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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable 08 May 2021, 04:42
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RohitSaluja
Hi VeritasKarishma GMATNinja EducationAisle
Cause this is what option B says
Quote:
so gradual they can be indistinguishable
Show more
Interesting Rohit. I googled this question and some websites mention that following is what option B looks like:

Quote:
(B) so gradual so that they can be indistinguishable
Show more
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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable 08 May 2021, 05:57
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RohitSaluja
Hi VeritasKarishma GMATNinja EducationAisle
Cause this is what option B says
Quote:
so gradual they can be indistinguishable
Interesting Rohit. I googled this question and some websites mention that following is what option B looks like:

Quote:
(B) so gradual so that they can be indistinguishable
Show more

Hi EducationAisle, pleaser refer to the attached image, I have taken this from OG2020 edition, my question is why is B incorrect in this one?
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SC1.PNG
SC1.PNG [ 190.68 KiB | Viewed 3922 times ]

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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable 08 May 2021, 06:12
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RohitSaluja
Hi EducationAisle, pleaser refer to the attached image, I have taken this from OG2020 edition, my question is why is B incorrect in this one?
Show more
At the very east, isn't a that missing in B?

...so...that...

Also, can you let us know what the Official explanation for B is?
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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable 08 May 2021, 08:06
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RohitSaluja
Hi EducationAisle, pleaser refer to the attached image, I have taken this from OG2020 edition, my question is why is B incorrect in this one?
At the very east, isn't a that missing in B?

...so...that...

Also, can you let us know what the Official explanation for B is?
Show more

Hi EducationAisle, attached is the OG explanation. To be honest it didn't make a lot of sense to me.
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Solution.PNG [ 322.15 KiB | Viewed 3499 times ]

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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable 10 May 2021, 01:34
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RohitSaluja
Hi VeritasKarishma GMATNinja EducationAisle

A lot of explanations here mentioned option B is wrong for the reason that so X so Y is not correct idiom but option B does not contain second 'so', where is this second 'so' coming from? am I missing here anything?

Cause this is what option B says
Quote:
so gradual they can be indistinguishable
Show more

It seems their solution is assuming that option (B) has a"that". Even if it does, it is still not the best option.

Note that,
"Shifts are so gradual that they are indistinguishable from ordinary fluctuations..."
is correct.

But
"Shifts are so gradual that they can be indistinguishable from ordinary fluctuations..."
is questionable. The use of 'can' here doesn't make sense. We have already shown the degree of how gradual they are. It should lead to them being indistinguishable.
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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable 10 May 2021, 02:36
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RohitSaluja
Hi EducationAisle, attached is the OG explanation. To be honest it didn't make a lot of sense to me.
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Well, the OE is basically saying that "able" in "indistinguishable" already shows the ability. Hence, the word "can" (to again show ability) is redundant. Quite subtle, I would agree Rohit.

To me, absence of that in B is a bigger red flag.
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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable 02 Jun 2021, 11:11
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I was not able to rule out B here. I know the preferred idiom is "so x as to y", but I thought B was less redundant. I got reminded of the following question:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/an-array-of- ... 56809.html

"An array of tax incentives has led to a boom in the construction of new office buildings; so abundant has capital been for commercial real estate that investors regularly scour the country for areas in which to build."

Why can't we look at B as using "so" in a similar reading, like an intensifier?

"They are so gradual they can be indistinguishable at first...
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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable 19 Nov 2021, 06:45
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GMATNinja Please help. Why isn't D better than A? And is this the only question where "so as to" is considered correct by GMAT?
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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable 01 Dec 2021, 12:23
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GMATNinja Please help. Why isn't D better than A? And is this the only question where "so as to" is considered correct by GMAT?
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The "not" is the biggest problem with choice (D) -- it's hard to figure out what exactly it's doing in that sentence.

At first glance, it seems to be introducing a "not/but" construction (i.e. "not to be distinguishable but to be {something else}"). Of course, the "but" part never comes. So does "gradual enough NOT to be distinguishable" mean the same thing as "NOT gradual enough to be distinguishable"? If so, why not just use the latter instead of sticking a confusing "not" right in the middle?

Because "enough" implies a sufficient degree of something, we expect something like "{adjective} enough {to do/be something}" or "not {adjective} enough to do/be something}." For example, "not quiet enough to soothe the baby" (or "loud enough to disturb the baby") would be better than, "loud enough not to soothe the baby."

