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You've nailed it on the head with the auxiliary/notional distinction. "Have" does not carry over semantically when it is used in the first instance as a notional verb. A correctly constructed parallelism is not only a technical matter of grammatical form. The parallel parts must also be lo...

by Ilana@EconomistGMAT

Wed Oct 05, 2011 4:16 am
Forum: Sentence Correction
Topic: Parallelism~ Expert, plz help
Replies: 3
Views: 1447

Sometimes we need to discern the 'intended meaning' of the original sentence, if there is something illogical about it. What precisely troubled you about the original sentence? Can you be more specific about your doubt?

by Ilana@EconomistGMAT

Wed Oct 05, 2011 4:00 am
Forum: Sentence Correction
Topic: MEaning based SC. !
Replies: 12
Views: 3126

The question asks about the speed with which tryptophan is provided to the brain cells of a rat. This means we should look for a section in the passage that relates to speed at which tryptophan is provided . The following sentence does precisely that: The more protein is in a meal, the lower is the ...


The key to 15 is the first sentence of the second paragraph: "Wulf overstates the Quaker school's impact" - this critique of Wulf focuses on schools - the vehicle of 'dissemination'. A is correct. 16: A, B, D, and E are not supported by the passage - only C is. A - contradicts the argument...

by Ilana@EconomistGMAT

Mon Oct 03, 2011 5:23 am
Forum: Reading Comprehension
Topic: Tough RC
Replies: 12
Views: 4756

A few notes/corrections to your descriptions: Main Idea - not only the first paragraph. The correct answer choice should reflect aspects covered in each of the paragraphs, but without giving too much weight to particular arguments. It is a bird's eye view of the passage. Logical Structure - relates ...

by Ilana@EconomistGMAT

Mon Oct 03, 2011 5:01 am
Forum: Reading Comprehension
Topic: RC Question approach
Replies: 2
Views: 1531

C is the more proper inference. In Critical Reasoning we choose the minimal inference, and, as others have noted, D goes a bit too far. Here's popular example: In a stormy, overcast day, a student comes into class dripping with water - what is the minimal inference we can draw? a- it has just starte...

by Ilana@EconomistGMAT

Mon Oct 03, 2011 4:16 am
Forum: Critical Reasoning
Topic: Instructor Help Request
Replies: 5
Views: 1258

Certainly.

Examples:

-Mike wants to learn to play tennis.

-The witness intends to refuse to testify.

by Ilana@EconomistGMAT

Mon Oct 03, 2011 4:05 am
Forum: Sentence Correction
Topic: Usage of two infinitives together in a sentence
Replies: 2
Views: 4447

I would say that the correct answer is B, although the elimination process is a bit tricky, because the errors are hard to describe - they are mostly issues of "diction" - the choice of the appropriate words. A - the original sentence is flawed for two reasons. Rhetorically, we expect the ...

by Ilana@EconomistGMAT

Mon Oct 03, 2011 3:03 am
Forum: Sentence Correction
Topic: Antarctica
Replies: 5
Views: 1246

B is incorrect because 'species' is singular, and so the pronoun "those of" does not agree with the antecedent. C is incorrect, because the relative clause "which apparently assists..." is incorrectly placed after "courtship", creating an illogical sentence. The courtsh...

by Ilana@EconomistGMAT

Mon Oct 03, 2011 2:28 am
Forum: Sentence Correction
Topic: Flies
Replies: 10
Views: 1541

Our approach to idioms - especially if you are a non-native speaker - is to downplay their importance. There is little point spending energy trying to memorize idioms, as the list is theoretically endless. With a few exceptions of idioms we see recurring frequently, we encourage students to relax ab...

by Ilana@EconomistGMAT

Mon Oct 03, 2011 2:20 am
Forum: Sentence Correction
Topic: Sentence Correction-Idiom strategy
Replies: 1
Views: 1114

On the GMAT a list is parallel only when all the items are the same part of speech. The GMAT would consider your list incorrect because 'coffee' and 'tea' are nouns, whereas 'running' is a verbal form. Although this is not a GMAT style sentence, if we wanted to convey this idea, we would either rewr...

by Ilana@EconomistGMAT

Mon Oct 03, 2011 2:14 am
Forum: Sentence Correction
Topic: Parallelism
Replies: 1
Views: 809

As GMAT destroyer points out, only C is logical and correct because the other answer choices make it seem as though archeologists were around 5000 years ago.

by Ilana@EconomistGMAT

Mon Oct 03, 2011 2:07 am
Forum: Sentence Correction
Topic: archaeologists
Replies: 7
Views: 1464

When a question asks for a specific statement that it "asserts" - we must look for the answer near the question's keywords, here: "the claim that ALH84001 originated on Mars ". Where is this claim mentioned? In the second sentence of the passage: "the Mc-Kay team announced t...

by Ilana@EconomistGMAT

Mon Sep 05, 2011 6:32 am
Forum: Reading Comprehension
Topic: RC from Verbal Review, 2nd Edition
Replies: 4
Views: 3815

A is incorrect because we cannot logically say that "the phrase" is a phenomenon in which, etc. The phrase "refers to" - but is not equated with the phenomenon described.

by Ilana@EconomistGMAT

Mon Sep 05, 2011 4:01 am
Forum: Sentence Correction
Topic: urban gentrification
Replies: 8
Views: 1627

This is an elliptical expression, equivalent to "As [s/he did] in the previous case, the judge took an early break".

by Ilana@EconomistGMAT

Mon Aug 29, 2011 6:37 am
Forum: Sentence Correction
Topic: like/as in the previous case, ...
Replies: 2
Views: 5280