OG11 Q130

This topic has expert replies
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 418
Joined: Wed Jun 11, 2008 5:29 am
Thanked: 65 times

OG11 Q130

by bluementor » Sun Nov 16, 2008 2:43 pm
As a result of medical advances, many people that might at one time have died as children of such infections as diphtheria, pneumonia, or rheumatic fever now live well into old age.

A. that might at one time have died as children
B. who might once have died in childhood
C. that as children might once have died
D. who in childhood might have at one time died
E. who, when they were children, might at one time have died

OA: B
Source: — Sentence Correction |

Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 377
Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2008 9:30 am
Thanked: 15 times
Followed by:2 members

by schumi_gmat » Sun Nov 16, 2008 2:53 pm
A. that might at one time have died as children - relative pronoun is Who
B. who might once have died in childhood
C. that as children might once have died - same as A
D. who in childhood might have at one time died
E. who, when they were children, might at one time have died

D and E suggest the chnage in the meaning of sentence
It says, that people might have died one time in childhood, which is wrong

Hence B

Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 72
Joined: Thu Nov 06, 2008 10:27 am
Location: Pittsburgh
Thanked: 4 times

by srisl11 » Sun Nov 16, 2008 2:56 pm
moreover Childhood is parallel to Old age

So B and D remains

B is more clear and consise when compared with D

Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 418
Joined: Wed Jun 11, 2008 5:29 am
Thanked: 65 times

by bluementor » Sun Nov 16, 2008 3:26 pm
srisl11 wrote:moreover Childhood is parallel to Old age

So B and D remains

B is more clear and consise when compared with D

When answering this question, I came to a point where I couldn't decide between B and D. I suppose picking the shorter between the two could be a good strategy.

I couldn't understand the following explanation from GMAC:

"...Once, not the ambiguous and wordy at one time, is parallel to the adverb now..."

Can someone please explain the parallelism rule used here?

Thanks,
-BM-

Legendary Member
Posts: 1153
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2007 6:21 am
Thanked: 146 times
Followed by:2 members

by parallel_chase » Sun Nov 16, 2008 3:44 pm
bluementor wrote: "...Once, not the ambiguous and wordy at one time, is parallel to the adverb now..."

Can someone please explain the parallelism rule used here?

Thanks,
-BM-

Once can be used in two ways:

1) Once - to signify specific time or one instance

Once (time) there was GMAT.

If we have to specify indefinite time "once" cannot be used.

2) Once - as a conjunction

I would like do OG11 once I am done with OG10.


Now if you look at all the choices again. This becomes very easy.

A - one time [should be "once"]
B - Who + once
C - that ["who" should be used to refer to people not "that"]
D - one time [should be "once"]
E - one time [should be "once"]

Hope this helps.
No rest for the Wicked....

Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 418
Joined: Wed Jun 11, 2008 5:29 am
Thanked: 65 times

by bluementor » Mon Nov 17, 2008 12:57 am
parallel_chase wrote:
bluementor wrote: "...Once, not the ambiguous and wordy at one time, is parallel to the adverb now..."

Can someone please explain the parallelism rule used here?

Thanks,
-BM-

Once can be used in two ways:

1) Once - to signify specific time or one instance

Once (time) there was GMAT.

If we have to specify indefinite time "once" cannot be used.

2) Once - as a conjunction

I would like do OG11 once I am done with OG10.


Now if you look at all the choices again. This becomes very easy.

A - one time [should be "once"]
B - Who + once
C - that ["who" should be used to refer to people not "that"]
D - one time [should be "once"]
E - one time [should be "once"]

Hope this helps.
Yes, but what is the issue with parallelism in the original sentence, with respect to the usage of at one time ?

Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 65
Joined: Thu Nov 13, 2008 8:03 am
Location: Paris, France
Thanked: 2 times
GMAT Score:730

by Carloblacksun » Mon Nov 17, 2008 5:18 am
a question:

D is wrong simply because there is AT ONE TIME instead of ONCE, or also because of the position of the words?

I mean...

D. who in childhood might have ONCE died

would have been correct??

Thanks to the genius who can help!

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 101
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2008 5:32 pm
Location: NY and Boston
Thanked: 56 times
Followed by:16 members

by Karen » Sat Nov 29, 2008 6:58 pm
"Formerly" or "in olden times" is a standard meaning of 'once'. "at one time" is sometimes used to mean the same thing, but I think what the OG is saying is that it isn't as well-established with that meaning, and it's ambiguous because it could mean "simultaneously" or "at a specific moment."

Even if "at one time" were changed to "once" in D, it would still be wrong, because putting the words in that order changes the meaning from what is intended. The sentence is intended to mean "In earlier times, they could have died in childhood." Saying "might once [have died in childhood]" accomplishes this.

If you switch the order of the words around as in D, you get "in childhood might [once have died]" which means something like "In their childhood, there was once a time when they could've died."
Karen van Hoek, PhD
Verbal Specialist

Test Prep New York
maximize your score, minimize your stress
www.testprepny.com
[email protected]

Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri May 08, 2009 7:33 am
GMAT Score:700

by huul99 » Fri May 08, 2009 11:47 am
the only way after narrowing it down between B and D can be done by ||ism...

because childhood is || to old age...(the reason why B wins)..

died in childhood.....now live into old age........

(in an exam, perhaps there is not so much of time to philosophize between B and D and their literal meanings)..only through || ism can they be correctly narrowed down quickly)

Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 236
Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2008 9:16 am
Thanked: 9 times

Re: OG11 Q130

by El Cucu » Fri May 08, 2009 5:33 pm
bluementor wrote:As a result of medical advances, many people that might at one time have died as children of such infections as diphtheria, pneumonia, or rheumatic fever now live well into old age.

A. that might at one time have died as children
B. who might once have died in childhood
C. that as children might once have died
D. who in childhood might have at one time died
E. who, when they were children, might at one time have died

OA: B
People + That wrong, this eliminates A and C.

Were children + Have died (incorrect tenses together) This eliminates E.

Between B and D, the structure who + verb is better than who+ prep phrase. In general, adverbs of time should go at the end or at the beginning of the sentence. So B is better than D.

Legendary Member
Posts: 1404
Joined: Tue May 20, 2008 6:55 pm
Thanked: 18 times
Followed by:2 members

by tanviet » Wed Feb 29, 2012 12:02 am
OG11 explanation is that " who should be used to refer to people".

I think gmat prefer "who" than "that"

because general grammar said that "that" can be used for persons and things.

is my thinking correct? pls, help.

• Page 1 of 1