Some General SC questions

Question

Hello Everyone,

Hopefully this isn't in the wrong section. I looked at the SC section of the forum and it seemes to all be specific SC questions instead of general questions.

My question:

I find that I often have trouble seeing 2/3 splits that are not at the beginning or end of the underlined portion, especially if the underlined portion is very long. How do you guys deal with that? Long underlined portions are definitely the hardest for me because I end up having to read through each answer choice and it takes forever!

Also, in your experience, after you feel like you've "mastered" SC, are you usually able to look at an answer choice and know immediately that its wrong? I find that often times, I will read an AC and basically have to put a ? next to it because it sounds OK and nothing really wrong jumps out at me and I eventually have to return to it and compare it to something else that sounds OK as well. I'm trying to get down to sub 1 minute for SC questions because I know that will help my V score immensely, but as it stands, with any of the more difficult questions, I'm stuck around 1:30.

I'm guessing that my error recognition still needs work, though I'm having trouble really improving further because I've already gone through the MGMAT SC guide multiple times. At this point, I'm trying to just do more problems and I'm hoping that I'm going to miraculously get better at it... Any advice?

Btw, I've done all of the OG12 SCs (and gone back and redid the ones I got wrong with error analysis) and I'm starting on the Verbal Review. I plan on doing the 1000SCs and any other material on the forum I can find after that.

Thanks for the help!

biingaling · Answer

Here is a link from another post explaining what a 2/3 (or 3/2) split is in sentence correction:

Apparently, I need to have been a member for 5 days with 5 posts before I can post URLs... So... I'll copy/paste the info from the other link just in case.

3-2 rule in SC is a way to eliminate obvious wrong answers for a given question. In most of the cases 2 or 3 answer choices are obvious wrong and rest are not. If that is the case, we can outright eliminate the wrong answer choises and focus on rest not so obvious wrong answer choices. Again wrong answer choices can be 2 or 3. for ex lets see the following question:

In the past several years, astronomers have detected more than 80 massive planets, most of them as large or larger than Jupiter, which circle other stars.

A. most of them as large or larger than Jupiter, which circle
B. most of them as large or larger than Jupiter and circling
C. most of them at least as large as Jupiter, circling
D. mostly at least as large as Jupiter, which circle
E. mostly as large or larger than Jupiter, circling

In this example, 3 AC have "most of them" and 2 have "mostly". Considering "most of them" and "mostly", we can eliminate the ACs with "mostly" because "most of them" is better than "mostly". so now we can eliminate 2 ACs, D and E. Now lets focus on A, B, and C. A is wrong because it lacks the correct idiom, which should be "as large as" or larger than". Same with B too. So C should be correct.

Alternatively, we can divide the 5 AC into 2 3 and 2 as per the idiom. if so, the incorrect 3 ACs are A, B and E. If so, we are left with 2 ACs C and D. Between C and D, C is better because the sentence is not talking about the circling of Jupitor rather its about circling of 80 massive planets. so C wins.

wilbase · Answer

Oh, so it's just a way to eliminate wrong answers. Thanks.

mikeCoolBoy · Answer

you have to work on your ability to identify the CORE of the sentence. The core of the sentence is what remains after you eliminate modifiers. Attaching each modifier to what it modifies normally reveals the errors more quickly.

I'll put an example, perhaps not the best one but it's a sentence I just found on the OG, if you have any specific question you'd like to discuss please post it.

Because there are provisions of the new maritime code that provide that even tiny islets can be the basis for claims to the fisheries and oil fields of large sea areas, they have already stimulated  international disputes over uninhabited islands.

A. Because there are provisions of the new maritime code that provide that even tiny islets can be the basis for claims to the fisheries and oil fields of large sea areas, they have already stimulated

B. Because the new maritime code provides that even tiny islets can be the basis for claims to the fisheries and oil fields of large sea areas, it has already stimulated

C. Even tiny islets can be the basis for claims to the fisheries and oil fields of large sea areas under provisions of the new maritime code, already stimulated

D. Because even tiny islets can be the basis for claims to the fisheries and oil fields of large areas under maritime code, this has already stimulated

E. Because even tiny islets can be the basis for claims to the fisheries and oil fields of large areas under provisions of the new maritime code, which is already stimulating

if you analyze the core of the sentence

Because there are provisions  of the new maritime code that provide that even tiny islets can be the basis for claims to the fisheries and oil fields of large sea areas , they have already stimulated  international  disputes  over uninhabited islands

Because there are provisions, they have already stimulated disputes

The sentence is saying that the provisions stimulated the disputes, but the intended meaning is that the new maritime code stimulated the disputes.

Well with this analysis in mind you can find the correct answer choice more quickly.

B. Because the new maritime code provides  that even tiny islets can be the basis for claims to the fisheries and oil fields of large sea areas , it has already stimulated

basically the rephrase

C. Even  tiny  islets can be the basis for claims  to the fisheries and oil fields of large sea areas under provisions of the new maritime code , already stimulated

D) Because even  tiny  islets can be the basis for claims  to the fisheries and oil fields of large areas under maritime code , this has already stimulated

you can't use the pronoun this to refer a whole idea just using comma.

E) Because even  tiny  islets can be the basis for claims  to the fisheries and oil fields of large areas under provisions of the new maritime code, which is already stimulating

here you only have a subordinating clause

Let me know if this helps

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