Register    Login    Search    Rss Feeds

Forums Home » Ask An Instructor » GMAT Verbal » GMAT Prep Verbal


 Page 1 of 1 [ 5 posts ] 



  Print view Print view Previous topic Previous topic | Next topic Next topic
 

Factory outlet stores, operated

Author Message
jjykim
 Post subject: Factory outlet stores, operated
 Post Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 3:20 pm 
Factory outlet stores, operated by manufacturers, are usually located miles from downtown and regional shopping centers so as not directly to be competitive against department stores in the same trading area.

(A) so as not directly to be competitive against
(B) in order for them not to have direct competition with
(C) so that they do not compete directly with
(D) in order that they are not directly competitive against
(E) for the purpose of not competing directly with

The correct answer is C, but doesn't the pronoun 'they' get lost in the sentence? Couldn't one argue that the 'they' in answer choice C could refer to the shopping centers, the manufacturers, etc...?
Top 
esledge
 Post subject: Pronoun Antecedents: Using the structure of the sentence.
 Post Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 7:17 pm 
Offline
ManhattanGMAT Staff


Posts: 901
Location: St. Louis, MO
A common misperception is that any nouns that match in number and precede the pronoun could be the antecedent. In truth, the structure of the sentence can clarify (or even dictate) the antecedent.

In choice (C), there is parallelism between two clauses: "Factory outlet stores...are located" so that "they do not compete."

The two verbs are parallel, with "factory outlet stores" the subject of the first, "they" the subject of the second. Thus, "they" refers to the stores.

In contrast, both "manufacturers" and "shopping centers" are the object of the preposition within a modifying phrase.

Take-away: The subject of the sentence makes a stronger candidate for antecedent status than other nouns, particularly when the pronoun is used as a subject, too.

By the way, "them" in choice (B) would be ambiguous. "Them" is not a subject, so we cannot infer that the antecedent is the subject "stores."

_________________
Emily Sledge
Instructor
ManhattanGMAT
Top 
shobujgmat
 Post subject: Re: Factory outlet stores, operated
 Post Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 3:56 pm 
Offline


Posts: 18
Factory outlet stores, operated by manufacturers, are usually located miles from downtown and regional shopping centers so as not directly to be competitive against department stores in the same trading area.

(A) so as not directly to be competitive against
(B) in order for them not to have direct competition with
(C) so that they do not compete directly with
(D) in order that they are not directly competitive against
(E) for the purpose of not competing directly with

What is the wrong with : A,
i come to know that so as not to be hindered by is an idom
which one is correct : competitive with or competitive against
is in order that is a wrong idom
Top 
RonPurewal
 Post subject: Re: Factory outlet stores, operated
 Post Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:05 am 
Offline
ManhattanGMAT Staff


Posts: 7146
shobujgmat wrote:
Factory outlet stores, operated by manufacturers, are usually located miles from downtown and regional shopping centers so as not directly to be competitive against department stores in the same trading area.

(A) so as not directly to be competitive against
(B) in order for them not to have direct competition with
(C) so that they do not compete directly with
(D) in order that they are not directly competitive against
(E) for the purpose of not competing directly with

What is the wrong with : A,
i come to know that so as not to be hindered by is an idom
which one is correct : competitive with or competitive against
is in order that is a wrong idom


to compete or competition does indeed go with "with", although i've also seen it used with against. for instance, in most usage i've seen, one could say that athletes compete with other athletes, but also against other athletes.

i wouldn't judge that difference in usage, then, until we have more evidence on which to base the judgment.

this is one of those sentences that a native speaker of english will recognize at once to be "irretrievably awkward", although that awkwardness is a bit hard to pin down in this case.

* the placement of "directly" is incorrect. you wouldn't write "not directly to be competitive"; you'd write "not to be directly competitive". this is the case because "directly" is an adverb that modifies the adjective "competitive", so those two words should be placed together.

* "be competitive" is just not as good as "compete".
Top 
RonPurewal
 Post subject: Re: Factory outlet stores, operated
 Post Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:08 am 
Offline
ManhattanGMAT Staff


Posts: 7146
in any case, the best thing to do in cases such as this one, where the difference comes down to awkwardness / usage / word placement, is to observe the way the test constructs correct sentences.
trying to parse out the exact rules behind the construction of such sentences is much less important, and will be much less successful, than modeling your choices after what you have seen to be "correct".
our brains don't run well on algorithms, after all; they run much better by imitation. it's much easier to observe correct sentences, and to choose future sentences that look like those ones, than to try to reduce everything to rules.

i'm not saying that you should ignore rules completely; i'm just saying that you should commit the form of the correct answer to memory. ideally, you should remember it in tandem with the incorrect answer you have in mind: "from now on, if i see something like this again, i know that ______ is better than ______."
Top 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
 
 Page 1 of 1 [ 5 posts ] 





Who is online

Users browsing this forum: mylittled2008 and 1 guest

 
 

 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: