GMAT idiom questions that arent

When it comes to the GMAT, idiom  questions  seem to cause a disproportionate amount of anxiety. To some extent, this is understandable. English is filled with idioms: fixed phrases that, by definition, are what they are for no other reason than that the language evolved a particular way. There is no logical reason that  insist on is correct while  insist at is not. And for ESL students, the sheer number of these phrases can seem overwhelming.   The reality, however, is that pure idioms are simply not that much of a focus on the GMAT. There are, of course, certain idioms  that you absolutely need to know; however, the fact that two answers might contain the phrase research on while three others  contain research into does not necessarily mean  the only way to answer the question is to know which preposition the GMAT considers correct. In fact, this type of pattern of  alternating prepositions is  sometimes nothing more than a distraction. In some cases, it may be possible to answer idiom questions without even addressing the idiom at all. To illustrate, lets take a look at the following question. (Its directly based on  #789  on p. 707  in the 2017 Official GMAT Guide please note that I cant reprint the official version here for copyright reasons.) While many of the neanderthal  fossils discovered  recently in southwest  France  appear to offer evidence of a connection  between neanderthals  and modern  humans, the number  of ambiguous  fossils appear  more likely at this point  that they will aggravate  debates over the origin of modern humans  rather than  resolve  them. (A) appear  more likely at this point  that they will aggravate  debates over the origin of modern humans  rather than (B) appear  more likely that it will aggravate  debates over the origin of modern humans  at this point than (C) appears  more likely to aggravate  debates on the origin of modern humans  at this point rather than (D) appears  more likely at this point to aggravate  debates over the origin of modern humans  than to (E) appears  more likely that it will aggravate  debates on the origin of modern humans  at this point than to When you look at this set of answer choices, it might seem logical to conclude that the question is testing debates on vs. debates over. If youre not sure which version is correct, you might start to panic a little but that would be a shame since you can answer the question without addressing the idiom at all. The first things to notice is that (A) and (B) begin with appear  (plural) whereas (C)-(E) begin with appears  (singular). That split indicates  that the question is testing subject-verb agreement. What is the subject of that verb? That is, what seems more likely to inflame debates? The number  of ambiguous  fossils (complete subject). But careful here: the true subject is  the  number  (singular). The plural noun  fossils belongs to the prepositional phrase  of ambiguous  fossils. So the subject is singular and requires a singular verb (appears), eliminating both (A) and (B). Now, look at (C), (D), and (E). Literally, just  look at them. (D) is the shortest of the three, a clear sign that you should pay special attention to it.   Now, think in terms of parallel structure:  more  likely  to aggravatethan  to resolve. (E)  does not keep the verbs parallel at all (that it will aggravate vs.  to resolve), so it can be eliminated.   Now youre down to (C) and (D). If you know your word pairs and can recognize that  more must be paired with  than, not  rather than, you can eliminate (C). Otherwise, if you find yourself absolutely stuck between two very similar answers without any way to decide between them, youll usually be better off opting for the shorter one. In this case, that rule of thumb will get you to (D), the correct answer. So there you have it: an idiom question that really isnt.  Ã‚   And for  an overview  of all the rules tested on GMAT Sentence Corrections, click here.

