vicky2019 wrote:
papahiroshi wrote:
As he was riding his bike to school, Jimmy
almost was being hit by a speeding ambulance on its way to the hospital.
a) almost was being hit
b) barely escaped being hit
c) came close to the hitting
d) nearly did being hit
e) was just about being hit
This question is from GMAT club Ultimate GMAT Grammar book. It's free! Thanks bb.
barely escaped being hit?
I felt like he barely escaped from being hit means he almost dodged but anyways he got hit by the ambulance.
vicky2019 , I am not sure I understand the confusion.
You may be thinking of
barely as "almost," in which case, true, he did not actually escape being hit.
He almost escaped being hit [but he did not escape].
Barely, though, means
almost NOT.
See the definition
here.The sentence actually says, "He almost did
not escape being hit."
"Almost not" is cumbersome.
An easier way to understand
barely might be to use the synonym
narrowly =
by a small margin. He escaped being hit by a very small margin.
Okay, the distance between him and the ambulance was not wide, but still, he escaped being hit.
These sentences should not be confused:
(1) Affirmative construction:
He almost got hit. -- [He very nearly got hit, but he did not get hit.]
* (2) Negative construction:
He almost did not escape being hit. -- [He very nearly did not
avoid getting hit = he avoided getting hit, but by a narrow margin.]
(3)
He almost escaped being hit. -- [Although he came very close to escaping, he failed to escape. He got hit.]
* (4) He barely escaped being hit.
-- [He avoided getting hit, but only by a small margin.]
Sentences 2 and 4 mean the same thing.
The easiest way to answer this question is to find the four worst answers.
The meaning in (B) may be confusing, but I suspect that you can sense the correct interpretation.
The other four options are disasters.
Hope that helps.
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