Events & Promotions
|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Nov 1912:30 PM EST
-01:30 PM EST
Learn how Keshav, a Chartered Accountant, scored an impressive 705 on GMAT in just 30 days with GMATWhiz's expert guidance. In this video, he shares preparation tips and strategies that worked for him, including the mock, time management, and more
Nov 1811:00 AM PST
-12:00 PM PST
Join us in a live GMAT practice session and solve 30 challenging GMAT questions with other test takers in timed conditions, covering GMAT Quant, Data Sufficiency, Data Insights, Reading Comprehension, and Critical Reasoning questions.
Nov 2001:30 PM EST
-02:30 PM IST
Learn how Kamakshi achieved a GMAT 675 with an impressive 96th %ile in Data Insights. Discover the unique methods and exam strategies that helped her excel in DI along with other sections for a balanced and high score.
Nov 2211:00 AM IST
-01:00 PM IST
Do RC/MSR passages scare you? e-GMAT is conducting a masterclass to help you learn – Learn effective reading strategies Tackle difficult RC & MSR with confidence Excel in timed test environment- Nov 23
11:00 AM IST
-01:00 PM IST
Attend this free GMAT Algebra Webinar and learn how to master the most challenging Inequalities and Absolute Value problems with ease. 
Nov 2407:00 PM PST
-08:00 PM PST
Full-length FE mock with insightful analytics, weakness diagnosis, and video explanations!
Nov 2510:00 AM EST
-11:00 AM EST
Prefer video-based learning? The Target Test Prep OnDemand course is a one-of-a-kind video masterclass featuring 400 hours of lecture-style teaching by Scott Woodbury-Stewart, founder of Target Test Prep and one of the most accomplished GMAT instructors.
Updated on: 03 Jun 2019, 02:56
Originally posted by RaviChandra on 16 Mar 2010, 06:05.
Last edited by Bunuel on 03 Jun 2019, 02:56, edited 2 times in total.
Last edited by Bunuel on 03 Jun 2019, 02:56, edited 2 times in total.
Renamed the topic and edited the question.
Kudos
Bookmarks
A
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
45%
(medium)
Question Stats:
56% (00:53) correct
44%
(01:04)
wrong
based on 2539
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Climatic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable at first from ordinary fluctuations in the weather.
(A) so gradual as to be indistinguishable
(B) so gradual they can be indistinguishable
(C) so gradual that they are unable to be distinguished
(D) gradual enough not to be distinguishable
(E) gradual enough so that one cannot distinguish them
(A) so gradual as to be indistinguishable
(B) so gradual they can be indistinguishable
(C) so gradual that they are unable to be distinguished
(D) gradual enough not to be distinguishable
(E) gradual enough so that one cannot distinguish them
21 Oct 2013, 11:43
Kudos
Bookmarks
LucyDang
Dear Lucy,
I'm happy to help.
You may find this blog helpful.
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/gmat-idiom ... nsequence/
The correct idioms include
"so gradual as to ..."
"so gradual that ..."
"such [a noun] that ..."
Here ----
(A) correct, and a particularly elegant phrasing
(B) the word "that" is missing, so this is, in GMAT-terms, unacceptable
(C) grammatically correct, but awkward, wordy, and indirect; rewording to introduce the passive voice is not desirable
(D) not a correct idiom --- we need one of the idioms of consequence listed above ----
(E) grammatically correct, but awkward, wordy, and indirect; no reason to rephrase to introduce the indefinite pronoun "one"
Technically, (A) & (E) are both grammatically and idiomatically correct, and both say the same thing --- it's just that (A) says it far more elegantly, whereas (E) is roundabout and awkwardly wordy. Choice (D) would pass in American colloquial English, but it's not formal enough for GMAT standards --- it doesn't follow one of the formally recommended idioms for this situation.
Does all this make sense?
Mike
20 Mar 2010, 21:21
Kudos
Bookmarks
Climatic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable at first from ordinary fluctuations in the weather.
(A) so gradual as to be indistinguishable
ANSWER: This uses the idiom correctly. "So gradual as to be indistinguishable" is correct. We can say "His work is so famous as to be a cliché."
(B) so gradual they can be indistinguishable
PROBLEM: We need something after "gradual" to segue here. For example "that" or "as".
(C) so gradual that they are unable to be distinguished
PROBLEM: No reason to use the passive voice on "distinguished", because we don't know who is doing the distingushing. Also, "they are unable" makes it sound like they're TRYING to be distinguished, and can't do it.
(D) gradual enough not to be distinguishable
PROBLEM: There's no reason to use "enough" here. It marks a subtle shift in meaning. We want to emphasize that shikts are so gradual that we can't tell the difference between them and ordinary fluctuations. This version, with "enough", makes it sound very direct, as if there's some level of "gradual-ness" that makes shifts indistinguishable from ordinary fluctuations. Finally, putting the not in there instead of the word "indistinguishable" confuses things. It would be weird to say "I am tired enough not to be able to stay awake on my feet" as opposied to "I am tired enough to fall asleep on my feet".
(E) gradual enough so that one cannot distinguish them
PROBLEM: Even worse than above. We still have enough, but we've also added an unnecessary pronoun ("one")
(A) so gradual as to be indistinguishable
ANSWER: This uses the idiom correctly. "So gradual as to be indistinguishable" is correct. We can say "His work is so famous as to be a cliché."
(B) so gradual they can be indistinguishable
PROBLEM: We need something after "gradual" to segue here. For example "that" or "as".
(C) so gradual that they are unable to be distinguished
PROBLEM: No reason to use the passive voice on "distinguished", because we don't know who is doing the distingushing. Also, "they are unable" makes it sound like they're TRYING to be distinguished, and can't do it.
(D) gradual enough not to be distinguishable
PROBLEM: There's no reason to use "enough" here. It marks a subtle shift in meaning. We want to emphasize that shikts are so gradual that we can't tell the difference between them and ordinary fluctuations. This version, with "enough", makes it sound very direct, as if there's some level of "gradual-ness" that makes shifts indistinguishable from ordinary fluctuations. Finally, putting the not in there instead of the word "indistinguishable" confuses things. It would be weird to say "I am tired enough not to be able to stay awake on my feet" as opposied to "I am tired enough to fall asleep on my feet".
(E) gradual enough so that one cannot distinguish them
PROBLEM: Even worse than above. We still have enough, but we've also added an unnecessary pronoun ("one")
