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17 Sep 2019, 02:10
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D
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
15%
(low)
Question Stats:
77% (01:22) correct
23%
(01:36)
wrong
based on 634
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Henri Becquerel, who shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Nuclear Physics, is credited with the discovery that the radiation emitted by uranium salts depended not on an external source of energy but were emanating spontaneously from the uranium itself.
A) depended not on an external source of energy but were emanating spontaneously
B) depended not on an external source of energy but had emanated spontaneously
C) has not depended on an external source of energy but rather spontaneously emanated
D) does not depend on an external source of energy but spontaneously emanates
E) did not depend on an external energy source but emanate spontaneously
17 Sep 2019, 02:11
Kudos
Bookmarks
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
• NOTES
In each incorrect option, all bullet points after the first one assume that you did not see the concept I point out in the first bullet point.
I did not mark answers in red as usual because there was too much overlap.
PROCESS OF ELIMINATION
THE PROMPT
THE OPTIONS
-- Scientific facts are described by verbs in the present tense, even if the truth was discovered or announced in the past.
-- The verb depended should be depends
• Parallelism (if depended were correct, which it is not) + Idiom: Not X But Y → → Not on X but on Y
-- the construction after but should be the same as it is after not
-- the preposition ON should be repeated after "but." The preposition is not repeated.
-- Given the sentence structure, ON cannot be repeated. This version repeats ON after "but," and it is absurd:
[depended] not ON an external source of energy [X] but ON were emanating [Y]
• S/V agreement: radiation . . . WAS emanating, not were
• Verbs, tense: "were [WAS] emanating spontaneously" does not make sense, period, and does not make sense with "depended not on."
Eliminate A
• Parallelism + Idiom: same problem as that in option A. The preposition ON follows not. It should follow but.
-- not on an external source .. AND. ... but had emanated are not parallel
• Verb choice: had emanated: illogical.
-- Past perfect indicates that the action stopped. at some point before an event in the past.
-- Radiation had emanated from the uranium itself for awhile . . . but the radiation just stopped emanating? Nonsense.
Eliminate B
• Idiom and parallelism? Same problem as that in A and B. The preposition ON should be repeated after BUT.
-- the sentence structure makes repeating ON impossible:
Radiation . . . has not depended on X [external source] but rather [ON] spontaneously emanated from the uranium itself? No. Nonsensical.
• verb tense: has not depended on is not parallel to emanated from
Eliminate C
• Idiom and parallelism: this part gets interesting—and, I think, too complicated. (There's an easier way to assess whether D is correct)
-- The phrase does not depend is parallel to but emanates — both verbs are in present tense.
-- Negation and parallelism together, though, are really hard, so if that part does not make sense, don't worry.
-- It's okay that the preposition ON is still in the first half of the comparison because verbs are the focus in this option. The sentence has been rearranged so that the preposition does not need to be repeated.
• Easier than parallelism: does this thing make sense? A, B, and C do not (and neither does E).
Radiation does not depend on an external source of energy but spontaneously emanates from the uranium itself.
Translate: The radiation emitted by uranium salts requires no external source and instead spontaneously emanates from the uranium itself.
KEEP
• emanate should be emanated (did not depend is past tense; emanate is present tense. Not parallel.)
• HIGHLIGHTS
Because this sentence describes a scientific fact, we have a rare 4-1 split.
I did not catch the split until I considered (D), but if you pay attention to the prompt, it's clear what kind of verbs you need (present tense).
I didn't use the idiom, either.
I saw that verbs were at issue, so I focused on them and read for meaning.
The posts on this thread reflect all three approaches (noting scientific fact, considering idiom, and considering verbs).
My point is that you can get to the right answer using at least three approaches.
It's okay to miss the most efficient approach—as long as you do not let yourself get stuck.
Keep your mind moving. If you cannot decide, move to a different issue.
I stumbled on a post I really like. This post, here, is about strategy in SC. The author takes the same view that I do: in SC, if you can't choose in a few seconds, move to a different issue.
ahabib , yes, official questions do present 4-1 splits.
That split is not common, of course. And you had better know your concepts really well, whether they be idiom, verb tenses in certain contexts, or parallelism.
Are official questions with 4-1 splits easy to find? No.
I did remember one immediately: this one, HERE. (only one construction is possible and you can figure that out before you look at the answers)
I spent more than an hour scanning official guides and verbal reviews. You all can do the same thing. (It's the best way to absorb SC patterns.)
I've never looked through guides for 4-1 splits before.
Another 4-1 split is here. Another is here (most people will focus on the 3/2 split). Another is here.
wukong007 and EncounterGMAT , welcome to SC Butler.
These answers range from very good to outstanding. Nicely done.
Project SC Butler: Day 165: Sentence Correction (SC2)
• NOTES
In each incorrect option, all bullet points after the first one assume that you did not see the concept I point out in the first bullet point.
