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KarishmaB
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In the traditional Japanese household, most clothing could be packed 13 Sep 2022, 21:45
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test9032
Hi Experts,

AndrewN GMATNinja MartyTargetTestPrep AjiteshArun RonTargetTestPrep KarishmaB

I ended up marking Option (B) but I'm not certain if I would repeat the feat.

I was stuck between (A), (B) and (C)

And choose (B) because (A) and (C) looked identical

Does that make sense?

Also, when you solve a question like this when it comes down to adjective this or adverb that what should a meaningful take away be?

I have gone through all the posts and the only thing I am noting down is "GMAT is OK with double FANBOYS"

Thank you for taking the time to answer my query
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test9032

There are two ways of joining two independent clauses - either using a semi colon or using a 'comma + coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS)'
'So' is used as a coordinating conjunction but it can also be used as a conjunctive adverb as done here.

A conjunctive adverb links the ideas of the clauses together.

A happened, and B happened.
(no connection between A and B; 'comma + and' just joins two independent clauses together)

A happened, and hence, B happened.
(B happened because A happened. Connection between them. It is still 'and,' the coordinating conjunction, that joins them together )
('Hence' is a conjunctive adverb that shows the connection.)

A happened, so B happened. ('so' joins the two together and is a coordinating conjunction here. It shows connection too.)

A happened, and so, B happened.
(B happened because A happened. Connection between them. It is still 'and,' the coordinating conjunction, that joins them together )
('So' is a conjunctive adverb that shows connection.)

For more on Connectors, check out our Sentence Correction module here:
https://anglesandarguments.com/study-module
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In the traditional Japanese household, most clothing could be packed 17 Dec 2022, 03:58
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Hi experts,

I have gone through the other posts but not able to understand why "flat" is chosen over "flatly". Can someone help?
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In the traditional Japanese household, most clothing could be packed 17 Dec 2022, 08:35
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GMATNinja can you please explain why flat is used and why not flatly.
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In the traditional Japanese household, most clothing could be packed 23 Dec 2022, 10:51
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Dipanjan005
GMATNinja can you please explain why flat is used and why not flatly.
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It's similar to this:

    "The beer was served cold."

You wouldn't say, "The beer was served coldly." That's because the modifier is describing the beer, not the act of serving it (unless, perhaps, the beer was served by a shivering waiter wearing a bathing suit during a snow storm?).

Same thing in (B). "Flat" describes the clothing, not the act of packing it. An adverb would be appropriate if we were trying to describe the manner in which the packing was done ("he quickly packed his bag" or "she carefully packed her bag"). But does it make any sense to say, "he flatly packed his bag"? No -- "flatly" doesn't logically describe the act of "packing".

That's a subtle point in a very old question, so don't stress about it too much!
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In the traditional Japanese household, most clothing could be packed 27 Dec 2022, 22:24
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GMATNinja Thank you for a simple and lovely explaination
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In the traditional Japanese household, most clothing could be packed 03 Feb 2023, 01:40
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KarishmaB so whats teh difference between " so happened" case and " and so happened" case?


KarishmaB
test9032
Hi Experts,

AndrewN GMATNinja MartyTargetTestPrep AjiteshArun RonTargetTestPrep KarishmaB


A happened, so B happened. ('so' joins the two together and is a coordinating conjunction here. It shows connection too.)

A happened, and so, B happened.
(B happened because A happened. Connection between them. It is still 'and,' the coordinating conjunction, that joins them together )
('So' is a conjunctive adverb that shows connection.)

For more on Connectors, check out our Sentence Correction module here:
https://anglesandarguments.com/study-module
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In the traditional Japanese household, most clothing could be packed 28 Nov 2023, 18:47
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ExpertsGlobal5
Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
nakib77
In the traditional Japanese household, most clothing could be packed flatly, and so it was not necessary to have elaborate closet facilities.

(A) flatly, and so it was not necessary to have elaborate closet facilities
(B) flat, and so elaborate closet facilities were unnecessary
(C) flatly, and so there was no necessity for elaborate closet facilities
(D) flat, there being no necessity for elaborate closet facilities
(E) flatly, as no elaborate closet facilities were necessary


Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:
Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this sentence is that since in the traditional Japanese household, most clothing could be packed flat elaborate closet facilities were unnecessary.

Concepts tested here: Meaning + Redundancy/Awkwardness

• “being” is only to be used when it is part of a noun phrase or represents the passive continuous verb tense; the use of passive continuous must be justified in the context.

A: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “packed flatly”; the use of the adverb “flatly” incorrectly implies that in the traditional Japanese household, most clothing could be packed in a flat manner; the intended meaning is in the traditional Japanese household, most clothing could be packed in a way that makes it physically flat. Further, Option A uses the needlessly wordy clause “it was not necessary to have elaborate closet facilities”, leading to awkwardness and redundancy.

B: Correct. This answer choice uses the phrase “packed flat”; the use of the adverb “flat” conveys the intended meaning – that in the traditional Japanese household, most clothing could be packed in a way that makes it physically flat. Moreover, Option C uses the clause “elaborate closet facilities were unnecessary”; the construction of this phrase conveys the intended meaning – that since in the traditional Japanese household, most clothing could be packed flat elaborate closet facilities were unnecessary. Further, Option C is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.

C: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “packed flatly”; the use of the adverb “flatly” incorrectly implies that in the traditional Japanese household, most clothing could be packed in a flat manner; the intended meaning is in the traditional Japanese household, most clothing could be packed in a way that makes it physically flat. Further, Option C uses the needlessly wordy clause “there was no necessity for elaborate closet facilities”, leading to awkwardness and redundancy.

D: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “there being no necessity for elaborate closet facilities”; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that because in a traditional Japanese household there is no necessity for elaborate closet facilities, most clothing could be packed flat; the intended meaning is that since in the traditional Japanese household, most clothing could be packed flat elaborate closet facilities were unnecessary. Further, Option D uses the word “being”, rendering it awkward and needlessly wordy; please remember, “being” is only to be used when it is part of a noun phrase or represents the passive continuous verb tense.

E: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “packed flatly”; the use of the adverb “flatly” incorrectly implies that in the traditional Japanese household, most clothing could be packed in a flat manner; the intended meaning is in the traditional Japanese household, most clothing could be packed in a way that makes it physically flat. Moreover, Option E further alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "as no elaborate closet facilities were necessary"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that because in a traditional Japanese household there is no necessity for elaborate closet facilities, most clothing could be packed flat; the intended meaning is that since in the traditional Japanese household, most clothing could be packed flat elaborate closet facilities were unnecessary.

Hence, B is the best answer choice.

Note: Please note that the usages of “flat” and flatly” as adverbs convey different meanings. When “flatly” is used as an adverb, it conveys that an action was done in a flat, meaning blunt or emotionless, manner; for example, “He flatly explained his decision.” When “flat” is used as an adverb, it conveys that an action was taken to make something physically flat; for example, “He lay flat on the floor.”

To understand the use of "Being" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):



All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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Hi!
There is probably a typo in option B analysis. You mean option B instead of option C I guess. Very minor, I know :P
Thanks!
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