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

Redeem

Rock Samples!

Expert replies
by gmat_perfect » Sun Jun 20, 2010 12:36 pm
Rock samples taken from the remains of an asteroid about twice the size of the 6-mile-wide asteroid that eradicated the dinosaurs has been dated to be 3.47 billion years old and thus is evidence of the earliest known asteroid impact on Earth.

(A) has been dated to be 3.47 billion years old and thus is

(B) has been dated at 3.47 billion years old and thus

(C) have been dated to be 3.47 billion years old and thus are

(D) have been dated as being 3.47 billion years old and thus

(E) have been dated at 3.47 billion years old and thus are
Join the discussion
Source: — Sentence Correction |

by loveusonu » Sun Jun 20, 2010 12:56 pm
gmat_perfect wrote:Rock samples taken from the remains of an asteroid about twice the size of the 6-mile-wide asteroid that eradicated the dinosaurs has been dated to be 3.47 billion years old and thus is evidence of the earliest known asteroid impact on Earth.

(A) has been dated to be 3.47 billion years old and thus is

(B) has been dated at 3.47 billion years old and thus

(C) have been dated to be 3.47 billion years old and thus are

(D) have been dated as being 3.47 billion years old and thus

(E) have been dated at 3.47 billion years old and thus are
Again
1>Subject is samples, which is plural. Hence require 'have' and not 'has'.
2>IDIOM is "dated at"

Hence E.
Sonu
--------
When you want something desperately, the whole Universe conspires in helping to give it to you - The Alchemist
Join the discussion

by Patrick_GMATFix » Sun Jun 20, 2010 3:39 pm
The subject of 'to be dated' is 'Rock samples', so we must use a plural verb. That eliminates A and B.

The idiom 'dated at' is also tested.
Correct: Samples are dated at 3 billion years old.
Incorrect: Samples are dated to be 3 billion years old.
Incorrect: Samples are dated as being 3 billion years old.

This gets rid of A, C, and D. The OA is E.

A more detailed explanation is available as this is GMATPrep Question 2352. To practice similar questions in a timed drill, set topic='Idioms AND Subject Verb Agreements'and difficulty='400-500' in the Drill Generator.

-Patrick
  • Ask me about tutoring.
Join the discussion

• Page 1 of 1