Because she knew many of the leaders of colonial America...

[vjsharma25]

Also I have one more thing to add,isn't "B" wrong because its not even a complete sentence?

[RonPurewal]

Also I have one more thing to add,isn't "B" wrong because its not even a complete sentence?

no -- that's an appositive modifier. when an a positive modifier is made with an abstract noun (vantage point, phenomenon, statistic, finding, idea, concept, etc.), that abstract noun is allowed to stand for the entire idea in the preceding clause.
see #83 in OG12, in which this sort of construction appears in a correct answer.

[saintjingjing]

so, a vantage point can refer the whole idea before, why can not choose B?
thanks

[RonPurewal]

so, a vantage point can refer the whole idea before, why can not choose B?
thanks

the modifier "when" in choice (b) is nonsensical, as the sentence is not describing anything restricted to that timeframe.

[abemartin87]

#15 Because she knew many of the leaders of colonial America and the American Revolution personally, Mercy Otis Warren was continually at or near the center of political events from 1765 to 1789, a vantage point combining with her talent for writing to make her one of the most valuable historians of the era.

(A) a vantage point combining with her talent for writing to make

(B) a vantage point, when combined with her talent for writing, that made

(C) a vantage point that combined with her talent for writing, and it made

(D) and this vantage point, which combined with her talent for writing to make

(E) and this vantage point, combined with her talent for writing, made


Hi Ron,

I know this question has been already asked in this thread but I would appreciate if you could clarify a bit more.

I crossed out (D) and (E) because of their usage of "and this". In the MGMAT SC book, it states that the GMAT doesn't prefer "and this" and "and that". But it seems that I miss read the section, and therefore I must learn the new rule! "and this" and "and that" are acceptable as long as they are attached to some concrete noun ( e.g. "these results suggest..."). In correct answer "and (this) [[vantage point]]", "this"=adjective & "vantage point"=noun. "This" has something concrete to modify. However, as you have said, this usage would be incorrect if it were used in the following sentence:

..., and this made her ....

"this" is being misused as a standalone pronoun.

Did I understand the rule correctly, now?



I unfortunately picked answer choice (A), despite knowing that "when" did not refer to a general time period. I surmised that its usage can extend beyond an actual time period.

Can you please verify the veracity of this rule:

"when can ONLY refer to time periods. PERIOD. Any other usage would be incorrect!!!!"

Can you name me an exception in which (notice I didn't say "where", as it can refer to only physical locations) "when" is not used to refer to a specific time period.

E.g. Would this use of "when" be correct:

1) "When ones heart is broken, one cannot sit and lament"
Does "When" refer to an actual time period or a state? Would this usage be correct?
2) When Richard Nixon declared an end to the Bretton Woods agreement, the US was on the verge of nearly defaulting on its national debt"
"When" in this case refers to an actual time period. "When Nixon declared an end to BW [[in 1970]] , ....". Although 1970 is not specified in the sentence, this usage of "when" is referering to a time period. Am I correct?

Ron your my hero. Thank you for all your help!! My dream is to one day become a GMAT master like you. Thank you once more for your patience with us mere mortals :)!!

[RonPurewal]

Hi Ron,

I know this question has been already asked in this thread but I would appreciate if you could clarify a bit more.

I crossed out (D) and (E) because of their usage of "and this". In the MGMAT SC book, it states that the GMAT doesn't prefer "and this" and "and that". But it seems that I miss read the section, and therefore I must learn the new rule! "and this" and "and that" are acceptable as long as they are attached to some concrete noun ( e.g. "these results suggest..."). In correct answer "and (this) [[vantage point]]", "this"=adjective & "vantage point"=noun. "This" has something concrete to modify. However, as you have said, this usage would be incorrect if it were used in the following sentence:

..., and this made her ....

"this" is being misused as a standalone pronoun.

Did I understand the rule correctly, now?

looks good.

Can you name me an exception in which (notice I didn't say "where", as it can refer to only physical locations) "when" is not used to refer to a specific time period.

i can't think of one.

