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09 Jun 2020, 22:51
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C
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
55%
(hard)
Question Stats:
53% (01:26) correct
47%
(01:33)
wrong
based on 636
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Scholars have little doubt whether the latter years of Egypt's Old Kingdom were marked by economic decline and a breakdown in the centralized system of government, disasters likely brought about by changes in the flow of the Nile.
A) whether the latter years of Egypt's Old Kingdom were marked
B) as to whether the latter years of Egypt's Old Kingdom were marked
C) that the latter years of Egypt's Old Kingdom were marked
D) about the latter years of Egypt's Old Kingdom having been marked
E) about whether the latter years of Egypt's Old Kingdom was marked
09 Jun 2020, 22:56
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OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
In general, use doubt that.
Always avoid doubt if.
As long as the statement is affirmative, doubt whether is usually okay.
If the statement is negative or you are asking a question, use doubt that.
-- If a statement / main clause is negative, use doubt that:
I do not doubt that you are telling the truth. = I am certain that you are telling the truth.
I have no doubt that foreigners interfered with U.S. elections in 2016. = I am certain that foreigners interfered with elections.
I have little doubt that foreigners interfered with U.S. elections in 2016. = I am certain that foreigners interfered with elections.
I have no doubt = I am certain
When we use the verb to doubt in the negative, we are not expressing doubt.
In fact, we are expressing certainty. We are confident about our belief.
I do not doubt = I am not uncertain = I am certain
Use doubt that.
-- When asking a question, use doubt that:
Do you doubt that foreigners interfered with U.S. elections in 2016?
Does she doubt that you fought in Afghanistan?
If a statement / main clause is positive and expresses skepticism, use doubt that or doubt whether.
Do not use doubt if.
I doubt that he will be on time. = I am pessimistic; I think he will be late.
I doubt whether he will be on time. = I am pessimistic; I think he will be late.
But if the statement is in the negative then the following is true:
I have little doubt that ≈ I have no doubt that
We have a statement in the negative.
The sentence means that scholars are almost completely certain that changes in the flow of the Nile River brought about economic and governmental "disasters" that plagued the last years of Egypt's old kingdom.
• Split #1: subject-verb agreement
→ In option E because the plural noun years does not agree with the singular verb was.
Eliminate E
• Split #2: negative doubt statements cannot take whether
Options A, B, and E incorrectly use doubt whether, doubt as to whether, and doubt about whether.
The scholars are confident that changes in the flow of the Nile caused disasters in the last years of Egypt's Old Kingdom and led to the demise of that Old Kingdom.
The scholars do not doubt that changes in the flow of the Nile caused disasters in the last years of Egypt's Old Kingdom.
Options A, B, and E incorrectly use some form of whether.
In negative sentences, use doubt that.
ELIMINATE A and B (option E is already eliminated.)
• Split #3 - Use that for negative statements; avoid awkward phrasing
Option D uses having been marked, phrasing that makes an already passive sentence more passive.
Because option D does not use whether, it may not seem as incorrect as the other three options.
But SC is often a comparison between the better option and the worse option.
Option C is better than option D: (C) is straightforward and does not use awkward phrasing.
(If you disagree, argue your case: why is D better than C?)
Eliminate D
The best answer is C.
COMMENTS
vipulshahi , welcome to SC Butler.
This question is hard.
GMAC has tested this rule on a couple of occasions (and probably on occasions I have not yet seen.)
One reason I posted this question stems from non-native speakers' tendency to say, "I have a doubt."
That sentence usually goes further to: "I have a doubt about . . ."
I have a doubt about is not wrong—I hope that people continue to ask questions.
(The only dumb question is the one that goes unasked.)
Just know that if you express doubt in a negative statement—use that.
vipulshahi , you were brave. And your answer is very good. Well done.
generis
Solution
In general, use doubt that.
Always avoid doubt if.
As long as the statement is affirmative, doubt whether is usually okay.
If the statement is negative or you are asking a question, use doubt that.
-- If a statement / main clause is negative, use doubt that:
I do not doubt that you are telling the truth. = I am certain that you are telling the truth.
I have no doubt that foreigners interfered with U.S. elections in 2016. = I am certain that foreigners interfered with elections.
I have little doubt that foreigners interfered with U.S. elections in 2016. = I am certain that foreigners interfered with elections.
I have no doubt = I am certain
When we use the verb to doubt in the negative, we are not expressing doubt.
In fact, we are expressing certainty. We are confident about our belief.
I do not doubt = I am not uncertain = I am certain
Use doubt that.
-- When asking a question, use doubt that:
Do you doubt that foreigners interfered with U.S. elections in 2016?
Does she doubt that you fought in Afghanistan?
If a statement / main clause is positive and expresses skepticism, use doubt that or doubt whether.
Do not use doubt if.
I doubt that he will be on time. = I am pessimistic; I think he will be late.
I doubt whether he will be on time. = I am pessimistic; I think he will be late.
