GMAT questions

[Unregistered]

Hi everyone,

I'm training for GMAT tests on sentences correction, and I have many questions about English grammar. I guess that for native English speakers, this will be very easy. Here are some sentences to be corrected (my answer is put into the sentence) :

1) As a result of his method for early music education, Shinichi Suzuki <u>has been known as one</u> of the world’s great violin teachers.
The right answer is : <u>is seen as one</u>. I don't understand why past can't be used since the violonist may be dead...

2) Although Mandy is younger than her sister, Mandy <u>is the tallest of the two</u>.
The right answer is <u>is the taller of the two</u>. Why tallest isn't used instead?

3) Neither of the Smith brothers <u>has expected to be drafted</u> by a major league team this year.
The right answer is <u>expects to be drafted</u>. I don't see the point.

4) <u>Has any of the</u> witnesses been sworn in yet?
The right answer is <u>Have any of the</u>. Ins't "any" singular?

5) Towering seven hundred feet above the valley floor, Mount Rushmore National Memorial <u>is an impressive site</u>.
The right answer is <u>is an impressive sight</u>. For me, a memorial is not a sight but rather a site.

6) San Francisco <u>lays southwest</u> of Sacramento.
The right answer is <u>laid southwest</u>. I don't understand what that means.

7) Did they know that Labor Day always <u>came on</u> the first Monday in September?
The right answer is <u>comes on</u>. I thought that the second verb had to be put to the past since "did" was.

8) Each night when night came and <u>the temperature fell</u>, my parents lit the fire in the bedroom.
The right answer is <u>when the temperature fell</u>. I can't see why "when" must be repeated.

Thanks to the people that can give me a hand.
Mark

[Naamplao]

Hi everyone,

I'm training for GMAT tests on sentences correction, and I have many questions about English grammar. I guess that for native English speakers, this will be very easy. Here are some sentences to be corrected (my answer is put into the sentence) :

1) As a result of his method for early music education, Shinichi Suzuki has been known as one of the world’s great violin teachers.
The right answer is : is seen as one. I don't understand why past can't be used since the violonist may be dead...

has been known as one This means that he once was known for this but not necessarily thought of in this way now.

is seen as one. This means he continues to be viewed this way.

2) Although Mandy is younger than her sister, Mandy is the tallest of the two.
The right answer is is the taller of the two. Why tallest isn't used instead?

It is wrong since there are only two people being compared. You would have been correct if the sentence was...

Although Mandy is younger than her sisters, Mandy is the tallest of the two.

3) Neither of the Smith brothers has expected to be drafted by a major league team this year.
The right answer is expects to be drafted. I don't see the point.

The present tense is used since the event (the draft) hasn't happened yet. Perhaps the problem is that you don't understand the meaning of "to be drafted". It means that new players are put into a group and the teams alternately claim one player at a time if they wish to have them on their team.

The Smith brothers don't think anyone wants them....or at least they are not getting their hopes up. If they are not drafted they have a much more difficult time making a team.

4) Has any of the witnesses been sworn in yet?
The right answer is Have any of the. Isn't "any" singular?

Hmmmm.....

I would say

Has any man stepped forward?
Have any of the men stepped forward?

I don't think "any" designates singular or plural you must look at what "any" modifies.

5) Towering seven hundred feet above the valley floor, Mount Rushmore National Memorial is an impressive site.
The right answer is is an impressive sight. For me, a memorial is not a sight but rather a site.

Nasty....nasty....I have sympathy but the memorial is a tourist sight.

6) San Francisco lays southwest of Sacramento.
The right answer is laid southwest. I don't understand what that means.

What is trying to be said is that "San Francisco is positioned southwest of Sacramento"

To me

"to lay" means to put something down
"to lie" means to recline or be positioned

I personally think of your possible choices you made the correct one here. Using the past tense means the positions of the cites have somehow changed over time which is ridiculous.

My personal preference for a correct answer though is

San Francisco lies southwest of Sacramento.

7) Did they know that Labor Day always came on the first Monday in September?
The right answer is comes on. I thought that the second verb had to be put to the past since "did" was.

"Did" is not the verb...the verb is "know" (present tense). "Did" is a helping verb for use in the question.

8) Each night when night came and the temperature fell, my parents lit the fire in the bedroom.
The right answer is when the temperature fell. I can't see why "when" must be repeated.

I'm with you on that one....if that is wrong then I got it wrong too.

Thanks to the people that can give me a hand.
Mark

.............

[Mark53]

Hi Naamplao,

Thanks ALOT for your feedback. As I guessed, many of the questions are rather tricky.

About the 4th sentence, I'm quite surprised. If you just just take one of the men (any of them), then there is only one men. So, it should logically not be considered as plural... Anyway, I'll try to remember it.

