Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission : Sentence Correction (EA only)

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Re: Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission [#permalink]

05 Feb 2015, 08:17

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Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic merit[/u] is a relatively recent phenomenon, beginning only after World War II.

A. Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic merit
although 'it' initially may seem odd, but it clearly refers to the clause in 2nd part of the sentence.. correct as it is..

B. Though it is now taken for granted by most people, the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities based on academic merit
two errors..
1) it is in passive voice and we have an active voice available in choices
2) changes the meaning by changing ' the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic ' to ' the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities based on academic '

C. Now taken for granted by most people, colleges and universities admitting students based on their academic merit
wrongly constructed

D. Most take them for granted now, but the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities based on their academic merit
them refers to singular the admission.. also changes meaning as in B

E. Most people now take for granted that colleges and universities admit students nationally based on academic merit, and it
The original shows contrast and here it removes the contrast..also improper construction

so ans A...

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Re: Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission [#permalink]

26 Oct 2012, 05:38

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iamitgoyal wrote:

What is difference between phrases used in option A "Though most people take it for granted now" and option B "Though it is now taken for granted by most people," ?

Which one of these is more appropriate to use ? Or both are good to use in this context.?

Please help me on this

Apart from A being Active (which is preferred) and B being passive, I guess there is a slight change in the meaning as well.
A states that "Nationwide admission" of students - meaning admission of students happening in a Nation, while B states that - admission of "Nationwide Students". This change in position of "nationwide" in B implies that the admission of students is restricted to students of a Nation, not that admissions are hapening nationwide (as in A).

I hope I was able to explain this properly.

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Re: Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission [#permalink]

29 Oct 2012, 22:23

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brooksbrahs wrote:

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Can someone post a pointer as to how to distinguish between active and passive voice in this example? I know active is when X is doing the action whereas passive is when X has something done to it. I'm just not seeing it in this example.

Active - people take it for granted now... X performs action Y
Passive - it is taken for granted by people... action Y is performed by X

Hope this helps.

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Re: Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission [#permalink]

26 Apr 2013, 02:19

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A Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic merit --- correct modification and reference for the pronoun -it- .

B Though it is now taken for granted by most people, the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities based on academic merit ----Wrong word choice --- Can the phrase nationwide students be defined? Are there any non-nationwide students?

C Now taken for granted by most people, colleges and universities admitting students based on their academic merit ----Colleges are taken to be granted; wrong modification

D Most take them for granted now, but the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities based on their academic merit --- 1. same error as in B 2. The word taken is missing. With -them- referring to students, choice implies that the students are for granted now. The meaning is muddled.

E Most people now take for granted that colleges and universities admit students nationally based on academic merit, and it ---- the use of –and- spoils the essence of the contrast that the original intended to expose.

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Re: Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission [#permalink]

31 Jul 2021, 16:35

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Archit3110

First, it's quite common to have noun modifiers precede the noun they modify. The GMAT does this all the time! However, this is not a modifier question. "Though most people take it for granted" is a dependent clause, not a modifier. It's a clause because it has a subject and a verb (subject: most people, verb: take), and it's dependent because of the "though" at the beginning.

Now your real question is about "it," which is a pronoun, not a modifier. It is more common to see pronouns used after the noun, but this isn't a rule. The meaning just needs to be clear. So I can say "Although she majored in physics, Lynn teaches biology," or "Lynn teaches biology, although she majored in physics." As long as it's clear enough what the pronoun stands for, order is not an issue.

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Re: Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission [#permalink]

30 Oct 2012, 10:01

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Quote:

Free kudos point:

Can someone post a pointer as to how to distinguish between active and passive voice in this example? I know active is when X is doing the action whereas passive is when X has something done to it. I'm just not seeing it in this example.

A. Though most people take it for granted now - people [subject] are doing action [taking for granted]

B Though it is now taken for granted[action done] by most people[subject] - passive

BY subject - indicates passive voice.

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Re: Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission [#permalink]

30 Oct 2012, 11:51

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iamitgoyal wrote:

Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic merit is a relatively recent phenomenon, beginning only after World War II.

A Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic merit

B Though it is now taken for granted by most people, the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities based on academic merit

C Now taken for granted by most people, colleges and universities admitting students based on their academic merit

D Most take them for granted now, but the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities based on their academic merit

E Most people now take for granted that colleges and universities admit students nationally based on academic merit, and it

Assuming that people here may easily reduce their choices to A and B, so I am discussing these two only.
On reading the not underlined part, one may notice that "its a recent phenomenon". Since we are supposed to show a contast, we can do so by the use of any contrasting word. Also notice the use of "now". In A it is emphasizing on time sequence, but in B it is emphasizing on the number of people.
Since we are supposed to draw a contrast between the not underlined part and the underlined part, hence A is preferred.
Hope that helps.
-s

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Re: Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission [#permalink]

04 Feb 2016, 06:50

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Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic merit[/u] is a relatively recent phenomenon, beginning only after World War II.

A. Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic merit
although 'it' initially may seem odd, but it clearly refers to the clause in 2nd part of the sentence.. correct as it is..

B. Though it is now taken for granted by most people, the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities based on academic merit
two errors..
1) it is in passive voice and we have an active voice available in choices
2) changes the meaning by changing ' the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic ' to ' the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities based on academic '

C. Now taken for granted by most people, colleges and universities admitting students based on their academic merit
wrongly constructed

D. Most take them for granted now, but the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities based on their academic merit
them refers to singular the admission.. also changes meaning as in B

E. Most people now take for granted that colleges and universities admit students nationally based on academic merit, and it
The original shows contrast and here it removes the contrast..also improper construction

so ans A...

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Re: Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission [#permalink]

04 Feb 2016, 21:50

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debbiem wrote:

chetan2u wrote:

Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic merit[/u] is a relatively recent phenomenon, beginning only after World War II.

A. Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic merit
although 'it' initially may seem odd, but it clearly refers to the clause in 2nd part of the sentence.. correct as it is..

B. Though it is now taken for granted by most people, the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities based on academic merit
two errors..
1) it is in passive voice and we have an active voice available in choices
2) changes the meaning by changing ' the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic ' to ' the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities based on academic '

C. Now taken for granted by most people, colleges and universities admitting students based on their academic merit
wrongly constructed

D. Most take them for granted now, but the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities based on their academic merit
them refers to singular the admission.. also changes meaning as in B

E. Most people now take for granted that colleges and universities admit students nationally based on academic merit, and it
The original shows contrast and here it removes the contrast..also improper construction

so ans A...

Need a guidance on the Correct choice..
Is the construction : A. Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide [color=#007236]admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic merit .[/color] not wrong??

The verb ED modifier 'BASED" incorrectly modifies university and not admission.. BASED ON MERIT should modify admissions and not university.

mikemcgarry egmat Need help

Hi,
you arre correct that "based on merit" modifies "admissions" but just not 'admissions',
It modifies the entire phrase "the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities"
we are talking specifically about the admissions to colleges and universities..

Even if we say it modifies only admission, what can you replace it with..
1) "to college and universities", but this also modifies admissions
2) " of students", but this also modifies admissions..

you try and shift this closer to admissions..
1) Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission based on academic merit of students to colleges and universities.
Now we donot know whose admission are we talking of..
2) Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission of students based on academic merit to colleges and universities.
this too does not make sense..

so the choice A is written correctly..

Hope it helps you

B

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Re: Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission [#permalink]

14 Apr 2019, 13:47

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bsd_lover wrote:

OA is A :

The original sentence begins with an opening modifier that correctly modifies the nationwide admission of students.

(A) CORRECT. This choice is correct as it repeats the original sentence.

(B) The use of the initial modifier in this choice is correct. However, the adjective “nationwide” is incorrectly applied to students, when it is meant to apply to the admission process.

(C) Here, the modifier is adjacent to the subject “colleges and universities,” incorrectly suggesting that colleges and universities are taken for granted as opposed to the admission process.

(D) This sentence incorrectly uses the pronoun “them” to refer to the “admission” which is a singular subject. The use of the pronoun “their” is also unclear as the antecedent could be construed to be “colleges and universities” as opposed to the intended antecedent, "students."

(E) Using the word "and" at the end of the underline makes the meaning of this sentence less clear by failing to draw an appropriate contrast between the current state of taking the nationwide admission of students for granted and the fact that it is a relatively recent phenomenon. A more appropriate word choice would be "but": "Most people now take for granted..., but it is a relatively recent phenomenon."

The reasoning given by manhattan prep for why C is wrong is fallacious.

For C, the modifier is not modifying "colleges and universities" just because that's the immediate noun after the comma. It's modifying the whole complex noun phrase "colleges and universities admitting students based on their academic merit", which is the subject of the sentence as whole and what the verb "is" is referring to. It pertains to the action as a whole: "admitting" as a gerund, which has a subject of "colleges and universities", direct object of "students" and adverbial modifier "based on their merit"

I've reported this to manhattan prep directly, and I've seen many online resources repeat this same explanation, when it might not be grammatically accurate. I hope anyone reading this can see this and see that the official reasoning given for why C is wrong is not true.

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Re: Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission [#permalink]

16 Dec 2019, 09:50

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Quote:

Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic merit is a relatively recent phenomenon, beginning only after World War II.