But if the statement is in the negative then the following is true:
I have little doubt that ≈ I have no doubt that
We have a statement in the negative.
The sentence means that scholars are almost completely certain that changes in the flow of the Nile River brought about economic and governmental "disasters" that plagued the last years of Egypt's old kingdom.
• Split #1: subject-verb agreement
→ In option E because the plural noun years does not agree with the singular verb was.
Eliminate E
• Split #2: negative doubt statements cannot take whether
Options A, B, and E incorrectly use doubt whether, doubt as to whether, and doubt about whether.
The scholars are confident that changes in the flow of the Nile caused disasters in the last years of Egypt's Old Kingdom and led to the demise of that Old Kingdom.
The scholars do not doubt that changes in the flow of the Nile caused disasters in the last years of Egypt's Old Kingdom.
Options A, B, and E incorrectly use some form of whether.
In negative sentences, use doubt that.
ELIMINATE A and B (option E is already eliminated.)
• Split #3 - Use that for negative statements; avoid awkward phrasing
Option D uses having been marked, phrasing that makes an already passive sentence more passive.
Because option D does not use whether, it may not seem as incorrect as the other three options.
But SC is often a comparison between the better option and the worse option.
Option C is better than option D: (C) is straightforward and does not use awkward phrasing.
(If you disagree, argue your case: why is D better than C?)
Eliminate D
The best answer is C.
COMMENTS
vipulshahi , welcome to SC Butler.
This question is hard.
GMAC has tested this rule on a couple of occasions (and probably on occasions I have not yet seen.)
One reason I posted this question stems from non-native speakers' tendency to say, "I have a doubt."
That sentence usually goes further to: "I have a doubt about . . ."
I have a doubt about is not wrong—I hope that people continue to ask questions.
(The only dumb question is the one that goes unasked.)
Just know that if you express doubt in a negative statement—use that.
vipulshahi , you were brave. And your answer is very good. Well done.
10 Jun 2020, 05:53
Kudos
Bookmarks
Scholars have little doubt whether the latter years of Egypt's Old Kingdom were marked by economic decline and a breakdown in the centralized system of government, disasters likely brought about by changes in the flow of the Nile.
Lets do analysis of each & every part of the sentence:-
*
- All subject verb pair are correct & make proper sense
*
- Tense form conveys intended meaning.
*
*
*
*
*
- both statement are parallel
*
*
- idiomatic error , it should be " whether ....or"
Only error in the sentence is Idiomatic error(" whether ....and")
A) whether the latter years of Egypt's Old Kingdom were marked
- Idiomatic error while using "whether ...and"
- Incorrect
B) as to whether the latter years of Egypt's Old Kingdom were marked
- "as to" changed the meaning completely
- Incorrect
C) that the latter years of Egypt's Old Kingdom were marked
- Removes the idiomatic error while using "that"
- Correct
D) about the latter years of Egypt's Old Kingdom having been marked
1. Parallelism error ; the verb of latter years is missing ;
2. "having been marked" modifying " Egypt's Old Kingdom" which totally changed the meaning .
- Incorrect
E) about whether the latter years of Egypt's Old Kingdom [u]was marked[/u]
- Subject verb error " latter years - was marked" ; plural subject connected with singular verb
- Incorrect
IMO(C)
Kindly correct , if I am wrong.
Thank you.
Lets do analysis of each & every part of the sentence:-
*
Subject Verb Pair
[ "Scholars - have" ; "latter years - were marked" ; "disasters - brought" ]- All subject verb pair are correct & make proper sense
*
Tense Form
[ Present Tense( "have") & Past Tense( "were marked" , " brought") ]- Tense form conveys intended meaning.
*
If-then condition
- Not used*
Subjunctive Verb
- Not used*
Pronoun
- Not used*
Modifier
[ "a breakdown in the centralized system of government" modifies "disasters"] - correctly used*
Parallelism
[ "the latter years of Egypt's Old Kingdom were marked by economic decline" and "disasters likely brought about by changes in the flow of the Nile" ]- both statement are parallel
*
Comparison
- Not used*
Idioms
[ "whether .....and" ]- idiomatic error , it should be " whether ....or"
Only error in the sentence is Idiomatic error(" whether ....and")
A) whether the latter years of Egypt's Old Kingdom were marked
- Idiomatic error while using "whether ...and"
- Incorrect
B) as to whether the latter years of Egypt's Old Kingdom were marked
- "as to" changed the meaning completely
- Incorrect
C) that the latter years of Egypt's Old Kingdom were marked
- Removes the idiomatic error while using "that"
- Correct
D) about the latter years of Egypt's Old Kingdom having been marked
1. Parallelism error ; the verb of latter years is missing ;
2. "having been marked" modifying " Egypt's Old Kingdom" which totally changed the meaning .
- Incorrect
E) about whether the latter years of Egypt's Old Kingdom [u]was marked[/u]
- Subject verb error " latter years - was marked" ; plural subject connected with singular verb
- Incorrect
IMO(C)
Kindly correct , if I am wrong.
Thank you.
