Use of "Contrary" , "Even with"

This topic has expert replies
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2012 12:06 pm
Followed by:1 members

Use of "Contrary" , "Even with"

by isharan » Thu Oct 11, 2012 2:54 pm
I know this question has been posted in the forum before, but I did not see the doubts I had being addresses in any of them and therefore asking them here. Thanks !


Unlike the conviction held by many of her colleagues that genes were relatively simple and static, Barbara McClintock adhered to her own more complicated ideas about how genes might operate, and in 1983, at the age of 81, was awarded a Nobel Prize for her discovery that the genes in corn are capable of moving from one chromosomal site to another.

A. ...
B. ...
C. Contrary to many of her colleagues being convinced that genes were relatively simple and static
D. Even though many of her colleagues were convinced that genes were relatively simple and static
E. Even with many of her colleagues convinced of genes being relatively simple and static

C, E are wrong answers and the explanation for them in the OG says that they are wordy, awkward, indirect.

However it seems to me there are more issues than just that. For C, I would wonder if it is ever ok to use "Contrary" to compare people. I have seen it being used for beliefs and non-tangible ideas. Is it ?

E. choice has "Even with". To me it seems that "Even with" is used to indicate whether some thing was sufficient. For eg. "Even with X I was not able do well in exam". Is "Even with" ok to compare contrasting things ?
Source: — Sentence Correction |

User avatar
MBA Admissions Consultant
Posts: 2279
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2011 7:51 am
Location: New York
Thanked: 660 times
Followed by:266 members
GMAT Score:770

by Jim@StratusPrep » Fri Oct 12, 2012 6:39 am
No, you would never use "Contrary to" to compare people.

And, no. Even with is not okay.

Just because the answer explanation doesn't give a reason doesn't mean that such an issue is not present. Also, you don't have to worry about every reason an answer is wrong - once you find mistake, strike the answer and move on.
GMAT Answers provides a world class adaptive learning platform.
-- Push button course navigation to simplify planning
-- Daily assignments to fit your exam timeline
-- Organized review that is tailored based on your abiility
-- 1,000s of unique GMAT questions
-- 100s of handwritten 'digital flip books' for OG questions
-- 100% Free Trial and less than $20 per month after.
-- Free GMAT Quantitative Review

Image

• Page 1 of 1