GMAT idiom questions that arent

When it comes to the GMAT, idiom  questions  seem to cause a disproportionate amount of anxiety. To some extent, this is understandable. English is filled with idioms: fixed phrases that, by definition, are what they are for no other reason than that the language evolved a particular way. There is no logical reason that  insist on is correct while  insist at is not. And for ESL students, the sheer number of these phrases can seem overwhelming.   The reality, however, is that pure idioms are simply not that much of a focus on the GMAT. There are, of course, certain idioms  that you absolutely need to know; however, the fact that two answers might contain the phrase research on while three others  contain research into does not necessarily mean  the only way to answer the question is to know which preposition the GMAT considers correct. In fact, this type of pattern of  alternating prepositions is  sometimes nothing more than a distraction. In some cases, it may be possible to answer idiom questions without even addressing the idiom at all. To illustrate, lets take a look at the following question. (Its directly based on  #789  on p. 707  in the 2017 Official GMAT Guide please note that I cant reprint the official version here for copyright reasons.) While many of the neanderthal  fossils discovered  recently in southwest  France  appear to offer evidence of a connection  between neanderthals  and modern  humans, the number  of ambiguous  fossils appear  more likely at this point  that they will aggravate  debates over the origin of modern humans  rather than  resolve  them. (A) appear  more likely at this point  that they will aggravate  debates over the origin of modern humans  rather than (B) appear  more likely that it will aggravate  debates over the origin of modern humans  at this point than (C) appears  more likely to aggravate  debates on the origin of modern humans  at this point rather than (D) appears  more likely at this point to aggravate  debates over the origin of modern humans  than to (E) appears  more likely that it will aggravate  debates on the origin of modern humans  at this point than to When you look at this set of answer choices, it might seem logical to conclude that the question is testing debates on vs. debates over. If youre not sure which version is correct, you might start to panic a little but that would be a shame since you can answer the question without addressing the idiom at all. The first things to notice is that (A) and (B) begin with appear  (plural) whereas (C)-(E) begin with appears  (singular). That split indicates  that the question is testing subject-verb agreement. What is the subject of that verb? That is, what seems more likely to inflame debates? The number  of ambiguous  fossils (complete subject). But careful here: the true subject is  the  number  (singular). The plural noun  fossils belongs to the prepositional phrase  of ambiguous  fossils. So the subject is singular and requires a singular verb (appears), eliminating both (A) and (B). Now, look at (C), (D), and (E). Literally, just  look at them. (D) is the shortest of the three, a clear sign that you should pay special attention to it.   Now, think in terms of parallel structure:  more  likely  to aggravatethan  to resolve. (E)  does not keep the verbs parallel at all (that it will aggravate vs.  to resolve), so it can be eliminated.   Now youre down to (C) and (D). If you know your word pairs and can recognize that  more must be paired with  than, not  rather than, you can eliminate (C). Otherwise, if you find yourself absolutely stuck between two very similar answers without any way to decide between them, youll usually be better off opting for the shorter one. In this case, that rule of thumb will get you to (D), the correct answer. So there you have it: an idiom question that really isnt.  Ã‚   And for  an overview  of all the rules tested on GMAT Sentence Corrections, click here.

GMAT idiom questions that arent

When it comes to the GMAT, idiom  questions  seem to cause a disproportionate amount of anxiety. To some extent, this is understandable. English is filled with idioms: fixed phrases that, by definition, are what they are for no other reason than that the language evolved a particular way. There is no logical reason that  insist on is correct while  insist at is not. And for ESL students, the sheer number of these phrases can seem overwhelming.   The reality, however, is that pure idioms are simply not that much of a focus on the GMAT. There are, of course, certain idioms  that you absolutely need to know; however, the fact that two answers might contain the phrase research on while three others  contain research into does not necessarily mean  the only way to answer the question is to know which preposition the GMAT considers correct. In fact, this type of pattern of  alternating prepositions is  sometimes nothing more than a distraction. In some cases, it may be possible to answer idiom questions without even addressing the idiom at all. To illustrate, lets take a look at the following question. (Its directly based on  #789  on p. 707  in the 2017 Official GMAT Guide please note that I cant reprint the official version here for copyright reasons.) While many of the neanderthal  fossils discovered  recently in southwest  France  appear to offer evidence of a connection  between neanderthals  and modern  humans, the number  of ambiguous  fossils appear  more likely at this point  that they will aggravate  debates over the origin of modern humans  rather than  resolve  them. (A) appear  more likely at this point  that they will aggravate  debates over the origin of modern humans  rather than (B) appear  more likely that it will aggravate  debates over the origin of modern humans  at this point than (C) appears  more likely to aggravate  debates on the origin of modern humans  at this point rather than (D) appears  more likely at this point to aggravate  debates over the origin of modern humans  than to (E) appears  more likely that it will aggravate  debates on the origin of modern humans  at this point than to When you look at this set of answer choices, it might seem logical to conclude that the question is testing debates on vs. debates over. If youre not sure which version is correct, you might start to panic a little but that would be a shame since you can answer the question without addressing the idiom at all. The first things to notice is that (A) and (B) begin with appear  (plural) whereas (C)-(E) begin with appears  (singular). That split indicates  that the question is testing subject-verb agreement. What is the subject of that verb? That is, what seems more likely to inflame debates? The number  of ambiguous  fossils (complete subject). But careful here: the true subject is  the  number  (singular). The plural noun  fossils belongs to the prepositional phrase  of ambiguous  fossils. So the subject is singular and requires a singular verb (appears), eliminating both (A) and (B). Now, look at (C), (D), and (E). Literally, just  look at them. (D) is the shortest of the three, a clear sign that you should pay special attention to it.   Now, think in terms of parallel structure:  more  likely  to aggravatethan  to resolve. (E)  does not keep the verbs parallel at all (that it will aggravate vs.  to resolve), so it can be eliminated.   Now youre down to (C) and (D). If you know your word pairs and can recognize that  more must be paired with  than, not  rather than, you can eliminate (C). Otherwise, if you find yourself absolutely stuck between two very similar answers without any way to decide between them, youll usually be better off opting for the shorter one. In this case, that rule of thumb will get you to (D), the correct answer. So there you have it: an idiom question that really isnt.  Ã‚   And for  an overview  of all the rules tested on GMAT Sentence Corrections, click here.

