alanforde800Maximus
Already anxious after watching a horror movie, Michelle mistook
the sound of a backfiring car as the blast of a gunshot.A) the sound of a backfiring car as the blast of a gunshot.
B) a car as it was backfiring for the blast of a gunshot.
C) the sound of a backfiring car for the blast of a gunshot.
D) a car as it was backfiring as the blast of a gunshot.
E) a backfiring car as the blast of a gunshot.
Please assist with above problem.
Dear
alanforde800Maximus,
I'm happy to respond.
First of all, it's important to know the idioms. Here are some free
GMAT idiom flashcards.
The correct idiom with the verb "
to mistake" is "
to mistake X for Y." We need the connector "
for" between the two terms. Only (B) and (C) use "
for," so the other three answers make idiom mistakes.
Choice (B) makes a logic mistake: she doesn't confuse the
car itself for the sound of a gunshot. In the idiom, X & Y have to be comparable things that would be confused.
This leaves (C), which is flawless. It uses the correct idiom and it logically compares one sound to another. This is the OA.
Does all this make sense?
Mike