crackGMAT760 wrote:
Hi Verbal Expert, I find this question extremely vague and even after spending 10 minutes trying to understand the answer options, I could make out the only difference between OA and the other options is the idiomatic phrase 'if only'. Could you please help me with more areas of how I can eliminate the other answer options. Also, do such questions come in the GMAT?
I would really appreciate your help! Thanks in advance!
Hello,
crackGMAT760. I am sorry to hear that you downed 10 minutes on this question, but at the same time, I am glad that you are willing to put in the time to understand the question. To answer your second question first (before I forget), this was an official question at one point in time, but I doubt it would appear as such on the GMAT™ today, since, as
EducationAisle has pointed out above, GMAC™ itself seems to have reversed its position on testing the idiom
if only, calling it
stilted and
overly formal. As for my own approach, I did
not use idioms as a guide to point to the correct answer, but I answered (E) in 46 seconds. The reason is that if you read
duplicated facilities in choices (A), (B), and (C) in a literal sense, you will interpret the modifier to mean,
facilities that have been duplicated. That might sound innocent enough, but it is the action of
duplicating facilities that the sentence seems to be passing judgment on. In other words, there is no problem with stepping foot inside a facility that is identical to another, but duplicating facilities, building facilities that are the same (perhaps in both form and function), is shunned here, and choice (E) indicates further that such duplication should be avoided on principle alone (
if only because). Meanwhile, choice (D) opts for an unqualified
while, which in the context of the rest of the sentence suggests
although. Since we are told that
the duplication of facilities should be avoided, a negative, we would expect the first half of the sentence to deliver a positive element to serve as a contrast, but all we see is another negative:
a wasteful use of resources. Thus, in terms of meaning, choice (E) is the only justifiable answer. In short:
spriya wrote:
Building large new hospitals in the bistate area would constitute a wasteful use of resources, on the basis of avoidance of duplicated facilities alone.
(A) on the basis of avoidance of duplicated facilities alone
(B) on the grounds of avoiding duplicated facilities alone
(C) solely in that duplicated facilities should be avoided
(D) while the duplication of facilities should be avoided
(E) if only because the duplication of facilities should be avoided
I hope that helps. If you have further questions, feel free to ask. Good luck with your studies.
- Andrew
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