The phrase "so as to" isn't inherently WRONG (as proven by this question), so that just means you can't use it as a decision point. In this context, "so as to" basically means "that the result is". In other words: how gradual are the shifts? So gradual that, as a result, the shifts are indistinguishable {...}.

The "so as to" construction might not be common, but in this context, it conveys the meaning clearly and concisely. On the other hand, "{adjective} enough not {to do/be something}" is hard to follow, and that makes it an inferior construction.

That's a fairly subtle idiomatic point, so don't beat yourself up over it too much. There are much bigger fish to fry on this test! :)

I hope that helps a bit!
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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable 16 Apr 2022, 10:58
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This question tests two things: our familiarity with the so [ADJECTIVE] as to [PLAIN FORM] idiom, and our ability to remove options that have preference/meaning errors.

A. Although so as to... (definition 4) is typically used to communicate intention, the so [ADJECTIVE] as to [PLAIN FORM] (definition 1b) in this option is more like a "so that" or ~"with the result that" (~the outcome of something).

economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable from ordinary fluctuations ~ economic shifts are so gradual that they are indistinguishable from ordinary fluctuations

Here's another official question that does the same thing:
Show Spoiler
... the features of which are so unrealistic as to constitute... an "artificial face."

This can be read as "the features are so unrealistic that they constitute an 'artificial face'".
B. Option B is not grammatically incorrect, but there are two reasons to take it out: (a) the GMAT prefers to use a that in so... that and (b) can is not necessary here because the sentence anyway starts with often. That is, given the intended meaning of this sentence, "often, they are X" is better than "often, they can be X".

C. "They are unable to be" is not a very good way of saying "they cannot be" or "they are in-", and attaches some kind of ability/inability to economic shifts, which is unexpected (the shifts are able or unable to do something?).

D. "Not to be distinguishable" is not as good as "indistinguishable". Also, enough to be is typically used when someone or something meets (or does not meet) some required standard or mark. For example: the vaccine was safe enough to be approved or the vaccine was not safe enough to be approved. It seems strange to make to be distinguishable the result of some standard for major economic shifts.

E. This option has the same problem as D, and gradual enough so that would almost certainly be considered unidiomatic on the GMAT.
Show more

AjiteshArun
Sir i still have doubt in option C
isn't this sentence trying to say that economic shifts are unable to be distinguished by someone ,as it is in passive construction so action of unable to be distinguished done by someone so how can we say that shifts kind of lacks ability to distinguished.
please correct me
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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable 16 Apr 2022, 20:12
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AjiteshArun
Sir i still have doubt in option C
isn't this sentence trying to say that economic shifts are unable to be distinguished by someone ,as it is in passive construction so action of unable to be distinguished done by someone so how can we say that shifts kind of lacks ability to distinguished.
please correct me
Show more
Hi saby1410,

It's natural to look at to be and expect a passive (infinitive) construction, because many such constructions start with to be. For example:

1. The question is likely to be solved soon. ← The subject is the question, and the verb is is. To be solved is a (passive) infinitive.

A full infinitive normally takes the form to + {plain form}, but a passive infinitive takes the form to + be + {past participle}. If we know the "doer" of the action, we can stick a by in there:

2. The question is likely to be solved by him soon. ← It's possible to use a by after the passive element here.

In situations where we don't have an action (so we don't have anyone or anything performing or receiving an action either), to be is just to be (be is the {plain form}).

3. The food was so bad as to be inedible. ← Inedible is an adjective here (in other words, there's no action). Because there's no action, there's no way to add a by here "the food was so bad as to be inedible by X".

The adjective just describes a property of the food. We could switch to an action verb and add a "doer" if we wanted to ("the food was so bad that it could not be eaten by anyone"), but we don't have to. That is, both constructions are valid.

Similarly, in this question, indistinguishable is an adjective (in fact, this is the only role that this word can play).

4. ... major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable... ← Again, we could switch to an action verb and add a "doer", but that doesn't mean that we must.

