have several BRUTAL challanging SC for you. Try them

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Hi everyone
here I have several Brutal questions, let's try explain them

1) That the new managing editor rose from the publications soft news sections to a leadership position is more of a landmark in the industry than her being a woman.
A. her being a woman (I chose this option)
B. being a woman is
C. her womanhood
D. that she was a woman
E. that she is a woman (correct one)
isn't being a woman an equivalent to landmark? I was hesitating between this answers, but couldn't confidence myself that E better. Please help.

5)A decade after initiating the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program, per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined from over 125 packs annually per person to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as in the nation as a whole.

A. per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined from over 125 packs annually per person to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as
B. annual per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined from over 125 packs to about 60, more than twice as great as that (I chose)
C. California's annual per capita consumption of cigarettes declined from over 125 packs per person to about 60, more than twice as great as the drop
D. California has seen per capita consumption of cigarettes decline from over 125 packs annually to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as that (right one)
E. California has seen annual per capita consumption of cigarettes decline from over 125 packs per person to about 60, more than twice as great as that
Although B) looks strange with "more than twice as great as that", D) was among the most unattractive because of "California has seen". Can any Guru help me to understand?


10)According to Henry David Thoreau, the reason a majority is allowed to rule is not that it is more likely to be right, but because it is stronger.
(A) the reason a majority is allowed to rule is not that it is more likely to be right, but because it is stronger
(B) a majority is allowed to rule not because it is more likely to be right, but because it is stronger (the right one)
(C) the reason for majority rule is not because they are more likely to be right, they are stronger
(D) the majority is allowed to rule because of its strength, not because it is more likely to be right
(E) the reason why the majority rules is that it is strong, not because it is likely to be right (my choice)

Ooo this question took me about 10 min to make it wrong ))), B)'s problems: 1.passive voice, 2. Stronger? Why stronger, not strong? I thought that it should be || to RIGHT.
I agree that E) also have problems like THE MAJORITY. So how to choose?


11).Some patients who do not respond therapies of depression may simply have received inadequate treatment, having, for example been prescribed a drug as a dosage too low to be effective or having been taken off a drug too soon.

A -- having, for example been prescribed a drug as a dosage too low to be effective or having been (right)
B -- having, for example, a drug prescription that was ineffective because the dosage was too low, or being (my)
C -- as, for example, having too low of a dosage of prescribed drug for it to be effective, or being
D -- when they have, for example, been prescribed too low a drug dosage for it to be effective, or were
E -- for example, when they have a drug prescription with a dosage too low to be effective, or been

a)Passive, "drug as a dosage" - it's not explicit for me (

21.Among lower- paid workers, union members are less likely than non union members to be enrolled in lower- end insurance plans imposing stricter limits on medical services and requiring doctors to see more patients, and spend less time with each.
a). imposing stricter limits on medical services and requiring doctors to see more patients, and spend (my)
b). imposing stricter limits on medical services , requiring doctors to see more patients, and spending
c). that impose stricter limits on medical services, require doctors to see more patients, and spend
d). that impose stricter limits on medical services and require doctors to see more patients, and spending (right one)
e). that impose stricter limits on medical services, requiring doctors to see more patients and spending

I chose A) because IMPOSING || to REQUIRING and SEE || to SPEND
d) AND SPENDING ? why ..ing?


23.Added to the increase in hourly wages requested last July, the railroad employees are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits.
(A) Added to the increase in hourly wages requested last July, the railroad employees are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits.
(B) Added to the increase in hourly wages which had been requested last July, the employees of the railroad are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits.
(C) The railroad employees are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits added to the increase in hourly wages that were requested last July. (my)
(D) In addition to the increase in hourly wages that were requested last July, the railroad employees are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits.
(E) In addition to the increase in hourly wages requested last July, the employees of the railroad are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits. (Right)

YAWOU question ???

26.A majority of the international journalists surveyed view nuclear power stations as unsafe at present but that they will, or could, be made sufficiently safe in the future.
(A) that they will, or could,
(B) that they would, or could, (my)
(C) they will be or could
(D) think that they will be or could (right one)
(E) think the power stations would or could

I thought that the it is WOULD OR COULD, because it is subjunctive. The only problem in B is "," before or.
Why D?

30.Just because King Alfred occupied and fortified London in 886 did not mean that he also won the loyalty of its citizens: the invading Danes were well aware of this weakness and used it to their advantage in 893.
(A) Just because King Alfred occupied and fortified London in 886 did not mean that he (my)
(B) The fact that King Alfred had occupied and fortified London in 886 did not mean that he had (right)
(C) Just because King Alfred occupied and fortified London in 886, it did not mean he
(D) The fact that King Alfred occupied and fortified London in 886, it did not mean that he
(E) Just because King Alfred had occupied and fortified London in 886, it did not mean he

b)What for perfect is used "he had also won"?