As for the 6th sentence, I've searched on google, and I found both "lies southwest" and "lays southwest" so both may be used in spoken language.

Finally, about the 7th sentence, the question is put to the past, so I thought that the second verbe had to agree with the first one. Let's put the sentence to the affirmative form.

Don't you say:
I know that Labor Day always comes on...
I knew that Labor Day always came on...

At least it works this way in French. ;)

Have a nice day,
Mark

[Naamplao]

Hi Naamplao,

Thanks ALOT for your feedback. As I guessed, many of the questions are rather tricky.

They are tricky and that is an objection I have with such tests. Often in multiple choice questions it is easy to narrow your choices to two answers. One is correct because of some tiny grammar point but the other is a commonly used informal format and you are penalized for not recognizing this tiny grammar point.

I swear many native English speakers would do very poorly on a TOEFL test, yet they certainly are good English communicators. I also have met many non-natives who can "ace" a TOEFL test who barely can function in a totally English environment...but they know how to pass a picky, multiple choice grammar test.

About the 4th sentence, I'm quite surprised. If you just just take one of the men (any of them), then there is only one men. So, it should logically not be considered as plural... Anyway, I'll try to remember it.

I suppose the way to remember it is that yes, any of the men refers to a single man but there are many of these single men to choose from.

As for the 6th sentence, I've searched on google, and I found both "lies southwest" and "lays southwest" so both may be used in spoken language.

It is the correct answer in written English too. The past tense being the correct answer seems ridiculous to me. The last I checked both cities are in the same place.

Finally, about the 7th sentence, the question is put to the past, so I thought that the second verbe had to agree with the first one. Let's put the sentence to the affirmative form.

Don't you say:
I know that Labor Day always comes on...
I knew that Labor Day always came on...

At least it works this way in French. ;)

On re-reading it may be the use of the word "always" in the clause that forces the verb into the present tense.

Mark

I recently came back from a five week stay in northern France (Amiens). I improved my French a lot in that short period of time, though I still have a long way to go. One thing it did do for me was that it made me understand the struggles of trying to learn a foreign language. I made mistakes especially in pronunciation which now are quite laughable in retrospect but at the time I remember the frustration of getting it wrong. Towards the end though I could hold a decent conversation with some people. You have a nice country, I enjoyed my visit.

[Mark53]

Yes, I understand your point, most native English speakers would choose the natural, commonly used form while this is not necessarily the right one. That makes these tests even more difficult for non-native speakers.

I've even struggled with French people about tense agreement on another forum because we don't agree on the tense that should be used in French on the second verb in such a sentence. I think tense agreement must be applied and that it works the same in English, but he thinks that a general truth must always be expressed in the present tense. I guess that only an expert could settle the question.

Glad you had a nice stay in France. I know that native English people do experience some difficulties pronouncing the r's for instance. ;)

All the best,
Mark

[Naamplao]

Glad you had a nice stay in France. I know that native English people do experience some difficulties pronouncing the r's for instance. ;)

Mark

As you know Canadians do have some ability when it comes to speaking French. It is our second language and we have several years of schooling on the subject.

A funny story of my French language experience....

Before I went to France I took a night school course in conversational French. It was given by a young woman who insisted that "cat" was pronounced "la chatte" (female cat) instead of "le chat" (male cat) as I had always been taught. I suppose it was the feminist part of her upbringing.

Anyway, during my travels I played a game of Bridge. I am a tournament player in Canada and I like to play the occasional game in every country I visit. In Europe Bridge is a leisure game for the wealthy, unlike in Canada where all social levels play.

So I am surrounded by wealthy men and women who speak little if any English. Somehow the subject of fur coats comes up. I am asked what types of fur come from Canada and I mention that a coat made of Lynx fur is quite exotic.

Qu'est-ce que c'est Lynx? I am asked...

I frantically struggle with a definition.....ahhhhh yes!!!!!

Le Lynx est la chatte sauvage du Canada! I say enthusiastically.

There were smothered laughs and smiles all around. The game continued. After it is over and I am with my host at her house I repeat this encounter and ask her why they smiled.

She laughed and explained what I had actually said in slang terms. In retrospect I should have known this I suppose. But I plead innocence

Suffice it to say...I take great pains to point out any slang inference of English phrases.

[Mark53]

Your misadventure is very funny indeed. I was told by native English speakers that French language was quite hard to practice because it was full of slang. Most of the common words (like car, shoe, house, work, money, etc) have slang equivalents which are actually used in the spoken language. It's a bit like what you'll hear in US rap music.

I wish you have fun learning French. Don't hesitate to ask anything.

Mark