Monday, October 06, 2008

SC's Question number - 683, 684

683). That educators have not anticipated the impact of microcomputer technology can hardly be said that it is their fault: Alvin Toffler, one of the most prominent students of the future, did not even mention microcomputers in Future Shock, published in 1970.

(A) That educators have not anticipated the impact of microcomputer technology can hardly be said that it is their fault

(B) That educators have not anticipated the impact of microcomputer technology can hardly be said to be at fault

(C) It can hardly be said that it is the fault of educators who have not anticipated the impact of microcomputer technology

(D) It can hardly be said that educators are at fault for not anticipating the impact of microcomputer technology

(E) The fact that educators are at fault for not anticipating the impact of microcomputer technology can hardly be said

684). That the new managing editor rose from the publication’s “soft” news sections to a leadership position is more of a landmark in the industry than her being a woman.

(A) her being a woman

(B) being a woman is

(C) her womanhood

(D) that she was a woman

(E) that she is a woman


Answers:

683). (OG 11th Ques no - 50) - OA - D - has the main clause followed by one subordinate clause correctly introduced by that

OE: Although it is possible to begin a sentence with a subordinate clause beginning with that, this inverted construction often results in errors such as those found here. In the original sentence, the subordinate clause that.....technology is followed by the main verb, can..be said, but then the verb is followed by yet another subordinate clause, that it is their fault. The best way to solve this problem is by putting the sentence in the expected order, with the main clause (It can hardly be said) preceding the subordinate clause(that...) For greater clarity and concision, the two subordinate clauses should be condensed into one: educators are at fault for not anticipating the impact of microcomputer technology

A - incorrect - inverting the usual order results in an ungrammatical construction in which the main verb is both preceded and followed by a subordinate clause.

B - incorrect - can hardly be said to be at fault does not grammatically complete the subordinate clause

C - incorrect - construction that it is..who have not is wordy and awkward; it also distorts meaning and lacks completion

E - incorrect - the fact is wordy; the inverted construction does not successfully convey the meaning of the sentence.

684). OA - E - parallel - that X is..than that Y is... - That the new managing editor rose from the publication’s “soft” news sections to a leadership position is more of a landmark in the industry than that she is a woman

A, B - incorrect - violating parallelism, passive - use of being

C - incorrect - wrong comparison - comparing rising to womanhood

D - incorrect - wrong tense

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