Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
spriya wrote:
Building large new hospitals in the bistate area would constitute a wasteful use of resources,
on the basis of avoidance of duplicated facilities alone.
(A) on the basis of avoidance of duplicated facilities alone
(B) on the grounds of avoiding duplicated facilities alone
(C) solely in that duplicated facilities should be avoided
(D) while the duplication of facilities should be avoided
(E) if only because the duplication of facilities should be avoided
I dont understand the OA at all
share explanations
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this sentence is that building large new hospitals in the bistate area would constitute a wasteful use of resources, if for no other reason than the fact that the duplication of facilities should be avoided.
• “in that” is used to reflect an intrinsic property, and “because” is used to indicate a cause-effect relationship.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Idioms + Redundancy/AwkwardnessA: Trap. This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "avoidance of duplicated facilities"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that building large new hospitals in the bistate area would constitute a wasteful use of resources because facilities that have already been duplicated should be avoided; the intended meaning of the sentence is that building large new hospitals in the bistate area would constitute a wasteful use of resources, if for no other reason than the fact that the duplication of facilities should be avoided. Further, Option A uses the needlessly indirect construction "on the basis of avoidance of duplicated facilities alone", leading to awkwardness.
B: Trap. This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "avoiding duplicated facilities"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that building large new hospitals in the bistate area would constitute a wasteful use of resources because facilities that have already been duplicated should be avoided; the intended meaning of the sentence is that building large new hospitals in the bistate area would constitute a wasteful use of resources, if for no other reason than the fact that the duplication of facilities should be avoided. Further, Option B uses the needlessly indirect construction "on the grounds of avoiding duplicated facilities alone", leading to awkwardness.
C: Trap. This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “solely in that duplicated facilities”; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that building large new hospitals in the bistate area would constitute a wasteful use of resources
only because
facilities that have already been duplicated should be avoided; the intended meaning of the sentence is that building large new hospitals in the bistate area would constitute a wasteful use of resources,
if for no other reason than the fact that
the duplication of facilities should be avoided. Additionally, Option C incorrectly uses “in that” rather than “because” to refer to a cause-effect relationship; please remember, “in that” is used to reflect an intrinsic property, and “because” is used to indicate a cause-effect relationship.
D: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “while the duplication of facilities should be avoided”; the use of “while” conveys a sense of concurrence, incorrectly implying that building large new hospitals in the bistate area would constitute a wasteful use of resources
during the time period wherein the duplication of facilities should be avoided; the intended meaning of the sentence is that building large new hospitals in the bistate area would constitute a wasteful use of resources,
if for no other reason than the fact that the duplication of facilities should be avoided.
E: Correct. This answer choice correctly uses the phrase “if only because the duplication of facilities should be avoided", conveying the intended meaning - that building large new hospitals in the bistate area would constitute a wasteful use of resources, if for no other reason than the fact that the duplication of facilities should be avoided. Further, Option E correctly uses “because” to refer to a cause-effect relationship. Additionally, Option E is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.
Hence, E is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Because" vs "In That" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team