I did not mark answers in red as usual because there was too much overlap.
PROCESS OF ELIMINATION
THE PROMPT
Quote:
THE OPTIONS
Quote:
• Verb: how an element behaves is a scientific fact.
-- Scientific facts are described by verbs in the present tense, even if the truth was discovered or announced in the past.
-- The verb depended should be depends
• Parallelism (if depended were correct, which it is not) + Idiom: Not X But Y → → Not on X but on Y
-- the construction after but should be the same as it is after not
-- the preposition ON should be repeated after "but." The preposition is not repeated.
-- Given the sentence structure, ON cannot be repeated. This version repeats ON after "but," and it is absurd:
[depended] not ON an external source of energy [X] but ON were emanating [Y]
• S/V agreement: radiation . . . WAS emanating, not were
• Verbs, tense: "were [WAS] emanating spontaneously" does not make sense, period, and does not make sense with "depended not on."
Eliminate A
Quote:
• depended should be depends. Same problem as that in A (scientific truths are always rendered in present tense)
• Parallelism + Idiom: same problem as that in option A. The preposition ON follows not. It should follow but.
-- not on an external source .. AND. ... but had emanated are not parallel
• Verb choice: had emanated: illogical.
-- Past perfect indicates that the action stopped. at some point before an event in the past.
-- Radiation had emanated from the uranium itself for awhile . . . but the radiation just stopped emanating? Nonsense.
Eliminate B
Quote:
• has not depended on should be does not depend on. Scientific truths should be written in present tense.
• Idiom and parallelism? Same problem as that in A and B. The preposition ON should be repeated after BUT.
-- the sentence structure makes repeating ON impossible:
Radiation . . . has not depended on X [external source] but rather [ON] spontaneously emanated from the uranium itself? No. Nonsensical.
• verb tense: has not depended on is not parallel to emanated from
Eliminate C
Quote:
• does not depend and emanates correctly present scientific fact in present tense
• Idiom and parallelism: this part gets interesting—and, I think, too complicated. (There's an easier way to assess whether D is correct)
-- The phrase does not depend is parallel to but emanates — both verbs are in present tense.
-- Negation and parallelism together, though, are really hard, so if that part does not make sense, don't worry.
-- It's okay that the preposition ON is still in the first half of the comparison because verbs are the focus in this option. The sentence has been rearranged so that the preposition does not need to be repeated.
• Easier than parallelism: does this thing make sense? A, B, and C do not (and neither does E).
Radiation does not depend on an external source of energy but spontaneously emanates from the uranium itself.
Translate: The radiation emitted by uranium salts requires no external source and instead spontaneously emanates from the uranium itself.
KEEP
Quote:
• did not depend should be does not depend. (scientific truth)
• emanate should be emanated (did not depend is past tense; emanate is present tense. Not parallel.)
• HIGHLIGHTS
Because this sentence describes a scientific fact, we have a rare 4-1 split.
I did not catch the split until I considered (D), but if you pay attention to the prompt, it's clear what kind of verbs you need (present tense).
I didn't use the idiom, either.
I saw that verbs were at issue, so I focused on them and read for meaning.
The posts on this thread reflect all three approaches (noting scientific fact, considering idiom, and considering verbs).
My point is that you can get to the right answer using at least three approaches.
It's okay to miss the most efficient approach—as long as you do not let yourself get stuck.
Keep your mind moving. If you cannot decide, move to a different issue.
I stumbled on a post I really like. This post, here, is about strategy in SC. The author takes the same view that I do: in SC, if you can't choose in a few seconds, move to a different issue.
ahabib , yes, official questions do present 4-1 splits.
That split is not common, of course. And you had better know your concepts really well, whether they be idiom, verb tenses in certain contexts, or parallelism.
Are official questions with 4-1 splits easy to find? No.
I did remember one immediately: this one, HERE. (only one construction is possible and you can figure that out before you look at the answers)
I spent more than an hour scanning official guides and verbal reviews. You all can do the same thing. (It's the best way to absorb SC patterns.)
I've never looked through guides for 4-1 splits before.
Another 4-1 split is here. Another is here (most people will focus on the 3/2 split). Another is here.
wukong007 and EncounterGMAT , welcome to SC Butler.
These answers range from very good to outstanding. Nicely done.
17 Sep 2019, 02:29
Kudos
Bookmarks
generis
A) depended not on an external source of energy but were emanating spontaneously - Wrong tense - requires present tense as it talks about fact
B) depended not on an external source of energy but had emanated spontaneously - Wrong tense - requires present tense as it talks about fact
C) has not depended on an external source of energy but rather spontaneously emanated - Wrong tense - requires present tense as it talks about fact
D) does not depend on an external source of energy but spontaneously emanates - Correct
E) did not depend on an external energy source but emanate spontaneously - S-V error. "Did - Plural" the radiation requires singular.
