SC : Crack-GMAT Test Q

[momo32]

It doesn't make sense to express these things as "is A and does B". That kind of parallel structure is used for separate, largely independent observations.

)

Dear Ron，

I cannot total understand the above. May you elaborate it.

THX

[tim]

What don't you understand exactly?

[momo32]

Dear Tim

I cannot understand why that kind of sentence【I quote above】 does not make sence.

Thx

[RonPurewal]

Dear Tim

I cannot understand why that kind of sentence【I quote above】 does not make sence.

Thx

The problem is not "that kind of sentence". If that structure makes sense in context, it can be fine.

The problem is that, in THIS sentence, we're not talking about two separate things.

[momo32]

Dear Ron,

You mean that" A is xx" and "A does XXX" are two separating sentence, so we cannot use A is and does?
its right?

THX

[RonPurewal]

To use "and" as a connector, we must be connecting separate observations (unless there are additional connector words, e.g., and thus, and therefore, etc.)

"Was 2500 miles long" and "extended..." are not separate observations. They're two descriptions of the same phenomenon (the total extent of the road).

--

[RonPurewal]

Simpler example:
If I write
Today, there was a traffic jam and I was late to work
... the implication is "Here are 2 bad things that happened to me today".

Specifically, this sentence implies that the traffic jam was NOT the reason why I was late. That's the point of "A and B"--to present "A" and "B" as separate things. Like bullet points.

[gbyhats]

Hi Manhattan Instrucutors ;)

I know someone ask this question earlier and it is answered, but I just want to dive a little bit deeper: What's wrong with "was extended" in choice (D)? (I duplicated the original question below)

The greatest road system built in the Americas prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus was the Incan highway, which, over 2,500 miles long and extending from northern Ecuador through Peru to Southern Chile.

A. Columbus was the Incan highway, which, over 2,500 miles long and extending
B. Columbus was the Incan highway, over 2,500 miles in length, and extended
C. Columbus, the Incan highway, which was over 2,500 miles in length and extended
D. Columbus, the Incan highway, being over 2,500 miles in length, was extended
E. Columbus, the Incan highway was over 2,500 miles long, extending

Can I say "the reason why we don't use passive voice in this question is its meaning doesn't allow us to do so"?

I recalled Ron's earlier post 4 years ago (year 2011):

ACTIVE vs. PASSIVE is a MEANING ISSUE.
(VERB TENSES are also a MEANING ISSUE.)
These are *NOT* grammar issues!

Link: http://tinyurl.com/nod74pm

If so, my question then becomes, how do we know that the meaning of this question doesn't allow us to use passive voice?

--

P.S.

When I look at Tadashi's example, I feel like if Mark Twain ever took GMAT, he probably will rewrite his sentence to:

Everyone is a moon, which has a dark side that he never shows to anybody.

a. which: it's better to combine two separate sentence into one, if they have logical connect

b. that: in GMAT, "which" is not used in essential modifier, we prefer "that" (aka. modifier with no comma precedes)

everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody ----Mark Twain

Haha, I'm sorry Mark Twain... Just a joke! You are the greatest writer in the world in my opinion.

[RonPurewal]

I know someone ask this question earlier and it is answered, but I just want to dive a little bit deeper: What's wrong with "was extended" in choice (D)? (I duplicated the original question below)

"____ was extended" means that someone extended _____.
in other words, this means that someone took ____, which had a certain length, and made it longer.
this meaning is not supported by anything in the context.

"____ extended..." means that ____ went on for the specified distance and/or along the specified route.
this meaning is precisely supported by the context.

[RonPurewal]

When I look at Tadashi's example, I feel like if Mark Twain ever took GMAT, he probably will rewrite his sentence to:

the gmat tests formal writing. popular writing is rarely, if ever, written in formal prose.

[gbyhats]

Hi Dear Ron!

Thank you for your quick replies!

"____ was extended" means that someone extended _____.
in other words, this means that someone took ____, which had a certain length, and made it longer.
this meaning is not supported by anything in the context.

"____ extended..." means that ____ went on for the specified distance and/or along the specified route.
this meaning is precisely supported by the context.

Now I gotcha!

the gmat tests formal writing. popular writing is rarely, if ever, written in formal prose.

Haha, it reminds me of what Princeton's SAT test prep book did recently: pointing out grammar mistakes in popular songs.
Yea, GMAT is about formal writing.

[RonPurewal]

Thank you for your quick replies!

you're welcome.

[RonPurewal]

Haha, it reminds me of what Princeton's SAT test prep book did recently: pointing out grammar mistakes in popular songs.
Yea, GMAT is about formal writing.

while mildly amusing, that's ultimately a bad idea, because the whole point is to develop an instinct for the written language that is independent of one's instinct for the spoken language.

in other words, one should have a distinct "eye" and a distinct "ear", each of which functions alone.

...why were you looking at an SAT prep book? not for any reason having to do with this exam, i'd guess?

[gbyhats]

...why were you looking at an SAT prep book? not for any reason having to do with this exam, i'd guess?

Haha, I heard about this in a news

--

But,
If I can, I really want to go back and take SAT again, because I really want to do well on that test
(I took SAT 6 times and didn't do well in any of them)

the more I fail the more I become determined,
probably that's why I did well in GMAT

[RonPurewal]

the more I fail the more I become determined

this can be a virtue, as long as you're willing to change your approach.

if someone is NOT willing to change his/her approach, and "determined" consists solely of pouring additional time into the same endeavors that didn't pay off the first time--i.e., "ok, i did X amount of prep and failed, so i just need to to 2X amount of the same prep"--then the prognosis is usually pretty dismal.

on the other hand, if "determined" means that you're ready to jump back in, think about what you were doing that didn't work, and swap those things out for different approaches that actually are effective, then, good.