E.g. Would this use of "when" be correct:

1) "When ones heart is broken, one cannot sit and lament"
Does "When" refer to an actual time period or a state? Would this usage be correct?

this sentence describes what someone should do at a time when he/she is feeling heartbreak. so, yes, still a time period.

to clarify, consider the following sentence:
"if one's heart is broken, one cannot sit and lament"
--> this sentence could refer to the same sort of situation discussed in the previous sentence. however, it could also refer to actions taken anytime after the heartbreak -- even after one's heart has been healed again. by contrast, when one's heart is broken may refer to the actual period of time during which one is still brokenhearted.

2) When Richard Nixon declared an end to the Bretton Woods agreement, the US was on the verge of nearly defaulting on its national debt"
"When" in this case refers to an actual time period. "When Nixon declared an end to BW [[in 1970]] , ....". Although 1970 is not specified in the sentence, this usage of "when" is referering to a time period. Am I correct?

yes.

Ron your my hero. Thank you for all your help!! My dream is to one day become a GMAT master like you.

i would suggest setting more ambitious goals.
|:

[akhpad]

Why A is wrong?

does phrase "combining with her talent for writing" not serve the intended purpose "make one of the most valuable historians of the ear".

Tense of "combining " should be same as that it is attached.
We cannot say that it is wrong because It is not in past test.

Explain.

[RonPurewal]

Why A is wrong?

does phrase "combining with her talent for writing" not serve the intended purpose "make one of the most valuable historians of the ear".

Tense of "combining " should be same as that it is attached.
We cannot say that it is wrong because It is not in past test.

"ing" modifiers are active forms. in other words, if properly used, they should have a meaning equivalent to that of an active-voice verb whose subject is the noun in question.
so, if you are going to write "a vantage point combining...", that's equivalent to saying that "the vantage point combined..." -- in other words, suggesting a literal act of combining, as in a chemical reaction or something along those lines.

Explain.

this is not a polite or professional way to make a request.

[thanghnvn]

Ron, Manhantan expert, pls, help.

I stop at A and E.

In E, "this vantage point combined , make" is considered good. This means the point IS COMBINED at first and MADE latter. It is not logic, not consistant.

In A, "thin point combines with X to make y". both actions are active and better.

If you deny that "the point" can not "combine" at first , why "the point" can "make" latter ? Pls, help me in this problem. Why A is wrong?

[tim]

what exactly do you mean that you "stop" at A and E?

i'm not going to comment on your analysis, because you have misquoted both answer choices and i cannot tell how much of what you have gotten wrong in your analysis is due to your inaccurate transcription of the problem. what i will tell you is that you are definitely making a mistake anytime you question a correct answer. you've been around enough to read Ron's standard reply on the topic, so i won't quote it here. just be sure to understand that taking issue with correct answers will get you exactly nowhere..

[thanghnvn]

Pls, help
I do not understand why "combining" in A is wrong.

If the "vantage point" can not "combining" , why "vantange point" can "made" in A.

[rainy_tif]

Hi, Ron, could you please explain why C is incorrect?
Does it stand for a vantage point?

Would it be correct if "and it made" becomes "making"?

I'm confused because the moment I saw the answer choices, I chose appositives (a)(b) and (c).

Thank you so much and I appreciate your help!

[RonPurewal]

Hi, Ron, could you please explain why C is incorrect?
Does it stand for a vantage point?

that seems to be the most likely candidate for that reference, yes. that doesn't really make sense in context, so that's one reason to eliminate this choice.

Would it be correct if "and it made" becomes "making"?

no.
you still have the problem that "combined" appears as an active verb in that choice -- suggesting that this vantage point actively "combined" with the author's writing talent (as in some sort of chemical reaction, or something).
with that setup, you would also have "... that combined with her talent for writing" as a standalone clause, with only non-essential modifiers -- implying that you could get rid of those modifiers and just say "this vantage point combined with her talent for writing" by itself. that also doesn't make sense; the whole "combined" thing doesn't make any sense without a reference to the result.

I'm confused because the moment I saw the answer choices, I chose appositives (a)(b) and (c).

Thank you so much and I appreciate your help![/quote]

[rainy_tif]

Thank you so much Ron.
You're the best!

I totally understand now :)


FYI I'm not a native speaker, and I found your explanations very helpful and clear when I prepare for GMAT.
You are very famous in Taiwan :)

Thanks again!!

[thanghnvn]

Pls, help.

Why "vantage point" in A can not "combine" but "vantange point" in E can "make" ?