A recording system was so secretly installed and operated in the Kenne

Question

A recording system was so secretly installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office that  even Theodore C. Sorensen, the White House counsel, did not know it existed.

(A) A recording system was so secretly installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office that

(B) So secret was a recording system installation and operation in the Kennedy Oval Office

(C) It was so secret that a recording system was installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office

(D) A recording system that was so secretly installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office

(E) Installed and operated so secretly in the Kennedy Oval Office was a recording system that

SaraiYaseenGMAT · Accepted Answer

You absolutely right seekmba. This question tests you on 'so' idioms, which are frequently tested on the SC!

The 'so' idiom that is in play here is

so+adjective/adverb+that+clause (subject + verb)   --> expresses cause and result!

Example: He was so hungry that he stopped at Burger King. / They ran so fast that they were out of breath by the time they got there.

Note: You can start with the descriptive word too! Ex: So hungry was he that he stopped....

Other 'so' idioms that the SC likes to mess with:

so that   --> meaning "in order to"
Ex.I must practice so that I will be prepared for the competition.

not so... as   --> inequality comparison
Ex. Tom is not so tall as Joe.

so+adjective1..... as to (be + adjective2)  
Ex. The politician's statement was so vague as to be ambiguous.
NOTE! This idiom does NOT express cause and result! It is used to STRENGTHEN A DESCRIPTION.
  Incorrect: I must practice so as to be prepared for the competition.

In other words, DON'T MIX UP THESE IDIOMS! THEY ARE NOT INTERCHANGEABLE

(Many more important idioms are discussed in SC Lessons 9 and 10 at gmaxonline!)

Best,
Sarai

egmat · Answer

Hi Akhil,

The so + that combination is used to show cause and effect. 'So' is followed by an adjective or adverb that is the cause of an action, and 'that' is followed by the result. E.g.  She was so tired that she went to bed.

Option E says "Installed and operated so secretly in the Kennedy Oval Office was a recording system that". Here, the cause and effect relationship is very ambiguous, because the part after 'so' is not immediately followed by the part with 'that'.

Also, note that in option E, 'that' is a relative pronoun: it refers to the noun before it, "recording system," and the meaning doesn't make any sense. In option A, 'that' correctly connects the effect to the cause. ('In the Kennedy Oval Office' is a modifier that can be removed without affecting the grammar of the sentence.)

I hope this helps!

Regards,
Meghna

Zosimus · Answer

I realize that you posted this back in 2013, but I wanted to fully answer this question not for you but for other students who may be wondering the same thing.

Yes, it is possible to invert the normal sentence order in English, but there are specific rules about how this is accomplished. Let's examine a simple sentence:

I have  never  been so insulted in my life.

The key to the inversion is the adverb, which I have placed in bold for clarity. The adverb must be moved to the front of the sentence, and the subject and auxiliary verb must be inverted.

Never  have I been so insulted in my life.

Here are some additional examples.

Standard: I am  rarely  late for class.
Inverted:  Rarely  am I late for class.

Standard: I had  scarcely  sat down when the phone rang.
Inverted:  Scarcely  had I sat down when the phone rang.

The adverb can be replaced with an adverbial phrase as in the examples below:

Standard: You should  on no account  sign this contract without a lawyer.
Inverted:  On no account  should you sign this contract without a lawyer.

Standard: John is  so tall  that he can touch the ceiling.
Inverted:  So tall  is John that he can touch the ceiling.

Accordingly the standard and inverted form of the referenced sentence is:

A recording system was  so secretly installed and operated  in the Kennedy White House that even Theodore C. Sorensen, the White House counsel, did not know it existed.

So secretly installed and operated  was a recording system in the Kennedy White House that even Theodore C. Sorensen, the White House counsel, did not know it existed.

Therefore, Choice E, which does not start with the adverb  so , cannot be the best answer. It is true that the subject and verb have been inverted, but this has been inexpertly done, and the correct meaning and form have been lost.

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

Concepts tested here: Parallelism + Idioms + Grammatical Construction + Redundancy/Awkwardness

• “so A that B” is a correct, idiomatic usage that describes cause (A) and effect (B); furthermore, A and B must be parallel is such usage.

A:  Correct. This answer choice correctly uses the idiomatic construction “so A that B” to describe the cause and effect relationship between the secrecy involved in the installation and operation of a recording system in the Kennedy Oval Office and the fact that even Theodore C. Sorensen did not know it existed. Further, Option A acts upon the independent subject "A recording system" with the active verb phrase "was...installed and operated" to form a complete thought, leading to a complete sentence. Additionally, Option A concisely is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.

B:  This answer choice omits the word “that”, failing to maintain the idiomatic construction “so A that B” to describe the cause and effect relationship between the secrecy involved in the installation and operation of a recording system in the Kennedy Oval Office and the fact that even Theodore C. Sorensen did not know it existed; please remember “so A that B” is a correct, idiomatic usage that describes cause and effect, and A and B must be parallel.

C:  This answer choice fails to maintain parallelism between A (“secret”) and B (“a recording system was installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office”), in the idiom “so A that B”; please remember “so A that B” is a correct, idiomatic usage that describes cause and effect, and A and B must be parallel.

D:  This answer choice omits the word “that”, failing to maintain the idiomatic construction “so A that B” to describe the cause and effect relationship between the secrecy involved in the installation and operation of a recording system in the Kennedy Oval Office and the fact that even Theodore C. Sorensen did not know it existed; please remember “so A that B” is a correct, idiomatic usage that describes cause and effect, where A and B must be parallel. Further, Option D modifies “A recording system” using the past participle modifier phrase “that was so secretly installed and operated”; this modification leads to an incomplete sentence, as the subject “A recording system" has no active verb to act upon it; in other words, the awkward placement of “that” alongside “A recording system” rather than after “Theodore C. Sorensen” renders the sentence incomplete.

E:  This answer choice utilizes the passive voice construction “Installed and operated so secretly in the Kennedy Oval Office was…”, rendering it needlessly indirect and awkward.

Hence, A is the best answer choice.

All the best!
Experts' Global Team

seekmba · Answer

The idiom is so X that Y.

only A fits the bill.

akhil911 · Answer

Hi,
Can anyone explain why e is incorrect.
I understand that it is in the form of an inverted expression but that too can be acceptable.
I am not able to get a convincing answer even after searching a lot on google as to why E is incorrect.

TGC · Answer

The OE in question pack says that

In Option(C) pronoun reference is ambiguous.

However, I do not see any pronoun ambiguity in that option as the case with option(A).

Can anyone highlight the pronoun ambiguity in option (C).

PiyushK · Answer

(C) It was so secret that a recording system was installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office

In option C, reference of pronoun it is not clear.
It is not a place holder. it is interrupted by idiom so... that therefore that clause can not replace it.

If I say it= Plan
Plan was so secret that a recording system was installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office (Plan make sense)

But we can not infer exactly what should be the antecedent of It.

benalisen · Answer

If you are not sure about an inverted sentence, just flip it.

E:
 Installed and operated so secretly in the Kennedy Oval Office  was  a recording system that even Theodore C. Sorensen, the White House counsel, did not know it existed .

Flip it: 
 A recording system that even Theodore C. Sorensen, the White House counsel, did not know it existed  was  installed and operated so secretly in the Kennedy Oval Office .

The flipped version definetely changes the intended meaning.

The original sentence use "so ... that ...." idiom, putting emphasis on "intstalled and operated secretly" and surprizing us with "even Theodore C. Sorensen, the White House counsel, did not know it existed"

The flipped version uses "even Theodore C. Sorensen, the White House counsel, did not know it existed" just to modify "a recording system"

That is why E is wrong.

BillyZ · Answer

kanusha · Answer

A recording system was so secretly installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office that even Theodore C. Sorensen, the White House counsel, did not know it existed.
(A) A recording system was so secretly installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office that
(B) So secret was a recording system installation and operation in the Kennedy Oval Office -  Can recording system itself be secret? 
(C) It  was so secret that a recording system  was installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office : Change meaning 
(D) A recording system that was so secretly installed and operated in the  Kennedy Oval Office.....??Theodore C   
(E) Installed and operated so secretly in the Kennedy Oval Office was a recording system that :  What was operated and installed secretly? Is it kennedy or system 
A

swatihod123 · Answer

+1 for A

A recording system was so secretly installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office that- usage of SO THAT is idiomatic and correct. Other options distort the meaning of the sentence.

shabuzen102 · Answer

Dear Meghna,

According to your explanation, then this version of the sentence is acceptable, isn't it?
"A recording system was installed and operated so secretly (in the Kennedy Oval Office) that...."?

Thanks!

thangvietnam · Answer

one conclusion is that "so...adjective ... that" can not be in the inverted order. we have no reason to eliminate choice E . 
this is old question and we should not study it.

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

The idiomatic structure that we are looking for here is ‘so x that y’… this gives a cause and effect relationship.

Let’s scan the options:

Option A  – Right use of the idiomatic structure. No ambiguity. Let’s hold on to this.

Option B  – missing ‘that’ which does not fulfil the idiomatic structure. Also, not fond of the construction ‘so secret’.  Eliminate.

Option C  – simply put, this does not follow the idiom we are looking for.  Eliminate.

Option D  – Missing verb. This is a fragment.  Eliminate.

Option E  – the change in word order changes the meaning.  Eliminate.  
 
 Option A  is the best choice.

Hope this helps!

jkbk1732 · Answer

I have the same doubt. If anyone cud throw some light on this, it wud be helpful

laurent2143782 · Answer

The best answer i could give my self as to why e is incorrect is that it does not fit the non highlited part correctly.

If you put the whole sentence together with answer choice e) you can see what i am talking about

Installed and operated so secretly in the Kennedy Oval Office was A RECORDING SYSTEM that even Theodore C. Sorensen, the White House counsel, did not know IT existed.

Here the "IT" refers to "Recording system" so we are repeating the noun twice which is a mistake

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Hello  laurent2143782 ,

We hope this finds you well.

Having gone through the question and your comment, we believe we can help resolve your doubts.

The issue with Option E is redundancy and awkwardness brought about by the passive construction "Installed and operated so secretly in the Kennedy Oval Office was a recording system". Please remember, that the active voice is favored on the GMAT, meaning answer choices in the active voice are a bit more likely to be correct. However, this is not to say that passive voice constructions are incorrect; the passive voice and other redundant constructions are demerits on the GMAT but not deal-breakers. Redundancy should only be considered once two or more answer choices have been confirmed to be otherwise error-free.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team

singhall · Answer

A recording system was so secretly installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office that even Theodore C. Sorensen, the White House counsel, did not know it existed. can the it in the sentence refer to the Counsel?

A recording system was so secretly installed and operated in the Kenne

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A recording system was so secretly installed and operated in the Kenne

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