Since fanatics usually regard themselves as self- less patriots eager

Question

Since fanatics usually regard themselves as self-less patriots eager to die for their beliefs, fanaticism can rarely be controlled,  however ruthless the countermeasures .

(A) however ruthless the countermeasures
(B) whatever the ruthless there is in the countermeasures
(C) no matter threat the countermeasures are ruthless
(D) in spite of the ruthlessness of the countermeasures
(E) even though there are ruthless countermeasures

AndrewN · Accepted Answer

Hello, everyone. I thought I would take the time to write a detailed explanation prior to any official explanation that may be forthcoming. I am surprised to see an official question from a paper test that has apparently not been posted before. In any case, how about we take a look at the sentence?

This is both grammatically and idiomatically fine. Some sentences might spell out the verb  to be  at the end, as in,  however ruthless the countermeasures may be , but the verb can be left out as an understood element. A different sentence might adopt a similar ending within a  regardless  framework:  regardless of the countermeasures   . Since  countermeasures  are understood as actions, we may not need to add an action (verb) on top. If you were unsure at this point, you could place the answer on hold, but do not get rid of an option simply because you are unfamiliar with something. Go for easier targets first.

I will admit that  whatever  here grated on my nerves like nails dragging across a chalkboard.  However  from the original sentence was fine, so why swap it out for this new transition? A couple words more, and  whatever the ruthless  digs an even deeper hole, neither idiomatically nor semantically sound: the noun  ruthlessness  would at least be acceptable. Finally, a hypothetical scale of ruthlessness should adopt a different verb tense:  may be  is better than the more definitive  there is . This one is just a mess.

Threat ? I read this as a typo at first. Yes,  countermeasures  can  pose  a threat, but the end of this answer choice does not deliver to that end, adding commentary instead in  are ruthless . Either countermeasures should be described as a threat or as being ruthless, but the two descriptions share space uncomfortably here. To be honest, I cannot think of  any  word that could replace  threat  to salvage this option— whether  is about as close as I can get.

This option may not be out-and-out wrong like (B) or (C), but notice that the sentence has changed the one-word adjective  ruthless  from the original sentence into the two-word noun  the ruthlessness  here. That is a less concise alteration. Then, the  countermeasures  themselves are no longer active as a standalone noun, but have morphed into an object of a preposition instead. If this answer choice sounds stuffy or antiquated, it should. The two main changes have added nothing in the way of clarity or conciseness to the sentence.

I am next to positive that  thought  should be  though , but it is really  there are  that I would like to draw attention to. This construct cushions the meaning of a sentence by delaying what it is about, occupying the place where the subject tends to be. Again, we want to understand that countermeasures against fanaticism (and, by extension, the fanatics who hold such views) typically do not succeed in controlling those beliefs.  There are  does not effectively convey that anyone is  adopting  ruthless countermeasures in their efforts, just that such countermeasures exist. So, while I would not dismiss this answer choice on the grounds that it changes the meaning of the sentence, I would call it suboptimal in its clear and concise expression of vital meaning. For this reason, I would favor the original sentence.

I hope that helps. I would be happy to discuss any lingering concerns. Good luck with your studies.

- Andrew

Jai1903 · Answer

Got it right in 1:25.. 
Here are my views for choosing the right option:

As I am reading the first line "Since fanatic regard ...." what should follow "Since" after "comma" must be the point for which reason has been given in "Since...."-phrase. This is fine when I find "fanaticism can...."

Now comes the main part:
"fanaticism can rarely be controlled" - As I see what should follow this phrase must emphasise the fact: "no matter how ruthless something is". This particular fact is mentioned in a way in the initial underlined sentence but I didn't like it! 
I wanted to see some verb attached to "however ruthless the countermeasures" - would have loved it to be "however ruthless the countermeasures might/may be"

Anyways lets now with this prethinking head to options:

"ruthless there is" - nah that should be wrong
Also "there is in the countermeasures" - not correct. 
Moreover, "ruthlessness there is in the countermeasures" is correct. "ruthless there is in the countermeasures" is incorrect clearly.

Lets strike option B.

"No matter threat the ..." - No matter threat is very awkward
"Threat the countermeasures are ruthless" - Are you kidding me with verbs here?
Clearly wrong.

Lets strike option C.

This is a tough nut to crack. 
No obvious grammar error appeared.
But meaning is the holy word to live by here.
Remember pre-thinking - this option shouldn't budge you.
But lets see the sentence with this phrase -

It says fanaticism cant be controlled, in spite of (irrespective of) the countermeasures - In other words ruthlessness of countermeasures make no difference to controlling fanaticism - Complete twist in meaning

Strike option D.

Ahh, you cant trick me twice!
But lets see the sentence with this phrase -

It says fanaticism cant be controlled, even though (even if) there are ruthless countermeasures - suddenly ruthlessness has no role to play?
Also, "even though" suggests a different unrelated idea - Complete twist in meaning

Strike option E.

Note that this is my first detailed explanation. Correct me if I am wrong somewhere in the logic, I am also learning with mistakes.

Hope that helps!

nazokaijin · Answer

I want to know, too. I thought there should be “may be” or “are” after “however ruthless the countermeasures”.
Is it grammatically correct to omit be verb ?

Posted from my mobile device

ramlala · Answer

Bunuel 
Please share official explaination, this will help us to clear the concepts.

Thanks in advance.

GMATE1 · Answer

Dear  AndrewN , dear community,

I choose E and struggle to understand why A is deemed the better choice. You have critized that in   E it is not clear that "anyone is adopting ruthless countermeasures"  . While I agree with the critizism of E   I do not think that A does any better  .

