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

Redeem

Primary distinction

This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 489
Joined: Tue Jul 05, 2011 11:10 am
Thanked: 28 times
Followed by:5 members

Primary distinction

by gmatblood » Thu Nov 03, 2011 12:10 am
One of the primary distinctions between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but in our ability to extend knowledge gained in one context to new and different ones.

A. between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but
B. between our intelligence with that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill but instead
C. between our intelligence and that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill as
D. our intelligence has from that of other primates may lie not in any specific skill as
E. of our intelligence to that of other primates may lay not in any specific skill but
Top
Source: — Sentence Correction |
Legendary Member
Posts: 2789
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 12:19 am
Location: Chennai, India
Thanked: 206 times
Followed by:43 members
GMAT Score:640

by GmatKiss » Thu Nov 03, 2011 12:11 am
IMO: C for between-and
Top
Legendary Member
Posts: 608
Joined: Sun Jun 19, 2011 11:16 am
Thanked: 37 times
Followed by:8 members

by saketk » Thu Nov 03, 2011 4:46 am
Yup! We are comparing our intelligence with that of our primates. We need between and 'and' here
Option C
Top
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 105
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 6:55 pm
Thanked: 2 times
Followed by:1 members

by bpdulog » Thu Nov 03, 2011 7:57 am
Killed D and E because we need "between" when comparing 2 things.

Killed A and B because we need "and." You compare x and y, not x with y.
NO EXCUSES

"Winston tastes good like a cigarette should."
Top
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1239
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:25 am
Thanked: 233 times
Followed by:26 members
GMAT Score:680

by sam2304 » Thu Nov 03, 2011 8:02 am
IMO C. distinction between X AND Y.
Getting defeated is just a temporary notion, giving it up is what makes it permanent.
https://gmatandbeyond.blogspot.in/
Top
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 416
Joined: Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:18 pm
Location: Delhi, India
Thanked: 13 times
Followed by:9 members

by vaibhavgupta » Fri Nov 04, 2011 12:14 pm
gmatblood wrote:One of the primary distinctions between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but in our ability to extend knowledge gained in one context to new and different ones.

A. between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but
B. between our intelligence with that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill but instead
C. between our intelligence and that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill as
D. our intelligence has from that of other primates may lie not in any specific skill as
E. of our intelligence to that of other primates may lay not in any specific skill but
+1 for C
If OA is A, IMO B
If OA is B, IMO C
If OA is C, IMO D
If OA is D, IMO E
If OA is E, IMO A

FML!! :/
Top
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2015 9:35 am

by ruhi.bhatia » Thu Aug 13, 2015 9:44 am
isn't the construction, so much...as incorrect in option C?
Shouldn't i be as much...as?
Last edited by ruhi.bhatia on Fri Aug 14, 2015 2:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
Top
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 2663
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 8:25 am
Location: Boston, MA
Thanked: 1153 times
Followed by:128 members
GMAT Score:770

by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Thu Aug 13, 2015 10:22 am
isn't the construction, so many...as incorrect in option C?
Shouldn't i be as much...as?
"So much as" is an acceptable construction. As a general rule, if a construction shows up in an OA, we have to accept that it's valid on the GMAT. But if you were hoping for another source to confirm, see here: https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/so+much+as
Veritas Prep | GMAT Instructor

Veritas Prep Reviews
Save $100 off any live Veritas Prep GMAT Course
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 79
Joined: Tue Dec 15, 2015 3:56 am
Followed by:1 members
GMAT Score:750

by Nina1987 » Sat Jul 02, 2016 9:43 pm
So my understanding is -

1) not so much sth as sth - correct
2) not so much sth but sth - correct

but you can't mix them up such as not so much sth but as sth

Also, since GMAT prefers more of academic English option with idiom 1 will be more likely correct.

What do experts think?
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 120
Joined: Sat Dec 05, 2015 11:09 am

by gocoder » Tue Oct 03, 2017 11:12 am
This question hinges on another difference: between 'lie' and 'lay'.

Lie( used in the question at hand) doesn't take a direct object.


However, verb form 'lay' two uses:
Lay(past tense): past form of the verb 'to lie'--this usage is tested in the question at hand.
lay(present tense):Put in a horizontal position/ Place somewhere.


eg: lie down on table until you feel better. (meaning:recline; in present tense)

last time, the dog lay down in its den when it is sunny. nevertheless, it doesn't [color=blue]lie down[/color] even though it is 110 F outside.
In the first part of the sentence, past form of 'lie'-->'lay' is used.
present tense
In the second part, however, present form of 'lie' is used.

Coming back to our GMAT question, choices A and E use 'may lay'. may cannot be used with the past participle form of a verb(lay:past form of lie). hence A and E are incorrect due to wrong verb tense.

PS:
mnemonic: to LIe(recLIne) /to LAy(pLAce)
further read:https://www.grammarly.com/blog/lay-lie/
Top
Post new topic Locked
• Page 1 of 1