Now for the main point: unable is also an adjective. It's not part of an (action) verb phrase. This means we need to be clear about who or what is unable. For example:

5. He is unable to solve this question. ← "He is unable {to do something}". This is the intended meaning.

6. This question is unable to be solved by him. ← In this one, "This question is unable {to have something done to it}". We may be able to understand what (6) means, but (5) is much, much better.
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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable 19 Sep 2022, 08:56
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I was between A and B, and I finally chose B.
a. There is an idiom there. So … as to … This option is shorter than option b and overall looks fine. (I did not see the idiom though)
b. The problem with option “b”, has nothing to do with grammar. The problem is with the meaning. The word “Can” changes everything because we are not talking about that the graduality of economic shifts has the possibility of making the economic changes indistinguishable. The intended meaning is that they are actually indistinguishable.
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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable 20 Sep 2022, 05:32
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davro
I was between A and B, and I finally chose B.
a. There is an idiom there. So … as to … This option is shorter than option b and overall looks fine. (I did not see the idiom though)
b. The problem with option “b”, has nothing to do with grammar. The problem is with the meaning. The word “Can” changes everything because we are not talking about that the graduality of economic shifts has the possibility of making the economic changes indistinguishable. The intended meaning is that they are actually indistinguishable.
Show more

Hello davro,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, the error in Option B is better described as an idiom error; it incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction “so + cause (“gradual”) + effect (“be indistinguishable”)”, rather than one of the idiomatic constructions “so + cause + as to + effect” or “so + cause + that + effect”; please remember, “so + cause + that + effect” or “so + cause + as to + effect” are some of the preferred constructions for conveying a cause-effect relationship.

To understand the use of "So As To" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):



All the best!
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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable 30 Sep 2022, 07:17
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Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
study
Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable at first from ordinary fluctuations in the financial markets.

(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


SC87460.01
OG2020 NEW QUESTION

Concepts tested here: Idioms + Redundancy/Awkwardness

• “enough + to” is a correct, idiomatic usage; besides, “enough” is used to show “adequacy” and generally not used to show a cause-effect relationship; rather, “so + cause + that + effect” or “so + cause + as to + effect” are some of the preferred constructions for conveying a cause-effect relationship.

A: Correct. This answer choice correctly uses the idiomatic construction “so + cause (“gradual”) + as to + effect (“be indistinguishable”)”. Further, Option A is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.

B: This answer choice incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction “so + cause (“gradual”) + effect (“be indistinguishable”)”, rather than one of the idiomatic constructions “so + cause + as to + effect” or “so + cause + that + effect”; please remember, “so + cause + that + effect” or “so + cause + as to + effect” are some of the preferred constructions for conveying a cause-effect relationship.

C: Trap. This answer choice uses the needlessly wordy phrase “they are unable to be distinguished”, leading to awkwardness and redundancy.

D: This answer choice uses an awkward phrase “enough not to be distinguishable”; “enough” is used to show “adequacy” and generally not used to show a cause-effect relationship. We have a better answer choice in A.

E: This answer choice uses the unidiomatic construction “cause (“gradual”) + enough + so that + effect (“one cannot distinguish them”)”, rather than one of the idiomatic constructions “so + cause + as to + effect” and “so + cause + that + effect”; please remember, “enough” is used to show “adequacy” and generally not used to show a cause-effect relationship; rather, “so + cause + that + effect” or “so + cause + as to + effect” are some of the preferred constructions for conveying a cause-effect relationship.

Hence, A is the best answer choice.

To understand the concept of "So As To" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):



All the best!
Experts' Global Team
Show more

Hi Expert, I cannot understand your reply about choice A compared to the reply provided in that similar question: https://gmatclub.com/forum/technically- ... 68593.html

What actually makes one choice correct and one incorrect in the usage of so...as?

Regards.
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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable 23 Nov 2022, 10:07
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Quote:
Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable at first from ordinary fluctuations in the financial markets.

(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
Show more
Request Experts Reply:
Can we write like something below, please?
**Often major economic shifts are so gradual that they can't be distinguished at first from ordinary fluctuations in the financial markets.

Thanks__
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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable 11 Mar 2023, 06:08
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study
Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable at first from ordinary fluctuations in the financial markets.

