Study Tips for GMAT SC.
This is a thread for the things that we should look after when doing SC questions...
Word Usage
1. Fewer/Less
You use less when you're talking about things you can't count (less pollution, less violence) but fewer when you're talking about things you can count (fewer pollutants, fewer violent acts).
2. Number/Amount
These words follow the same rule as less and fewer. Number is correct when you can count the thing being described (a number of cars, a number of people) and amount is correct when you cannot (amount of love, amount of pain).
3. Among/Between
Use between when only two options are available (between the red car and the blue car) and among when more than two options are available (among the five answer choices, among the many books).
4. If/Whether
Whether is correct when you're discussing two options (whether to get chocolate or strawberry ice cream) and if is correct for more than two options (if she should get ice cream, frozen yogurt, or a cookie).
On the GMAT, whether will (almost) always beat if
Incorrect: Her client didn’t tell her if he had sent his payment yet.
Correct: Her client didn’t tell her whether he had sent his payment yet.
5. Compared to v/s. Compared with
To show comparison between unlike things, ‘compare to’ is used. To show comparison between like things, ‘compare with’ is used.
-- Scientists compare the human brain to a computer. (Unlike thing)
-- The police compared the forged signature with the original. (Like things)
6. That Vs Which
Which requires a comma before it. If comma is not present in GMAT, the choice is most probably wrong.
e.g. Get me the book, which is mine.
• Which should apply to things
• The other thing--which must replace a noun, not a sentence or idea.
7. The use of being
As a kaplan get-away strategy, the use of 'being' is almost always wrong.
8. Because v/s. In That:
When ETS puts ‘because’ and ‘in that’ in a sentence, more often than not, ‘in that’ would be correct. ‘In that qualifies’ the previous sentence, while ‘because’ is just used to show a simple causal relationship.
9. Usual v/s. Is Usual:
He is faster than is usual for any human being – Is correct.
He is faster than usual today – is correct
A Mercedes is more expensive than usual for a car – Incorrect
A Mercedes is more expensive than is usual for a car – Correct
When something is compared to a subgroup to which it belongs, is usual should be used. When something is compared to itself, usual is fine.
e.g. He is nicer than usual.
10. Can v/s. Could:
If you are just assuming something, ‘could’ should be used.
Could is used for: possibility (John could be the one who stole the money), condition (If I had more time, I could travel around the world), suggestion (You could spend your vacation here), polite request (Could I have something to drink?)
11. Like vs As
Use like when you want to focus on two nouns;
Use as when you want to focus on two nouns doing two actions.
12. Like vs. Such As
In GMATLand, like means similar to, and such as means for example. Take a look at these examples:
• Can you buy me some fruit like oranges or grapefruit?
In GMATLand, this sentence would mean that you do NOT want oranges or grapefruit; instead, you'd prefer some fruit similar to oranges and grapefruit. For example, you may want pomelo, lemons, or limes.
• Can you buy me some fruit such as oranges or grapefruit?
Yes, this is what we're supposed to say in GMATLand -- oranges and grapefruit are examples of the type of fruit we want.
13. Use of Consider
Consider must directly be followed by the sentence without an infinitive like ‘to be’, 'as' etc.. 'Consider as' , 'consider to be' are wring choices.
14. PRACTICE v/s. PRACTISE:
Practise is a verb and practice is a noun. I practise piano is correct. Also, I had my piano practice for the day is correct.
15. EACH v/s. EVERY:
Each refers to ‘2 times’, every refers to ‘More than 2 times’
The dog has bitten my younger son twice, and each time, it has had to be sent to its kennel.
If the senetence would have indicated that it is more than twice, then we would have used 'every'.
1. An indefinite pronoun is one that is not specific about the thing to which it refers (no clear referent) All pronouns that end in -one, -body or -thing are indefinite pronouns.
E.g. Everyone, Everybody, Everything Anyone, Anybody, Anything Someone,
Somebody, Something No one, Nobody, Nothing the following are also indefinite: Whatever, whoever, Neither, Either, Each, Every
All the indefinite pronouns are singular. For each/every, if they precede a noun, the verb will take on a singular form as well.
E.g. Each of the students is allowed to go on the field trip. Every dog and cat has paws.
However, when each/every follow a subject, it has no bearing on the verb form.
E.g. They each are good soccer players. There are however 5 indefinite pronouns that can singular or plural depending on the subject. They are: Some, Any, None, All, Most
E.g. Some of my marbles are missing (subject: marbles, verb: are).
