SOURCE : GMATPREP
When working with overseas clients, an understanding of cultural norms is at least as important as grasping the pivotal business issues for the global manager

A. When working with overseas clients, an understanding of cultural norms is at least as important as grasping the pivotal business issues for the global manager.
B. When they work with overseas clients, understanding cultural norms is at least of equal importance to the global manager as grasping the pivotal business issues.
C. For global managers working with overseas clients, understanding cultural norms is at least as important as grasping the pivotal business issues.
D. For global managers working with overseas clients, an understanding of cultural norms is at least as important to them as that they grasp the pivotal business issues.
E. Global managers working with overseas clients find an understanding of cultural norms to be equally important as grasping the pivotal business issues.

Official Answer : C
Questions:
Even though I got the answer correct. I have a question about using "For" - How can "for" be used? In some cases I have noticed it can stand for "because". What are the incorrect uses of for

you are correct that "for" can mean "because".
those cases can be separated from others, though, because those instances of "for" must come before a complete CLAUSE.
in other words -- if "for" is used to mean "because", then the words following "for" should form a complete sentence by themselves.

the other (and probably more common) use of "for" is as a preposition. this use can be distinguished from the above, because a preposition is followed by noun (or noun + modifier(s)), not by a clause.
this is what's in choice (c): "global managers working with overseas clients" is just a noun + modifier, so "for" must be a preposition.

it's hard to define exactly what "for" means, as a preposition, in simple terms; in fact, there are no fewer than 32 definitions of "for" (preposition) at the following link:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/for
when you look at those, DON'T memorize the dictionary definitions -- they'll be awkward and hard to apply. instead, look at the example sentences and remember what they look like, and how the words are used in them.

_________________
Being well-dressed gives a feeling of inward tranquillity [that] religion is powerless to bestow.
C.F. Forbes

Hi,
I have no idea how to make the right decision between (C) and (D).
Can someone please help me on this question?
Thanks!

problems with (d):

1) PARALLELISM
the constructions highlighted in red, which should be parallel, are not parallel.
For global managers working with overseas clients, an understanding of cultural norms is at least as important to them as that they grasp the pivotal business issues.

(note the perfect parallelism in the correct answer:
understanding cultural norms is at least as important as grasping the pivotal business issues)


2) REDUNDANCY
the constructions highlighted in blue are redundant:
For global managers working with overseas clients, an understanding of cultural norms is at least as important to them as that they grasp the pivotal business issues.

_________________
Being well-dressed gives a feeling of inward tranquillity [that] religion is powerless to bestow.
C.F. Forbes

Hi,

I know the answer is C, but someone clarify if starting a sentence with "When" is correct? (Options A & B)

Thanks in Advance

Sure. You can do it a few different ways.

You can follow the when with a prepositional phrase that applies to the subject of the main clause:

When in England, I often drive on the wrong side of the road.

Or a participial phrase that attributes action to the subject of the main clause:

When driving in England, I forget to stay on the left side of the road.

Or some other sort of modifier.

Also, you can use when to introduce a subordinate clause:

When I drive in England, I forget to stay on the left side of the road.

etc.

a student sent me a question about choice (e):


two things wrong here.

1) "X is equally important as Y" is not a legitimate idiom. you could use either of these instead:
- X and Y are equally important
- X is as important as Y

2) the parallelism between "an understanding" and "grasping" is inferior to the parallelism in the correct answer choice.
NOTE: you do not need a nuanced understanding of the uses of a, an, and the -- those uses are not explicitly tested -- but in cases like this one, in which there's a clear split in which one choice is markedly less parallel than another one, you should be able to make the requisite decision.

_________________
Being well-dressed gives a feeling of inward tranquillity [that] religion is powerless to bestow.
C.F. Forbes

Hi Everyone, I am stuck with this question as well. Although it is clear that C is the right answer, but I was just wondering if the answer choice has a modifier error. The sentence pauses at overseas clients and then post that starts with "understanding cultural norms". Shouldn't the correct answer choice have an "an" before understanding to make the meaning more clear and correct the "perceived?/actual" modifier error?

also, if at all this is an actual modifier error, is that the reason why these questions have been retired. I have often seen some GMATprep questions that can have conflicting answers....

Either "an understanding of cultural norms" OR "understanding cultural norms" would be correct. In the second case (the one in the correct answer choice), "understanding" is a gerund, a word that is made from a verb, ends in -ing, and functions as a noun. You do not need the "an" before it.

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Jamie Nelson
ManhattanGMAT Instructor

Hi Instructors ,

Is Choice B ) incorrect here because they does not have a referent.?

yes, that's definitely an error.
the only plural noun that choice is “cultural norms”, and the sentence definitely doesn't make any sense if it suggests that cultural norms work overseas.

_________________
Being well-dressed gives a feeling of inward tranquillity [that] religion is powerless to bestow.
C.F. Forbes

Ron,
Can we eliminate this option on the basis of following:

"an understanding of cultural norms" is a complex gerund phrase
"grasping the pivotal business issues" is a simple gerund phrase

A complex gerund and simple gerund can't be parallel.

Please let me know if my understanding is correct.

i wouldn't put too much stock in that rule. there will pretty much always be better reasons to eliminate a wrong answer that contains a construction of this type..

_________________
Tim Sanders
Manhattan GMAT Instructor