Gmat Prep SC

Question

Please answer with an explanation and also explain usage of 'only'

mikeCoolBoy · Answer

you're comparing Shoppers here so you can eliminate A,B, and E. If this is not clear for you say so.

Between C and D.

those in department stores,  do  very little impulse shopping,  do  not buy a pair of skis and a boomerang when they come in for a basketball,  but leave  with only a basketball

you cannot link three clauses with but. So answer C is incorrect.

Regarding the use of only, it has to be placed close to what it modifies. Consider this example

# My roommate only smiles on weekends

1. Literally the sentence suggests that on weekends the roomate does nothing except smiling - he/she does not eats,talks etc.Since this unlikely the restricter should be placed before its actual headword.There are 3 ways to edit the above example .
 1. Edited 1 - My roommate smiles only on weekends. => He/ She does not smile on Monday through Friday.
 2. My only roommate smiles on weekends. => The writer has one roommate, period.
 3. Edited 3 - Only my roommate smiles on weekends. => All the other people the writer knows or sees never smile on weekends.

You can look up "restricters" on Google if you want more information.

sakshiag28 · Answer

Thanks a lot for your explanation. But here I have 2 doubts.
1. In the above sentence when I say-
Shoppers in X, unlike (shoppers) in Y -> refer to shoppers in both cases. Although 'those' (in C&D) gives better picture but it is not required, hence can be eliminated. Please correct me if I am making wrong comparison.
2. 'Only' usage -> 'only basketball' means I did not buy anything else except for a basketball. What does 'basketball only' means ?

mikeCoolBoy · Answer

I think you really need "those" here. After like and unlike you need a noun instead of a prepositional phrase or a clause. Wait for someone's else opinion about this.

I would say that "basketball only" means exactly the same as "only a basketball" does, please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. However, you should put only before what it modifies so I guess "only a basketball" is preferred.

If you are really interested you can read what Merriam-Webster's dictionary says about only
https://books.google.es/books?id=2yJusP0 ... ly&f=false

sakshiag28 · Answer

Thanks for your responses....
Had it been - 'Shoppers in X unlike Y' - then certainly it would have been wrong.

sreehari1250 · Answer

IMO C

I echo with Mike answer to your question diff b/w "basket ball only" and "only a basket ball"

first one refers to the ball, which is a basket ball not cricket ball or tennis ball but the later refers to buy only a basket ball not any other items.

does it make sense. share your opinion plz...

amma4u · Answer

D..."those" Shoppers....unlike (those -refers to "Shoppers").

C makes it a run-on.

amit2k9 · Answer

In C the second clause misses a subject and a conjunction. Hence it is a run on.
 D is the right option with right comparison.

sumitjain · Answer

Comparing Shoppers here.... so A,B, and E can be eliminated.

Between C and D, C has "they" and they is not very clear..PRE
D, correct usage of ";"

I will go with D.

OA pls.

anish319 · Answer

I was between A and D, and the comparison was correct in D....what is OA?

USCTrojan2006 · Answer

OA is D.

Picked as well. Sounded the best as all the other answers have weird constructions.

daagh · Answer

Let me give my views about this ticklish issue. The answer is certainly D. We are required to use ‘ those ’ after  unlike ; as a preposition  unlike  has to be followed by a noun and nothing else.

On the question of whether C or D.: There are some comments that C is a run-on. Not so in my opinion. A run-on is one that does not use the right punctuation or one that does not use a conjunction at all to conjugate two independent clauses. I also saw a comment that” In C the second clause misses a subject and a conjunction. Hence it is a run on.”

First of all, if a clause is missing the verb, it is a fragment and not a run-on. You may even miss the subject. It does not matter as long as you can understand the original subject as one that can fit into the second context. For example:

1. I went to Delhi and I stayed for ten days -ok but wordy

2. I went to Delhi and stayed for ten days. Perfect, though the subject is missing, Becos, ‘I’ is understood to be the subject.

3. I went to Delhi and I for days- wrong – the second portion misses the verb – This is a typical fragment.

4. I went to Delhi and for days- wrong – the second portion misses the subject and verb. A fragment again.

Choice C is not missing any verb – ‘ leave ’ is a solid verb in the third part.

Again what punctuation is it missing? If  but  is not the right conjunction, what other conjunction can fit in? Remember the conjunction has to show a contrast in the context here.

Third point, why three clauses can not be joined by but? How many can be joined in that case?

Look at the following sentence: I booked a ticket for my brother, booked another for my sister but postponed my own ticket. What is grammatically or logically wrong with using the coordinating conjunction ‘ but ’ in such circumstances?

But still C is wrong; the choice lists three factors 1. do very little impulse shopping, 2. do not buy a pair of skis and a boomerang when they come in for a basketball, and 3 but leave with only a basketball.

But the second factor is an explanation and example of the first factor namely doing impulse shopping. They are not equal things.

This is the subtle beauty of Choice D. It defines impulse shopping into a separate and independent clause avoiding the pitfall of C.

Hats off to GPREP, for the wonderful lesson on logic. 
 
Will you kindly excuse my anxiety to put things in the right perspective and thereby my elaboration. Again I mean not to pick holes on any one.

E @ OE

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