comparisons

stringworm · **Posted:** Thu Nov 24, 2011 4:15 pm


		00:00



	GMAT Timer...

Early medieval monasteries, while clearly less accessible to outsiders, often served as repositories for texts, like modern libraries.

(A) while clearly less accessible to outsiders, often served as repositories for texts, like modern libraries

(B) like modern libraries, often served as text repositories, though they were clearly less accessible to outsiders

(C) while clearly less accessible to outsiders, often served as repositories for texts as does the modern libary

(D) like modern libraries, while clearly less accessible to outsiders, often served as repositories for texts

(E) while clearly less accessible to outsiders, acted like modern libraries act by serving as repositories for texts

1) Does anyone see a problem with the original's "less accessible"? Less accessible than what? Can you really bring the "modern libraries" back at the end there? Especially after it goes on to be the object of "often served as" via comparison.

2) Does anyone see a problem with Kaplan's incessant use of "while" in place of "although"?

[Reveal] Spoiler: OA

A

subhashghosh · **Posted:** Thu Nov 24, 2011 9:45 pm

stringworm wrote:

Early medieval monasteries, while clearly less accessible to outsiders, often served as repositories for texts, like modern libraries.

(A) while clearly less accessible to outsiders, often served as repositories for texts, like modern libraries - Correct Answer
(B) like modern libraries, often served as text repositories, though they were clearly less accessible to outsiders

they is ambiguous

(C) while clearly less accessible to outsiders, often served as repositories for texts as does the modern libary -
awkward construction, library is singular here

(D) like modern libraries, while clearly less accessible to outsiders, often served as repositories for texts
awkward construction, verbs are muddled

(E) while clearly less accessible to outsiders, acted like modern libraries act by serving as repositories for texts
awkward construction, acted like suggests as though the monasteries were persons

1) Does anyone see a problem with the original's "less accessible"? Less accessible than what? Can you really bring the "modern libraries" back at the end there? Especially after it goes on to be the object of "often served as" via comparison. - No, it's fine because less accessible is not used in a sense of more than/less than, it implies that outsiders would have found it difficult to reach there.

2) Does anyone see a problem with Kaplan's incessant use of "while" in place of "although"?
No, it's a matter of stylistic usage in English.

stringworm · **Posted:** Fri Nov 25, 2011 11:28 am

Well thank you, but certainly you wouldn't be able to have a sentence like, "The house was less accessible." It absolutely begs the questions "less accessible than what?"

amil · **Posted:** Fri Jan 06, 2012 10:45 am

stringworm wrote:

Early medieval monasteries, while clearly less accessible to outsiders, often served as repositories for texts, like modern libraries.

(A) while clearly less accessible to outsiders, often served as repositories for texts, like modern libraries

(B) like modern libraries, often served as text repositories, though they were clearly less accessible to outsiders

(C) while clearly less accessible to outsiders, often served as repositories for texts as does the modern libary

(D) like modern libraries, while clearly less accessible to outsiders, often served as repositories for texts

(E) while clearly less accessible to outsiders, acted like modern libraries act by serving as repositories for texts

1) Does anyone see a problem with the original's "less accessible"? Less accessible than what? Can you really bring the "modern libraries" back at the end there? Especially after it goes on to be the object of "often served as" via comparison.

2) Does anyone see a problem with Kaplan's incessant use of "while" in place of "although"?

Answer should be B. "Like" is placed correctly and it clearly compares the early medieval monasteries with modern libraries. Pronoun "they" refers to medieval monastries.

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