(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


SC87460.01
OG2020 NEW QUESTION
Show more

I'm afraid to say that this question is another weird SC question that doesn't make any sense no matter how hard I look at it. yes we can rely on idioms but relying on idioms has never appealed to me.
the intended meaning behind this sentence is " there are major economic shifts that when they happen, appear indistinguishable from ordinary fluctuations" not a single option conveys this message in a clear way.
it's not clear if the action of being "indistinguishable" is on purpose, or it happens as a result.
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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable 12 Mar 2023, 06:40
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joe123x
study
Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable at first from ordinary fluctuations in the financial markets.

(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


SC87460.01
OG2020 NEW QUESTION

I'm afraid to say that this question is another weird SC question that doesn't make any sense no matter how hard I look at it. yes we can rely on idioms but relying on idioms has never appealed to me.
the intended meaning behind this sentence is " there are major economic shifts that when they happen, appear indistinguishable from ordinary fluctuations" not a single option conveys this message in a clear way.
it's not clear if the action of being "indistinguishable" is on purpose, or it happens as a result.
Show more

Hello joe123x,

We hope this finds you well.

One important point to keep in mind on GMAT sentence correction is that you need to look for the "best" answer choice, not a hypothetical "perfect" answer choice. You may feel that all five answer choices convey the intended meaning poorly, but unless any of them are outright incorrect, that is immaterial.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable 22 Aug 2023, 05:23
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study
Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable at first from ordinary fluctuations in the financial markets.

(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


SC87460.01
OG2020 NEW QUESTION
Show more

For the split between A and C.

While the reasons mentioned above by many other experts as to why option C does not work are right. I also wanted to add that when we compare items in any form such as - not A but Y / so X as Y / so X that Y - we should compare the same parts of speech. In this question, so GRADUAL is an adjective and should hence have an adjective on the compared side as well. In option C, this symmetry is broken by adding a clause after "that".

Can any expert please weigh in and let me know of my understanding is correct?
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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable 22 Aug 2023, 05:45
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study
Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable at first from ordinary fluctuations in the financial markets.

(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


SC87460.01
OG2020 NEW QUESTION

For the split between A and C.

While the reasons mentioned above by many other experts as to why option C does not work are right. I also wanted to add that when we compare items in any form such as - not A but Y / so X as Y / so X that Y - we should compare the same parts of speech. In this question, so GRADUAL is an adjective and should hence have an adjective on the compared side as well. In option C, this symmetry is broken by adding a clause after "that".

Can any expert please weigh in and let me know of my understanding is correct?
KarishmaB AndrewN CrackVerbal
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Hello, kop18. I think your approach to the matter is too strict. Just because you see so followed by an adjective does not mean that the sentence is launching into a comparison. I would have no qualms about a sentence that read, I was so hungry that I could have eaten a horse. The clause is simply informing the reader about the degree of hunger the subject experienced. I agree with you that many Experts have commented on answer choice (C) above, and I find those explanations much more helpful collectively than anything I would think to add here.

- Andrew
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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable 22 Aug 2023, 21:13
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Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable at first from ordinary fluctuations in the financial markets.

(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


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OG2020 NEW QUESTION

For the split between A and C.

While the reasons mentioned above by many other experts as to why option C does not work are right. I also wanted to add that when we compare items in any form such as - not A but Y / so X as Y / so X that Y - we should compare the same parts of speech. In this question, so GRADUAL is an adjective and should hence have an adjective on the compared side as well. In option C, this symmetry is broken by adding a clause after "that".

Can any expert please weigh in and let me know of my understanding is correct?
KarishmaB AndrewN CrackVerbal
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In the structures 'so X as Y,' 'so X as to Y' and 'so X that Y,'
X, Y may not be parallel.

X will often be an adjective while Y could be a noun, infinitive or clause.


Here is an extract from my Connectors module:

‘So … as’ is often used for negative comparisons.

Example:
His writing is not so bad as Shane’s. (This is a perfectly acceptable comparison.)

‘So … as to’ is similar to the ‘so … that’ usage but it uses an infinitive ‘be’ instead of the clause used with ‘so that.’ It is considered inferior to the ‘so that’ usage. In GMAT, we will prefer ‘so that’ because it gives us an actual consequence. When dealing with a hypothetical result, ‘so … as to’ could be acceptable.

Example:
Grade A1 diamonds are so rare as to be almost priceless. (This is less preferable usage. Use ‘so … that’ instead, if available.)
She spoke loudly but not so loudly as to get us kicked out. (Acceptable usage since it is a hypothetical result)
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