Verbal questions from any Manhattan Prep GMAT Computer Adaptive Test. Topic subject should be the first few words of your question.
Amit
 
 

CAT 4 ...Reading Compre doubt...urgent..gmat date very close

by Amit Tue Aug 19, 2008 1:12 pm

In the 1950s, reading was taught to young children primarily through the use of simple primers depicting the middle-class non-adventures of "Dick and Jane." Rudolph Flesch’s bestselling 1955 book Why Johnny Can’t Read attacked these primers, calling them "horrible, stupid, insipid, ... tasteless little readers" and asserting that such boring stories gave no incentive for children to read on their own and learn to "sound out" each word phonetically. Flesch also bemoaned the fact that there was not a single book in bookstores that first and second graders could read by themselves.
In response, a publisher commissioned Theodore Geisel, who wrote children’s books under the pen name "Dr. Seuss," to write a book that "a first grader can’t put down." Geisel was given a list of a few hundred words considered important and asked to make a book out of them. Nine months later, Geisel, using only 220 different words, delivered The Cat in the Hat, a whimsical story about two bored children left at home with their talking fish who are suddenly visited by a havoc-creating six-foot-tall talking cat. In addition, Geisel wrote the entire book in a rhyming verse, making it fun to read aloud. The Cat in the Hat was a tremendous success and vaulted Geisel into instant celebrity. Another publisher bet Geisel that he could not write an entire book using only 50 different words. Geisel won the bet by publishing the classic Green Eggs and Ham.
The Dr. Seuss books revolutionized the children’s book industry by proving that it was possible to create engaging books with a limited vocabulary. Geisel has been credited with killing off "Dick and Jane," replacing them with clever rhymes, plot twists and rebellious heroes who do the unexpected. Now one in four American children receives a Dr. Seuss title as his or her first book.



According to the passage, which of the following is true about Theodore Geisel?
The Cat in the Hat was his first children’s book.
He illustrated all of his own books.
He wrote Green Eggs and Ham using only 50 words or less.
He was not a successful author until the publication of The Cat in the Hat.
He only wrote books with limited vocabularies.

OA is c.
I am a bit confused about this.It says "He wrote Green Eggs and Ham using only 50 words or less"
This means the story had 50 words or less.
However,the passage states "Another publisher bet Geisel that he could not write an entire book using only 50 different words"
This means 50 different words.There is a subtle difference in the meaning i think.According to the passage the story could be written in more than 50 words but could only use 50 different words.

What do the experts say?
StaceyKoprince
ManhattanGMAT Staff
 
Posts: 9350
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 9:05 am
Location: Montreal
 

by StaceyKoprince Wed Sep 10, 2008 4:27 pm

We've actually already put this one on the rehab list - I agree, the wording is a little too loose here. The correct choice should reference using no more than 50 different words.
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep