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SC: Idiom So As To

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by me_1234 » Sun Dec 07, 2014 9:26 am
Hi all,

I have researched the idiom "so as to..." and there is a mix on what is appropriate.

The Manhattan GMAT Sentence Correction guide states that below is incorrect. I agree that it is not the most clear, but in terms of this sentence on its on, I think it is grammatically sound.

"Faced with the recurrence of natural disasters, such as floods and wildfires, many state governments have imposed significant taxes on their citizens so as to raise funds in the advance of the next calamity."

What are your thoughts?
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by [email protected] » Sun Dec 07, 2014 12:56 pm
Hi melanie.espeland,

The GMAT SCs that you'll face on Test Day will include a variety of "2-part" phrases - this is one of the ways that the Exam will test you on your understanding of Parallelism. You probably already know some of the common 2-part phrases (either....or, neither....nor, etc.).

2-part phrases have to be separated by other words though:

eg. "The diner can choose either soup or salad with her meal."

The 2-part phrase "so....as to....." is one of the rarer ones (so you probably won't see it on Test Day), but it still has to follow the rules. The example that you listed doesn't separate the two parts.

Here is a proper example:

"The blood clot was relatively small, but it was so significant as to constitute a threat to the man's life."

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by me_1234 » Sun Dec 07, 2014 1:26 pm
So with this particular sentence, since "many state governments have imposed..." and "raise funds.." are part of the same idea, you cannot use the comparison of "so as to." Is my understanding correct?

My assumption is that a better sentence then would be as below:

"Faced with the recurrence of natural disasters, such as floods and wildfires, many state governments have imposed significant taxes on their citizens in order to raise funds in the advance of the next calamity."
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by GMATGuruNY » Tue Dec 09, 2014 6:14 am
On the GMAT, so as cannot serve to express purpose.
Incorrect: Many governments have imposed taxes so as to raise funds.
Here, so as cannot serve to express WHY governments HAVE IMPOSED taxes.

Generally, so X as to Y serves to indicate DEGREE.
Climatic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable from ordinary fluctuations in the weather.
Here, the phrase in red serves to express the DEGREE to which climactic shifts are GRADUAL.
The shifts are SO gradual AS TO BE INDISTINGUISHABLE from ordinary fluctuations.
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by me_1234 » Tue Dec 09, 2014 1:37 pm
Thanks GMATGuruNY. Was my understanding correct that a better sentence would be the following and acceptable on GMAT?

"Faced with the recurrence of natural disasters, such as floods and wildfires, many state governments have imposed significant taxes on their citizens in order to raise funds in the advance of the next calamity."
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