avaneeshvyas wrote:
A new analysis of ruins on the northernmost tip of Newfoundland reveals that the Viking settlement there is almost 600 years as old as the supposedly first North American colony.
a) as old as the supposedly
b) older than the supposedly
c) as old as the supposed
d) older than their supposed
e) as old as its first supposedly
How are we supposed to judge whether the Viking Settlement is as old as or older than the first North American Colony, are their any pointers in the statement for the same?
"Supposedly" being an adverb will modify the next word that comes right after it. In the sentence, it will modify "first", so the logic of the sentence becomes:
"......reveals that the Viking settlement....... either the first( we are not sure about it) but certainly is a North American Colony.(We are pretty sure about that).
Supposed FIRST NORTH AMERICAN COLONY means Viking Settlement is ceratinly the first, but it may or may not be THE NORTH AMERICAN COLONY.
So options that involve supposed are certainly wrong because they imply an unusual meaning. Eliminate C,D.
There are no referrents for "Their" and "its", so both the D and E are wrong.
A and B are close contenders.
On closer look, one may observe a case of redundancy here. If they are as old as the first north american colony then whats the importance of using FIRST here. Eliminate A.
Answer is B.
Please note that don't go by saying that the original sentence implies this emaning and that. Don't treat A more than other choices. Go for the choices that are logical. I mean to say that if A implies that "a man bit a dog" and if B implies that "a dog bit a man", then choose the most logical one, not A by saying that the original sentence meant the same.
This is what was told to me by one of the
MGMAT instructors, TOMMY WALLACH.