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

Redeem
TTP OnDemand GMAT Video Course
Featured Course

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Scott Woodbury-Stewart’s private virtual classroom — 400 hours of master-class video lessons for the GMAT Focus Edition.

  • 715+ score guarantee — highest in the industry (99th percentile)
  • 52 chapters · 1,500+ lessons · 4,000+ practice questions
  • 400 hours of video · 1,500+ instructor-led HD smartboard lessons
  • 300,000+ students accepted to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth & Sloan & more
  • 24/7 live support + weekly Zoom office hours with GMAT instructors
  • TTP AI Assist — 24/7 AI-powered virtual tutor for instant help
  • 1,200+ flashcards + AI-powered study assistant & daily calendar
  • OnDemand, LiveTeach & GMAT Bootcamp formats available
  • Also: GRE, SAT Math & Executive Assessment courses
  • MBA Admissions Consulting now available
  • 🏆 2025 EdTech Breakthrough Award: Test Prep Solution Provider of the Year
  • 200,000+ students served
  • 5-day free trial — $0 to start, no auto-billing, cancel anytime
★★★★★ 5.0 (559 reviews)
130-pt guarantee
$0 to start then $127/mo
Start Free 5-Day Trial Read 559 Reviews →

sth take sb some time to do sth

Expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 31
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2009 4:09 am
Thanked: 1 times
by JJJooe » Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:53 am
Rivaling the pyramids of Egypt or even the ancient cities of the Maya as an achievement, the army of terra-cotta warriors created to protect Qin Shi Huang, China's first emperor, in his afterlife is more than 2,000 years old and took 700,000 artisans more than 36 years to complete them.

A.
took 700,000 artisans more than 36 years to complete them
B.
took 700,000 artisans more than 36 years to complete it
C.
took 700,000 artisans more than 36 years to complete
D.
700,000 artisans took more than 36 years to complete
E.
to complete them too 700,000 artisans more than 36 years

IMO, the correct answer is C.

the army of terra-cotta warriors...is...and took...
a verb 'took' should follow the 'and'
so D and E are wrong

and obviously the 'then' and 'it' in A and B are redundant.

so i choose C...but some state that 'sth take sb some time to do 'is a grammar mistake and we can only use 'it takes sb some time to do sth'

is that true in GMAT? thanks![/b]
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Source: — Sentence Correction |
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 117
Joined: Wed May 13, 2009 7:41 am
Thanked: 5 times

IMHO

by kc_raj » Wed Aug 26, 2009 6:50 am
IMHO

, ... is more than 3000 - its talking about singular collective noun army, therefore they and them should be out A, E.

D changes the meaning took 70,000 vs. 70,000 took 36 yrs.

Between B, and C, i think it is needed to refer back to the army,

so B is the answer
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 58
Joined: Mon May 04, 2009 7:43 pm
Thanked: 1 times

by mruzeful » Wed Aug 26, 2009 9:39 am
whats OA?
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 31
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2009 4:09 am
Thanked: 1 times

by JJJooe » Wed Aug 26, 2009 2:39 pm
well...friends,actually there is no OA.

but i guess the answer is either B or C, based on whether the 'it' is necessary...
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 869
Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2009 3:49 pmFollowed by: 3 members
Location: California
Thanked: 13 times

by heshamelaziry » Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:30 pm
"IT" is not necessary because the reference is clear that it refers to the army. addit "IT" will sound awkward and redundant.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 268
Joined: Sat Aug 15, 2009 9:22 amFollowed by: 1 member
Thanked: 19 times
GMAT Score:700

by capnx » Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:39 pm
OA is: b

souce:
https://www.ittestpapers.com/articles/42 ... Page1.html
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 134
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 7:44 pm
Thanked: 14 times

by m&m » Wed Aug 26, 2009 5:15 pm
I searched and found a post at BTG indicating the source as GMAT Prep and OA as C
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 31
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2009 4:09 am
Thanked: 1 times

by JJJooe » Wed Aug 26, 2009 7:43 pm
i checked the question source and the OA is actually C, the relatively best choice...

whatever the OA is, an experienced GMATer told me that strictly speaking, the C is also faulty because in the sentence 'the army of terra-cotta warriors' becomes the subject and the '700,000 artisans' play which role of the sentence, the object or the subject? actually '700,000 artisans' is the the subject of the verb 'took'...so i got really confused
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Post new topic Locked
• Page 1 of 1