Most of the students are tired. None of my money is missing.
2. Each other/another; one one
When two persons are referred in a sentence using each, other should be used.
Incase of three people the usage is each?another. Refer SC 1000 # 718
When one is used to refer a noun only one can refer in that sentence.
e.g : One can achieve succeed in GMAT when one works hard.
3. Which
"Which" can be used as a restrictive or non-restrictive clause. It is a relative
pronoun and should have an antecedent. In non restrictive clauses It refers to the
closest noun. Its always preceded by a comma.
However, it does not always refer to the immediately preceding noun.
Sometimes, it, much like an absolute phrase does, will refer to the previous
sentence as a whole
e.g.: My brother got 95% in his exam, which really surprised me given the amount of studying he put in.
"which" here does not refer to subject of prepositional phrase "exam E.g. OG - 253
From the bark of the paper birch tree the Menomini crafted a canoe about twenty
feet long and two feet wide, with small ribs and rails of cedar, which could carry four
persons or eight hundred pounds of baggage yet was so light that a person could
easily portage it around impeding rapids.
Here -Which obviously doesn’t refer to cedar, rather, it refers to "canoe". The noun that the nonrestrictive clause modifies doesn’t necessarily need to be immediately proceed the comma. The OG concept is that it cannot refer to a vague idea that is expressed in the entire sentence, and that it must point to a noun (again, not necessarily immediately before the comma).
Eg.: "The earth is not flat, which had puzzled many people in the old days." is wrong
4. Who/ Whom
You can tell when "who" is more appropriate, and when "whom" is more appropriate by changing the adjective clause into a free running sentence. If the free running sentence contains he, she or they => use who
e.g.: He had none of the appearance of a man who sailed before the mast.
(He sailed before the mast)
If the free running sentence contains him, her or them => use whom
e.g.: A man stepped in on whom I had never set my eyes before.
(I have never set my eyes on him before)
e.g.: Who are you going to marry? I am going to marry he/she. (Wrong)
Whom are you going to marry? I am going to marry him/her. (Correct)
5. Whose
Whose relates to people or to things. You can tell when to use "whose" by changing the adjective clause into a free-running sentence. If the free running
sentence contains his, hers, its, theirs => use whose
e.g.: I am walking beside my father whose name is Simon Dedalus. (His name is Simon Dedalus)
6. Where
"Where" is generally used to indicate a place.
7. When
"When" is generally used to indicate time.
8. That
"That" modifies the nouns. It refers to the immediate previous noun in the previous clause. It is a restrictive clause and provides essential information about the subject of a sentence.
e.g.: The big GMAT book that is kept on the table is good.
Note: No comma is used! "that" here refers to "the particular (definite/fixed) book
on the table"
That can refer to singular or plural. Refer SC-1000#193/ 379
e.g.: In good years, the patchwork of green fields that surround the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many of them in the area just for the season.
In the above example, what that refers to depends on the verb that follows it. If the sentence reads, ’a patchwork of greenfields that surround’. Here, ’that’ refers to ’greenfields’. If the sentence reads, ’a patchwork of greenfields that surrounds’.Here, ’that’ refers to ’patchwork’.
I am posting a Gmat Idiom list that most frequently finds it place in many of the sentence correction questions. Memorize them to ace the SC section.
* a debate over
* a lot
* a responsibility to
* a result of
* a sequence of
* agree with
* as an instance of
* as good as/or better than
* as great as
* as much as
* attend to (someone)
* attribute X to Y/X is attributed to Y
* based on
* believe X to be Y
* both X and Y
* centers on
* concerned with
* conform to
* created with
* defined as
* depends on whether
* depicted as
* different from/differ from
* distinguishes between X and Y
* distinguish from
* doubt that
* either...or
* enable to
* fascinated by
* forbid X to do Y
* identical with
* in contrast to
* independent from
* indifferent towards
* modeled after
* (no) more...than/(no) less...than
* more than ever
* neither...nor
* not only...but also
* not so much...as
* prohibits X from doing Y
* potential to
* range from X to Y
* regard as
* regardless
* responsible for
* resulting in
* retroactive to
* so X as to be Y
* so (adjective) that
* subscribe to
* such...as
* the same to X as to Y
* to contrast X with Y
* to mistake X for Y
* to result in
* to sacrifice X for Y