In E     we know from "there are" that ruthless countermeasures exist  . We don't know whether anyone is adoptiong additional countermeasures, but at least we do know that currently some do exist. 
  In A     we know even less   (in my opinion). We know that if there were ruthless countermeasures they would not be very effective (which we also know from E), but we don't know whether any exist, whether any are being proposed, whether legislation is being drafted or whether these measures are being debated. We are left to guess because that answer   does not even include a verb  , not even a small one as "are", which would have suggested that the measures exist. (Pressumably the missing verb is "may be" but there are many option which also would be possible and therefore this seems ambiguous to me)

Having said this, I assume my logic is flawed as I am no expert and therefore would highly appreciate if you could enlighten me as to where my logic is flawed.

Thank you, kudos to you!

AndrewN · Answer

Hello,  GMATE1 . To be honest, I would say the issue seems to be a lack of familiarity with the  however _____ the _____  construct. The verb need not be spelled out at the end. For instance, I can draw a comparison in the following manner:

The cheetah is the fastest land mammal on the planet and can catch its preferred prey, the antelope, with ease,  however quick the antelope ; for this reason, the prey must resort to dodging and weaving to stand a chance of escape.

Now, does the sentence break down because I have not added a verb such as  runs  or  may be  after  the antelope  at the end of the first clause? No. Either action can be inferred via the context of the sentence. This may be a hypothetical scenario, but in a chase, the antelope will lose to the cheetah.

In the sentence at hand, we get,  fanaticism can rarely be controlled, however ruthless the countermeasures.  The word  rarely  indicates within the larger context that efforts have been made in the past to control fanaticism. The  however  construct after the comma, then, can be interpreted in two ways, just as we saw in the sentence about the cheetah:

a)  however ruthless the countermeasures taken

b)  however ruthless the countermeasures may be

In (E),  even though there are ruthless countermeasures  rules out the first possibility, since  are  is, of course, a present-tense verb. This leaves us with the second interpretation only, namely that ruthless countermeasures exist that may be used. But what does this interpretation provide us in the way of clarity that (A) does not? Would you argue that a dual interpretation of (A) hinders its clear expression of meaning? When in doubt, if I have two options that can say the same thing but one that does a worse job of it by adding non-essential words, I favor the terser option. I would choose (A) in this 50/50 every time.

I hope that helps clarify the matter. You are welcome to disagree, of course.

- Andrew

GMATE1 · Answer

First of all thank you very much for your very fast response; I highly appreciate it, kudos to you! Yes, this gets exactly to the point of my reasoning. If something has two ways of interpretation, then that seems to fit the definition of ambiguity fairly well. Ambiguity is not always a 100% certain elimination method, but I always thought it would trump brevity. The short form in A sounds more elegant to me, however I thought this is exactly what the GMAT uses to trick people, i.e. give an answer choice which sounds nice because of the brevity of the sentence, but has a mistake (even if the mistake is just ambiguity). Hahaha

, yes that is exactly what I would argue. If an answer can eliminate the ambiguity then this seems to me as more effective communication and therefore preferable

This is funny to me (, because it is so confusing), I remember reading in the section on ambiguity in my book that while verbs and some other words can be removed (on GMAT questions) if their removal does not cause ambiguity, it is never wrong to repeat them. But what you seem to be saying seems to oppose this sentiment. Previously this approach worked well for me, until I got this question which causes me to doubt whether that approach was ever correct.

AndrewN · Answer

I think you are missing the larger point I am hoping to make, though,  GMATE1 , or I am failing to make that point clear. To be sure, ambiguity can be undesirable in SC, even though, as you noted yourself, it is not an automatic dismissal for any answer choice that falls into such territory, and short answers sometimes present clever traps. The real issue, however, is whether ambiguity or conciseness hinders the expression of  vital  meaning.

Again, I would contend that either interpretation of the original sentence is valid, and in a way that does not hamper our understanding of what the sentence aims to convey. The point is that fanaticism,  despite countermeasures against it , can rarely be controlled. The original sentence expresses that notion just fine, regardless of which interpretation you seek to follow, and it uses fewer words than (E) does to get the point across. That is why I favor (A) and, more importantly (if this is from an official GMAT paper test), why GMAC™ favors (A).

I hope the distinction is clear now. Good luck with your studies.

- Andrew

lathikashyam · Answer

1. Since fanatics usually regard themselves as self-less patriots eager to die for their beliefs, fanaticism can rarely be controlled,  however ruthless the countermeasures.

(A)  however ruthless the countermeasures  –  idiomatic ; the verb is understood, therefore it doesn’t really require ‘are’ at the end 
(B) whatever the ruthless there is in the countermeasures – ‘the ruthless’- ruthless is not a noun and can’t be used this way
(C) no matter threat the countermeasures are ruthless – not parallel – ‘no matter the threat, the countermeasures are useless’
(D) in spite of the ruthlessness of the countermeasures – in spite of the ruthlessness is a wordy way to make the point
(E) even though there are ruthless countermeasures – again, too wordy

Ranasaymon · Answer

generis 
Can you kindly explain why E is incorrect? Does not however express contrast in option A?

AL05 · Answer

egmat 
Hi expert,
I rejected option A just because the word "however" is an independent clause indicator and hence must be preceded by a semicolon. Can you please let me know the flaw in my reasoning?

aarkay87 · Answer

egmat ,  GMATNinja

Please help, and guide if there is any definite split among options? Or it is simply idiomatic preference?

siddharthaggarwal · Answer

GMATNinja  can you please simplify this for us?

Posted from my mobile device

VerbalBot · Answer

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Since fanatics usually regard themselves as self- less patriots eager

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Since fanatics usually regard themselves as self- less patriots eager

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