OFFICIAL EXPLANATIONProject SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC1)
Quote:
Technical writing has been around for as long as there have been written languages, and modern references to technical writing as a profession first appeared only about five decades back.
• Meaning?
→ The sentence suggests contrast, this way:
Although technical writing has been around for a long time, modern references to this technical writing first appeared only about 50 years ago.→ How do we know that contrast is present?
The word in
only in the non-underlined portion.
Used in this way,
only means
merely or
just recently.• Issues?
→ contrast, as I noted above
→ FOR vs. SINCE
For refers to a time period or duration of time: FOR + a period of time
--
Correct:
I have been trying to find my keys for an hour.--
Wrong: I try to find my keys for an hour.
For can be used with every verb tense.
Since refers to when things began or to when an activity started.
SINCE + [a point of time in the past, until now or until another time in the past]
→
Correct:
I have been looking for my keys since this morning. [up to now]
→
Correct: I had not seen my frail aunt since 2015; she had grown thin.→
Wrong: I did not see my frail aunt since 2015; she was thin. (The second clause is okay and could be used in the correct example immediately above this one. The problem is that since cannot be used with simple past tense "did not see.")
Since cannot be used with all verb tenses.
→
Since is used with present perfect tense [HAS/HAVE + verbED] or the past perfect tense [HAD + verbED].
THE OPTIONSQuote:
A) for as long as there have been written languages, and modern references to
• meaning error
We need contrast, as I explained above.
The word
and does not convey contrast.
ELIMINATE A
Quote:
B) since as long as there have been written languages, but modern references to
• Diction error - usage of
sinceThe use of
since to refer to a duration of time is incorrect.
ELIMINATE B
Quote:
C) for so long as there have been written languages, so modern references to
• distorted meaning
→ The second
so, after the comma, creates nonsensical meaning.
So suggests purpose or cause and result.
So means
and for this reason; therefore; with the aim that; in order that.Nonsense. Because technical writing has been around for a long time, modern references to that technical writing began only 50 years ago? No.
The sentence suggests the opposite.
That is, because technical writing has been around for eons, it is strange that modern references to technical writing began only 50 years ago.
•
So long as - wrong meaning and suspect
so long as, IF correct, conveys a
conditional statement ("I will play so long as you don't cheat") , whereas in this sentence the phrase is trying to describe a state of affairs in which Thing ABC has been around for almost the same amount of time as Thing XYZ.
→ use AS . . . AS to say that Thing ABC is as old as XYZ
→ In spoken English,
so long as is often used to convey condition (not the case here), but even in that case, on the GMAT, the phrase is suspect.
ELIMINATE C
Quote:
D) for as long as there have been written languages, but modern references to
• seems correct
→ The use of
for to refer to a duration of time is correct.
→ The use of
but properly captures the contrast inherent in the sentence.
KEEP
Quote:
E) since as long as there have been written languages, and modern references to
• Diction error -- use of
since→ The use of since to refer to a duration of time is incorrect.
• Meaning and contrast error
→ The use of the word
and distorts the meaning of the sentence by eliminating the contrast inherent in it.
ELIMINATE E
The answer is D.COMMENTSThese answers range from very good to excellent.
ramlala , I am bumping you to Best Community Reply.
Nice work, everyone. Stay safe.
close
11 Apr 2021, 00:00
23%
(01:12)
wrong 
