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According to some critics, watching television not only undermines one

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CrackverbalGMAT

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04 May 2020, 23:51

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This question tests the idiom ‘not only… but also’ and parallelism.

Let’s scan the options and eliminate the incorrect options:

A. not only undermines one's ability to think critically but also impairs one's

B. not only undermines one's ability of critical thinking but also impairs the

C. undermines not only one's ability to think critically but also impairs one's

D. undermines not only one's ability of critical thinking but also impairs the

E. undermines one's ability not only to think critically but also impairs one's

Option A uses the correct idiom ‘not only… but also’. Further, it maintains the parallelism. We can keep this for now.

Option B says ‘ability of critical thinking’ and does not observe parallelism. Eliminate.

Option C is not parallel even though it uses the right idiom. The placement of ‘not only’ after ‘undermines’ breaks the parallelism. Eliminate.

Option D has the same error as Option C. the position of ‘not only’ after the word ‘undermines’ upsets the parallelism.
Also, ‘ability of critical thinking’ is not parallel with ‘ability to perceive’. Eliminate.

Option E does not follow parallelism. The phrases ‘to think critically’ and ‘impairs one’s ability are not parallel. Eliminate.

Option A is the best option.

Hope this helps!

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04 Aug 2020, 22:21

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CrackVerbalGMAT

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What about the use of "the" in option B and D? Does "the" distort parallelism and meaning in any way?

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07 Aug 2020, 14:37

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EatMyDosa

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What about the use of "the" in option B and D? Does "the" distort parallelism and meaning in any way?

Hello EatMyDosa!

Check out our explanation on page 1, where we show you where the parallelism issues arise in all the options (hint: yes, the word "the" is part of the parallelism problem)!

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12 Aug 2020, 19:28

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A. not only undermines one's ability to think critically but also impairs one's
Best option

B. not only undermines one's ability of critical thinking but also impairs the
(1) “…not only undermines ONE’S ability…but impairs THE overall…” – lacks parallelism; (2) “ability of critical thinking…” – incorrect idiom; “ability to think” would be the preferred

C. undermines not only one's ability to think critically but also impairs one's
(1) “…undermines not only one’s ability to…but also impairs one’s…” – lacks parallelism

D. undermines not only one's ability of critical thinking but also impairs the
(1) “undermines not only one’s…but also impairs…” – lacks parallelism; (2) “ability of critical thinking…” – incorrect idiom; “ability to think” would be the preferred

E. undermines one's ability not only to think critically but also impairs one's
(1) “…undermines one’s ability not only to…but also impairs one’s…” – lacks parallelism

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29 Sep 2020, 13:20

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Bunuel

According to some critics, watching television not only undermines one's ability to think critically but also impairs one's overall ability to perceive.

A. not only undermines one's ability to think critically but also impairs one's

B. not only undermines one's ability of critical thinking but also impairs the

C. undermines not only one's ability to think critically but also impairs one's

D. undermines not only one's ability of critical thinking but also impairs the

E. undermines one's ability not only to think critically but also impairs one's

NEW question from GMAT® Official Guide 2019

(SC01527)

The sentence checked the uses the not only ... but also idiom. Same form of the sentence is used after not only and but also. Here verbs are used. The original sentence is correct.
A. Correct.
B. It comes with other mistakes. Ability + to is correct, but here ability + of is used.
C. One's is placed after not only, on the other hand after but also impairs (verb) is placed.
D. Mistakes C and B both are here.
E. Idiomatic problem.

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12 Oct 2020, 14:12

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DON'T MEMORISE IDIOM, USE LOGIC HERE!

ability to vs ability of:

Answer choice (B) incorrectly uses the idiom ability of critical thinking. The phrase ability of indicates a possessive, for example,
the defensive ability of the Golden State Warriors is unmatched.
In this sentence (option B), critical thinking is the ability itself, not the possessor of said ability, so the proper idiom is ability to think critically.

In other words:

Critical thinking is an ability. So if you say,

ability of critical thinking, you are just saying "ability of an ability"--->redundant, NONSENSE.

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14 Oct 2020, 02:56

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Bunuel

NEW question from GMAT® Official Guide 2019

(SC01527)

Answer A

Clear use of Parallelism and use of Not Only X , But also Y.

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23 Jan 2022, 09:31

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AjiteshArun GMATNinja
sir please explain why the usage of "ability of" is incorrect in option B
one's ability of critical thinking
isn't ability of critical thinking belongs to one's

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23 Jan 2022, 23:44

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saby1410

AjiteshArun GMATNinja
sir please explain why the usage of "ability of" is incorrect in option B
one's ability of critical thinking
isn't ability of critical thinking belongs to one's

Hi saby1410,

Unfortunately, this is a question of idiom. Ability to is the appropriate structure here, and we can't use ability of to achieve the same objective. In fact, as far as I know, we use ability of only to get to "whose?", as in "the ability of the animal to go without food for...". In option B, critical thinking is not the answer to "whose?", and so we can't use of with ability.