31.A year advantage in a new computer product or process being introduced can give a company a significant edge on its competitors.
a A year advantage in a new computer product or process being introduced
b. Introducing a new computer product or process by a year earlier
c. A year's advantage to introduce a new computer product or process
d. To introduce a new computer product or process by a year earlier (right)
e. Being a year ahead in introducing a new computer product or process (mine)

Why d?

50.At the time of the Mexican agrarian revolution, the most radical faction, that of Zapata and his followers, proposed a return to communal ownership of land, to what had been a pre-Columbian form of ownership respected by the Spaniards.
(A) land, to what had been a pre-Columbian form of ownership respected by the Spaniards (right)
(B) land, a form of ownership of the pre-Columbians and respected by the Spaniards
(C) land, respected by the Spaniards and a pre-Columbian form of ownership
(D) land in which a pre-Columbian form of ownership was respected by the Spaniards
(E) land that had been a pre-Columbian form of ownership respected by the Spaniards (my wrong)

a)land, to what- this part really confuse me.
e) I liked it, perfect, land that.
Why A) is better?

54.There are hopeful signs that we are shifting away from our heavy reliance on fosil fuels; more than ten times as much energy is generated through wind power now than it was in 1990.
A generated through wind power now than it was
B. generated through wind power now as it was (mine)
C. generated through wind power now as was the case (right one)
D. now generated through wind power as it was
E. now generated through wind power than was the case

I see B) as a perfect choice, as much energy is .... , as it was... Help me to see C's advantage.

60.The computer software being designed for a project studying Native American access to higher education will not only meet the needs of that study, but also has the versatility and power of facilitating similar research endeavors.
(A) but also has the versatility and power of facilitating (mine)
(B) but also have the versatility and power to facilitate (right)
(C) but it also has the versatility and power to facilitate
(D) and also have the versatility and power of facilitating
(E) and it also has such versatility and power that it can facilitate

a)computer software ...... also has.... . Or computer software is plural? In Lingvo dictionary it's singular. (((


70.The growth of the railroads led to the abolition of local times, which was determined by when the sun reached the observer's meridian and differing from city to city, and to the establishment of regional times.

(A)which was determined by when the sun reached the observer's meridian and differing
(B)which was determined by when the sun reached the observer's meridian and which differed
(C)which were determined by when the sun reached the observer's meridian and differing
(D)determined by when the sun reached the observer's meridian and differed (mine)
(E)determined by when the sun reached the observer's meridian and differing (right one)

It's very interesting question. Why E is better than D?
Source: — Sentence Correction |

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by bharathh » Fri Sep 04, 2009 12:34 pm
I've read that in a SC question, feel free to cross out any answer with the word being in it. There are better ways to express a sentence with the word being.

Also ... cross off 4 wrong choices before picking an answer. My SC % has gone way up by following this. Initially I used to try and pick the right answer and got the answer wrong... but now I ensure that I have 4 wrong answers and let the right one pick itself.

Q1

A and B are crossed off due to the above reason. C compares the lady's rise to her womanhood? Does not make sense... off it goes. D says that she was a woman... probably not the right tense as she probably remained a woman after the rise.

So E picks itself.

Q2

A, B and C have a problem with misplaced modifiers... as in the first part of the sentence does not modify the word that comes after the comma.

D and E correct that mistake..

However E has a redundancy. It uses per capita and then again has per person... Therefore E is eliminated as well. D picks itself again

Q3

Not sure about this.. I chose the wrong one as well (chose A).. but here's my 2 cents on this.

"the reason" is redundant in A, C and E
D uses an incorrect idiom "the majority"

So answer is B

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by tom4lax » Fri Sep 04, 2009 6:25 pm
Just a thought, but its almost impossible to objectively look at answer choices when the correct answer is already given to us... Maybe next time hide the answer choices or something.

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by capnx » Fri Sep 04, 2009 8:30 pm
thanks for taking the time to type all that out, but as tom pointed out, its really hard to test oneself when the answers are already given; it's also kinda difficult to read all that without the tested parts underlined or in bold.

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I agree

by enniguy » Sat Sep 05, 2009 5:03 am
I agree with the views expressed above. Please use Spoiler, Bold and Underline options provided to you while typing the questions so that we can answer your questions better.

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