Critical Reasoning

Please explain your answers.

Whoa!Is the marked option correct?Strange, I think we need "towards". We can come down to options by POE, C and E.

C seems very awkward.

E for me

Very confusing SC ..

But felt [spoiler]{D}[/spoiler] is the best & cleara

D is the correct answer but why is C wrong.

{C} - INCORRECT; I would prefer "compared with" instead of "compared to" here; the usage of "previously" seems awkward;
{D} - CORRECT; better answer choice than {C}

rakeshd347 wrote:Please explain your answers.

Most of Portugal's 250,000 university students boycotted classes in a one-day strike to protest a law that requires them to contribute $330 a year toward the cost of higher education, previously paying $7 per year.

A) year toward the cost of higher education, previously paying $7 per year
The students (and not higher education was) were previously paying $7 dollars per year; previously is incorrectly modifying higher education. A is out.
B) year toward the cost of higher education, for which was previously paid $7 per year
for which was -> the meaning distorts. what was "paid"? higher education was paid ?. B is out
C) year, compared to the previously $7 per year, toward the cost of higher education
Incorrect usage of an adverb. Previously requires a verb/adjective/adverb; the previously $7 per year --> should be the previous $7 per year.
D) year toward the cost of higher education, instead of the $7 per year required previously
Correct Answer. Maintains parallelism. X per year [towards something] instead of Y per year.
E) year as opposed to the $7 per year required previously for the cost of higher education
The placement of "for the cost of higher education" is wrong. Just $7 dollars per year required for the cost of higher education! Sweet!

Answer D

vinay1983 wrote:Whoa!Is the marked option correct?Strange, I think we need "towards". We can come down to options by POE, C and E.

C seems very awkward.

E for me

Vinay I had the exact same doubt but ignored it and took it for granted;
checked the dictionary and it says this :

In American English it seems toward is correct!

Yep, both forms are correct.. it's just that we, non-natives, are used to "towards"

Most of Portugal's 250,000 university students boycotted classes in a one-day strike to protest a law that requires them to contribute $330 a year toward the cost of higher education, previously paying $7 per year.

A. year toward the cost of higher education, previously paying $7 per year
B. year toward the cost of higher education, for which was previously paid $7 per
year
C. year, compared to the previously $7 per year, toward the cost of higher education
D. year toward the cost of higher education, instead of the $7 per year required
previously
E. year as opposed to the $7 per year required previously for the cost of higher
education

A COMMA + VERBing modifier serves to express CONTEMPORANEOUS action: an action attributed to the preceding subject and happening AT THE SAME TIME as -- and often as a result of -- the preceding action.
Thus, A implies the following:
When the students contribute $330 a year, they are AT THE SAME TIME previously paying $7 per year.
Not the intended meaning.

B states that students must contribute $330 a year toward their education, for which was previously paid $7 per year.
Here, it's unclear WHO previously paid $7 per year.
Also, a reader might construe that BOTH amounts are being applied to a student's education (the $330 a year AND the $7 previously paid).
To make it clear that one amount ($330 a year) is serving to REPLACE the previous amount ($7 per year), a word of contrast is needed (such as instead or whereas).
Eliminate B.

In C, previously (adverb) cannot serve to modify the $7 per year (noun phrase).
Eliminate C.

In E, the reason that students must contribute $330 a year seems to be conveyed by the modifier required previously for the cost of higher education.
The result is a nonsensical meaning:
A law that REQUIRES them to contribute $330 a year REQUIRED PREVIOUSLY.
Eliminate E.

The correct answer is D.

GMATGuruNY wrote:

Most of Portugal's 250,000 university students boycotted classes in a one-day strike to protest a law that requires them to contribute $330 a year toward the cost of higher education, previously paying $7 per year.

A. year toward the cost of higher education, previously paying $7 per year
B. year toward the cost of higher education, for which was previously paid $7 per
year
C. year, compared to the previously $7 per year, toward the cost of higher education
D. year toward the cost of higher education, instead of the $7 per year required
previously
E. year as opposed to the $7 per year required previously for the cost of higher
education

A COMMA + VERBing modifier serves to express CONTEMPORANEOUS action: an action attributed to the preceding subject and happening AT THE SAME TIME as -- and often as a result of -- the preceding action.
Thus, A implies the following:
When the students contribute $330 a year, they are AT THE SAME TIME previously paying $7 per year.
Not the intended meaning.

B states that students must contribute $330 a year toward their education, for which was previously paid $7 per year.
Here, it's unclear WHO previously paid $7 per year.
Also, a reader might construe that BOTH amounts are being applied to a student's education (the $330 a year AND the $7 previously paid).
To make it clear that one amount ($330 a year) is serving to REPLACE the previous amount ($7 per year), a word of contrast is needed (such as instead or whereas).
Eliminate B.

In C, previously (adverb) cannot serve to modify the $7 per year (noun phrase).
Eliminate C.

In E, the reason that students must contribute $330 a year seems to be conveyed by the modifier required previously for the cost of higher education.
The result is a nonsensical meaning:
A law that REQUIRES them to contribute $330 a year REQUIRED PREVIOUSLY.
Eliminate E.

The correct answer is D.

Hi GGNY
i still don't understand why E is incorrect ...can you explain with an example,how the meaning is nonsensical.

Aman Ahuja wrote: Hi GGNY
i still don't understand why E is incorrect ...can you explain with an example,how the meaning is nonsensical.

E: a law that requires them to contribute $330 a year as opposed to the $7 per year required previously for the cost of higher education.
Here, for the cost of higher education seems to indicate why payments were required previously.
If the entire modifier in red serves to modify only $7 per year, then the sentence does not indicate why students are required to contribute $330 a year.
If the modifier in red refers both to $7 per year AND to $330 a year, then we get the following nonsensical meaning:
a law that requires them to contribute $330 a year...required previously for the cost of higher education.
Neither interpretation of the modifier in red yields the intended meaning.

Also, $7 per year for the cost of higher education seems to imply that $7 per year constituted the ENTIRE cost of higher education.
The intended meaning is that $7 per year was paid TOWARD the cost of higher education, implying that the total cost was GREATER than the $7 students paid.

Thank you for the amazing explanation GMAT Guru NY...
But if we are put in a situation in which one of meanings is correct for eg.Suppose in E modifier(required previously) modifying 7$ would be correct and modifying both(7$ and 330$) would be incorrect
then would the choice be correct?
OR such a scenario impossible on the real GMAT

Aman Ahuja wrote:Thank you for the amazing explanation GMAT Guru NY...
But if we are put in a situation in which one of meanings is correct for eg.Suppose in E modifier(required previously) modifying 7$ would be correct and modifying both(7$ and 330$) would be incorrect
then would the choice be correct?
OR such a scenario impossible on the real GMAT

If it is not crystal clear what a modifier is modifying, look for a better answer choice.
In general, a modifier should be AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE to what it is modifying.
OA: a law that requires them to contribute $330 a year toward the cost of higher education
In the OA, toward the cost of higher education is right next to what it is modifying -- $330 a year -- so the intended meaning is crystal clear.
Eliminate E and pick D.