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24 Jan 2022, 05:37

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saby1410

AjiteshArun GMATNinja
sir please explain why the usage of "ability of" is incorrect in option B
one's ability of critical thinking
isn't ability of critical thinking belongs to one's

Hello saby1410,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, as AjiteshArun has written, "ability to" is the correct idiom for referring to the ability itself; "ability of" is used to denote who possesses the ability.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
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09 Sep 2022, 13:54

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saby1410

AjiteshArun GMATNinja
sir please explain why the usage of "ability of" is incorrect in option B
one's ability of critical thinking
isn't ability of critical thinking belongs to one's

I'll echo Ajitesh's wise words here. There's no avoiding the idiom. But let's try to come up with a couple arguments in favor of "ability to" over "ability of" and, more importantly, of (A) vs (B).

First off, "ability of [X]" implies that the ability belongs to [X] (as in, "The insatiable gluttony of Charles..."):

"The integrity of the airplane's aluminum body depends on the ability of the material to resist corrosion." - In this case, the ability belongs to the material, so the "of" makes a lot of sense.
"The wizard has the ability of disappearing." - By the same logic, the "of" suggests that the ability belongs to disappearing, and that of course doesn't make sense.
Likewise, "ability of critical thinking" seems to suggest that "critical thinking" has an ability, and that doesn't work.

Notice in the first example above that we used, "ability TO resist corrosion", since we're talking about the material's ability to DO something (resist corrosion). Similarly, it would be more natural to say, "the wizard has the ability TO disappear," or, "one has the ability TO think critically."

Is that an ironclad rule or a reason to eliminate (B) right away? No, but it's a small vote in favor of (B) over (A).

Additionally, the change from "one's" to "the" in choice (B) leaves the reader wondering why "the" was used. Are we, in fact talking about the same hypothetical individual's ability? Or are we referring to some broader overall ability to perceive? Perhaps by society in general, for example?

The word "the" in (B) leaves us questioning the intended meaning, while the "one's" in (A) makes it clear that we are talking about (1) the hypothetical individual's ability to think critically and (2) the same hypothetical individual's overall ability to perceive.

No smoking guns, but we have enough small votes against (B) to safely eliminate it.

I hope that helps!

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Correlative conjunctions must be parallel.

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21 Nov 2022, 02:45

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Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

Bunuel

Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:
Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended core meaning of this sentence is that watching television not only undermines one's ability to think critically but also impairs one's overall ability to perceive.

Concepts tested here: Meaning + Parallelism + Idioms

• “ability + to” is the preferred construction for referring to the nature of the ability, and “ability + of” is used to refer to the entity that possesses the ability.
• “not only A but also B” is the correct, idiomatic usage; A must be parallel to B.

A: Correct.
1/ The sentence formed by this answer choice uses the phrase "one's overall ability to perceive", conveying the intended meaning - that watching television impairs the ability to perceive of the one watching television.
2/ Option A correctly maintains parallelism between A ("undermines one's ability to think critically") and B ("impairs one's overall ability to perceive") in the idiomatic construction "not only A but B".
3/ Option A uses "ability + to" - the preferred construction - to refer to the nature of the ability.

B:
1/ The sentence formed by this answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "the ability to perceive"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that watching television impairs a general ability to perceive; the intended meaning is that watching television impairs the ability to perceive of the one watching television.
2/ Option B uses the construction "ability + of" to refer to the nature of an ability; remember, “ability + to” is the preferred construction for referring to the nature of the ability, and “ability + of” is used to refer to the entity that possesses the ability.

C:
1/ This answer choice fails to maintain parallelism between A ("one's ability to think critically") and B ("impairs one's overall ability to perceive") in the idiomatic construction "not only A but B"; remember, “not only A but also B” is the correct, idiomatic usage; A must be parallel to B.

D:
1/ The sentence formed by this answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "the ability to perceive"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that watching television impairs a general ability to perceive; the intended meaning is that watching television impairs the ability to perceive of the one watching television.
2/ Option D fails to maintain parallelism between A ("one's ability of critical thinking") and B ("impairs the overall ability to perceive") in the idiomatic construction "not only A but B"; remember, “not only A but also B” is the correct, idiomatic usage; A must be parallel to B.
3/ Option D uses the construction "ability + of" to refer to the nature of an ability; remember, “ability + to” is the preferred construction for referring to the nature of the ability, and “ability + of” is used to refer to the entity that possesses the ability.

E:
1/ This answer choice fails to maintain parallelism between A ("to think critically") and B ("impairs one's overall ability to perceive") in the idiomatic construction "not only A but B"; remember, “not only A but also B” is the correct, idiomatic usage; A must be parallel to B.

Hence, A is the best answer choice.

All the best!
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