(A) Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic merit

(B) Though it is now taken for granted by most people, the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities based on academic merit

(C) Now taken for granted by most people, colleges and universities admitting students based on their academic merit

(D) Most take them for granted now, but the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities based on their academic merit

(E) Most people now take for granted that colleges and universities admit students nationally based on academic merit, and it

Quote:

aniket wrote
1. Can "it" refer to a noun phrase? As far as I know "it" can refer only to nouns / pronouns. "That" can refer to a noun phrase and not "it"
2. As far as I can comprehend, the question is trying to say that "the phenomenon of admissions based on academic merit" is a relatively recent and not just the "nationwide admissions".
3. "colleges and universities admitting students based on their academic merit" - isn't this a noun phrase that can modify "Now taken for granted by most people"

1. I am afraid that you may be misinterpreting the intent of the question. What is the relatively new phenomenon? It is not just the admission to the colleges. Colleges and universities admitting students on merit happened randomly in some Institutes across the country. However, this happening nationwide is recent phenomenon. That is the reason the 'it' means nationwide admission and not anything else. You see the nationwide admission is a single unit and therefore appropriate.
2. With reference to your second query:. That admissions prior to the war were not on national level is what the passage is trying to imply. The new phenomenon is indeed the nationwide admissions. That is the meant subject and modifyee
3. A modifier modifies a noun, a noun, a verb, or a clause. In your query what is the role of the modified part "now taken for granted"? Is it a noun or a verb? In addition, choice C is missing the core of the theme, namely the nationwide admission' altogether.

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Re: Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission [#permalink]

09 Aug 2021, 12:40

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pk6969 wrote:

applecrisp wrote:

Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic merit is a relatively recent phenomenon, beginning only after World War II.

(A) Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic merit

(B) Though it is now taken for granted by most people, the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities based on academic merit

(C) Now taken for granted by most people, colleges and universities admitting students based on their academic merit

(D) Most take them for granted now, but the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities based on their academic merit

(E) Most people now take for granted that colleges and universities admit students nationally based on academic merit, and it

In the correct answer choice A, "based" is a modifier and its modifying universities as per the sentence (because past participle modifiers modify preceding noun), but it needs to modify admission, which is actually based on academic merit. So, In A is this construction correct? can ed modifier skip over couple of nouns to make sense?

Here's one way to look at it.

"Based on academic merit" modifies the entire noun phrase that precedes it, "admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities."

Furthermore, since "based on academic merit" would not logically modify "colleges and universities," logic indicates that the target of "based on academic merit" is "admission." Thus, the meaning conveyed is clear.

So, yes, while the sentence is not ideally constructed and a little awkward, that modifier placement is basically fine.

B

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Re: Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission [#permalink]

09 Aug 2021, 13:02

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I think C has a modifier issue. +Now taken for granted...+ Seems to modify subject that is +schools and colleges+ . Schools and colleges aren't taken for granted. Its that process . Jitu20

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Re: Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission [#permalink]

26 Oct 2012, 00:49

What is difference between phrases used in option A "Though most people take it for granted now" and option B "Though it is now taken for granted by most people," ?

Which one of these is more appropriate to use ? Or both are good to use in this context.?

Please help me on this

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Re: Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission [#permalink]

29 Oct 2012, 15:44

Free kudos point:

Can someone post a pointer as to how to distinguish between active and passive voice in this example? I know active is when X is doing the action whereas passive is when X has something done to it. I'm just not seeing it in this example.

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Re: Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission [#permalink]

30 Oct 2012, 10:08

Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic merit is a relatively recent phenomenon, beginning only after World War II.

A Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic merit- short,crisp and correct :-D

B the admission of nationwide students - changes meaning

C passive, wordier,incorrect

D Most take them for granted now, but the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities based on their academic merit them refers to admission, singular/plural issue

E Most people now take for granted that colleges and universities admit students nationally based on academic merit, and it it refers to academic merit

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Re: Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission [#permalink]

26 Apr 2013, 19:46

Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic merit is a relatively recent phenomenon, beginning only after World War II.

A Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission of students to colleges and universities based on academic merit
Correct.

B Though it is now taken for granted by most people, the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities based on academic merit
Wrong. Passive voice. Also, correct idiom is "take it for granted", not "is taken for granted by"

C Now taken for granted by most people, colleges and universities admitting students based on their academic merit
Wrong modifier.

D Most take them for granted now, but the admission of nationwide students to colleges and universities based on their academic merit
Wrong. The admission is singular.

E Most people now take for granted that colleges and universities admit students nationally based on academic merit, and it
Wrong. "It" is unclear.

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Re: Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission [#permalink]

26 Apr 2013, 19:46

GMAT Sentence Correction (EA only) Questions

Though most people take it for granted now, the nationwide admission