m3equals333 wrote:
thanks, mike, I was confusing things...the rule you described hits the nail on the head
this is the question (finally found it):
since-1966-roughly-21-percent-of-those-enlisted-in-the-usmc-104302.htmlSince 1966, roughly 21 percent of those enlisted in the USMC
had reached an E-5 ranking in fewer than three years.
(A) had reached an E-5 ranking in fewer than three years
(B) have reached an E-5 ranking in less than three years
(C) have reached an E-5 ranking in under three years
(D) had reached an E-5 ranking in less than three years
(E) have reached an E-5 ranking in fewer than three years
Confusing as the author of the thread has the OA as A....
then many people question this and think OA should be E (answer I chose)....
FINALLY, someone references another forum that proves the OA is actually B (and thus employs the exact rule you stated)
Dear Derek,
I'm happy to respond.
First of all, just a request: when you post or repost a GMAT SC question, please underline the appropriate words in the prompt. That's just a common courtesy to whoever reads it.
My friend, you have to understand that not all SC are created equal. Some are good, some are mediocre, and some are abysmal. This is an absolutely horrible SC question. It looks as if someone who doesn't really understand the nuances of the GMAT SC was trying to write a question in that format. In terms of the quality of question-writing craftsmanship, I would give this question a grade of a
D.
The tense split at the beginning is OK. Clearly because this activity has been ongoing since 1966, we need the present perfect ("
have reached"), not the past perfect ("
had reached"). Whoever claimed that the OA is
(A) is completely benighted. Choices
(A) &
(D) are clearly wrong. Among the other three answer choices, there is no good way to choose. Choice
(E) is technically correct, but it sounds awkward. The sentence is talking about a general time period, and what is notable is that some percent has risen to E-5 in
less time than three years. It seems awkward to suggest that advancement to this level could only occur in a discrete integer numbers of years, which is a subtle implication of
(E). Perhaps promotion cycles in the USMC are strictly annual: I don't know. Both
(B) and
(C) are flawless. The question is a very poor question, and is not worth further analysis.
My friend, don't be naive. Just because someone out there has written something that they call a GMAT SC practice question, don't automatically assume that the question is well-written or that it adheres at all to the lofty standards of the GMAT. There are many poorly written SC practice questions out there. In particularly, if you get a question for free, be suspicious. In our world, it often is the case that if something is of high quality, one has to pay for it, and anything offered for free is not as good. That certainly is
not always true 100% of the time, but that's a common pattern. Studying well-crafted questions will prepare you for the GMAT. Studying poorly written questions will not help you, and it may distract you and even give you misinformation. It's important to be discerning in the material you choose.
Does all this make sense?
Mike
close
10 Jul 2014, 22:01
Posted from GMAT ToolKit 
