately one hundred pages long, Ph.D theses is usually
B) A typical Master's thesis is approximately one hundred pages long, while a Ph.D thesis is generally
C) A typical Master's thesis is approximately one hundred pages long, so a Ph.D thesis is usually
D) While typical Master's theses is approximately one hundred pages long, Ph.D theses is generally
E) Whereas a typical Master's thesis is approximately one hundred pages long, a Ph.D thesis is

my doubt : i dont find any reason to select B over E

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Sentence Correction | Mon Apr 07, 2014 4:15 am

Cutsona25: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 3; Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2014 7:36 am

by Cutsona25 » Mon Apr 07, 2014 9:14 am

I would say that 3 of the 4 choices which set a contradiction all set the contradiction before the first object. I try changing the contradiction word. "But a Masters is 100 pages, a Ph.D is over 200." It's more linear to say, "A Masters is 100, but a Ph.D is over 200." I think of it similarly to rewording a sentence that is set in the passive voice.

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by [email protected] » Mon Apr 07, 2014 1:12 pm

Hi aditya8062,

This SC is based on Comparison rules (which also involve Parallelism rules.

Answers B and E are remarkably similar: both compare "like" things and offer a comparison "keyword" ("while" in answer B, "whereas" in answer E). Notice how the lengths of both the Master's thesis and the PHD thesis are meant to be discussed in general terms....

B: "....Master's thesis is APPROXIMATELY 100 pages long....PHD thesis is GENERALLY over 200 pages."
E: "....Master's thesis is APPROXIMATELY 100 pages long....PHD thesis IS over 200 pages."

To maintain parallelism, I'd have to choose answer B. I believe that is the author's intent.

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GMATGuruNY: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 15539; Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 12:04 pm; Location: New York, NY; Thanked: 13060 times; Followed by:1906 members; GMAT Score:790

by GMATGuruNY » Mon Apr 07, 2014 2:27 pm

aditya8062 wrote:Whereas a typical Master's thesis is approximately one hundred pages long, Ph.D theses is usually over two hundred pages.

A) Whereas a typical Master's thesis is approximately one hundred pages long, Ph.D theses is usually
B) A typical Master's thesis is approximately one hundred pages long, while a Ph.D thesis is generally
C) A typical Master's thesis is approximately one hundred pages long, so a Ph.D thesis is usually
D) While typical Master's theses is approximately one hundred pages long, Ph.D theses is generally
E) Whereas a typical Master's thesis is approximately one hundred pages long, a Ph.D thesis is

my doubt : i dont find any reason to select B over E

I received a PM requesting that I comment.

I'm a bit skeptical of the OA.
B: A Ph.d thesis is generally over two hundred pages.
Just as we wouldn't say a giraffe is eighteen feet, we shouldn't say a thesis is two hundred pages.
While it could be argued that the presence of long is implied in the second clause, I'm not sure that the GMAT would employ this sort of ellipsis.

Last edited by GMATGuruNY on Mon Apr 07, 2014 7:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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aditya8062: Legendary Member; Posts: 774; Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:32 am; Thanked: 46 times; Followed by:14 members

by aditya8062 » Mon Apr 07, 2014 6:46 pm

thanks gmat guru
i still have some doubt about this .when i tried this SC then i thought that both E and B are correct
i thought that ellipses had taken care of "long" in the sentence .
i read E as follows :Whereas a typical Master's thesis is approximately one hundred pages long, a Ph.D thesis is over two hundred pages long.
AND
i read B as follows : A typical Master's thesis is approximately one hundred pages long, while a Ph.D thesis is generally over two hundred pages long .

kindly tell me if my thinking is in the right direction
thanks and regards

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GMATGuruNY: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 15539; Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 12:04 pm; Location: New York, NY; Thanked: 13060 times; Followed by:1906 members; GMAT Score:790

by GMATGuruNY » Mon Apr 07, 2014 7:28 pm

aditya8062 wrote:thanks gmat guru
i still have some doubt about this .when i tried this SC then i thought that both E and B are correct
i thought that ellipses had taken care of "long" in the sentence .
i read E as follows :Whereas a typical Master's thesis is approximately one hundred pages long, a Ph.D thesis is over two hundred pages long.
AND
i read B as follows : A typical Master's thesis is approximately one hundred pages long, while a Ph.D thesis is generally over two hundred pages long .

kindly tell me if my thinking is in the right direction
thanks and regards

Your interpretation is reasonable, but I'm not sure that the GMAT would employ this sort of ellipsis.
If we accept that long is implied in the second clause, then either B or E is a viable answer choice.

While the GMAT would never make us choose between B and E, there is a take-away here.
If the original sentence conveys a sensical meaning, we should strive for an answer choice that preserves this meaning.
Here, the original sentence implies that a Ph.d thesis is USUALLY over two hundred pages [long].
B preserves this meaning.
But in omitting an adverb of the sort usually/generally/typically, E implies that a Ph.d thesis is -- not usually, but ALWAYS -- over two hundred pages long.
Since E changes the intended meaning of the original sentence, B seems the better of the two options.