crunchboss wrote:
Despite the criticism in the early 1890’s that if journalists use pictures the intellectual quality of publications would diminish, by the late 1890’s photographs were found in most newspapers and magazines.
(A) that if journalists use pictures the intellectual quality of publications would diminish,
(B) that if journalists use pictures it will diminish the intellectual quality of publications,
(C) that the use of pictures by journalists would diminish the intellectual quality of publications,
(D) of the intellectual quality of publications being diminished by the use of pictures by journalists,
(E) of the use of pictures by journalists diminish the intellectual quality of publications,
This is a GMAT Prep Question Pack 1 question. I have few doubts sir.
If_______Then_______
I understand the tenses part of this construction, but I have a doubt in the construction -
If X then Y.
What position can X and Y takes.
1. X and Y should be causes.
2. X and Y can be phrases
3. or X and Y can take some other grammatical constructions.
Condition Y can only be met If X exist.
Dear
crunchboss,
I'm happy to respond.
In the construction
If X, then Y, both X and Y must be full clauses, each with a [subject]+[verb] center. Technically, the word "
if" is a subordinate conjunction. Consider this sentence:
If it rains, we won't have the picnic.
The first clause, "
if it rains," is a subordinate clause, the after the comma is the independent clause. That's the grammar of the situation.
Here, choice (A) is flawed for other reasons, but in the
If X, then Y structure,
X =
journalists use picturesY =
the intellectual quality of publications would diminishWhat you said at the end is NOT true:
Condition Y can only be met If X exist. Consider the following true statement:
If I am in Berkeley, California, then I am in the United States of America.
X =
I am in Berkeley, CaliforniaY =
I am in the United States of AmericaHere, there are thousands of ways to meet condition Y without meeting condition X---one could be in New York City or Chicago or Washington, DC or Santa Fe, New Mexico, to name just a few examples.
If we put "not's" in each statement, or if we simply flip the order around, we don't necessarily get true statements.
If I am in Berkeley, California, then I am in the United States of America. = original true statement
If I am not in Berkeley, California, then I am not in the United States of America. = false
If I am in the United States of America, then I am in Berkeley, California. = false
Notice, though, if we both flip the order around and insert "not's" into each statement, we get another true statement:
If I am not in the United States of America, then I am not in Berkeley, California. = also true
This final transformation is called the
contrapositive. The contrapositive of a conditional statement always has the same true value as the original statement: if the original is true, then so is the contrapositive. They can be true together or false together (notice that the two false statements above are contrapositives of each other as well). Another example
If a number is less than -20, then it is negative. = original true statement
If a number is not less than -20, then it is not negative. = false
If a number is negative, then it is less than -20. = false
If a number is not negative, then it is not less than -20. = contrapositive, also true
You do not need to know all this for the GMAT, but it is important to appreciate so you don't make any unnecessary errors.
Does all this make sense?
Mike
. I have one more question sir as you said "Here, there are thousands of ways to meet condition Y without meeting condition X---one could be in New York City or Chicago or Washington, DC or Santa Fe, New Mexico, to name just a few examples. "
Even though there are thousands of ways to meet the condition why, but then what is the connection between X and Y if X is not essential for Y to exist? Did you get my point sir?
If I am in Berkeley, California, then I am in the United States of America.