GMAT idiom questions that arent

When it comes to the GMAT, idiom  questions  seem to cause a disproportionate amount of anxiety. To some extent, this is understandable. English is filled with idioms: fixed phrases that, by definition, are what they are for no other reason than that the language evolved a particular way. There is no logical reason that  insist on is correct while  insist at is not. And for ESL students, the sheer number of these phrases can seem overwhelming.   The reality, however, is that pure idioms are simply not that much of a focus on the GMAT. There are, of course, certain idioms  that you absolutely need to know; however, the fact that two answers might contain the phrase research on while three others  contain research into does not necessarily mean  the only way to answer the question is to know which preposition the GMAT considers correct. In fact, this type of pattern of  alternating prepositions is  sometimes nothing more than a distraction. In some cases, it may be possible to answer idiom questions without even addressing the idiom at all. To illustrate, lets take a look at the following question. (Its directly based on  #789  on p. 707  in the 2017 Official GMAT Guide please note that I cant reprint the official version here for copyright reasons.) While many of the neanderthal  fossils discovered  recently in southwest  France  appear to offer evidence of a connection  between neanderthals  and modern  humans, the number  of ambiguous  fossils appear  more likely at this point  that they will aggravate  debates over the origin of modern humans  rather than  resolve  them. (A) appear  more likely at this point  that they will aggravate  debates over the origin of modern humans  rather than (B) appear  more likely that it will aggravate  debates over the origin of modern humans  at this point than (C) appears  more likely to aggravate  debates on the origin of modern humans  at this point rather than (D) appears  more likely at this point to aggravate  debates over the origin of modern humans  than to (E) appears  more likely that it will aggravate  debates on the origin of modern humans  at this point than to When you look at this set of answer choices, it might seem logical to conclude that the question is testing debates on vs. debates over. If youre not sure which version is correct, you might start to panic a little but that would be a shame since you can answer the question without addressing the idiom at all. The first things to notice is that (A) and (B) begin with appear  (plural) whereas (C)-(E) begin with appears  (singular). That split indicates  that the question is testing subject-verb agreement. What is the subject of that verb? That is, what seems more likely to inflame debates? The number  of ambiguous  fossils (complete subject). But careful here: the true subject is  the  number  (singular). The plural noun  fossils belongs to the prepositional phrase  of ambiguous  fossils. So the subject is singular and requires a singular verb (appears), eliminating both (A) and (B). Now, look at (C), (D), and (E). Literally, just  look at them. (D) is the shortest of the three, a clear sign that you should pay special attention to it.   Now, think in terms of parallel structure:  more  likely  to aggravatethan  to resolve. (E)  does not keep the verbs parallel at all (that it will aggravate vs.  to resolve), so it can be eliminated.   Now youre down to (C) and (D). If you know your word pairs and can recognize that  more must be paired with  than, not  rather than, you can eliminate (C). Otherwise, if you find yourself absolutely stuck between two very similar answers without any way to decide between them, youll usually be better off opting for the shorter one. In this case, that rule of thumb will get you to (D), the correct answer. So there you have it: an idiom question that really isnt.  Ã‚   And for  an overview  of all the rules tested on GMAT Sentence Corrections, click here.

GMAT idiom questions that arent

When it comes to the GMAT, idiom  questions  seem to cause a disproportionate amount of anxiety. To some extent, this is understandable. English is filled with idioms: fixed phrases that, by definition, are what they are for no other reason than that the language evolved a particular way. There is no logical reason that  insist on is correct while  insist at is not. And for ESL students, the sheer number of these phrases can seem overwhelming.   The reality, however, is that pure idioms are simply not that much of a focus on the GMAT. There are, of course, certain idioms  that you absolutely need to know; however, the fact that two answers might contain the phrase research on while three others  contain research into does not necessarily mean  the only way to answer the question is to know which preposition the GMAT considers correct. In fact, this type of pattern of  alternating prepositions is  sometimes nothing more than a distraction. In some cases, it may be possible to answer idiom questions without even addressing the idiom at all. To illustrate, lets take a look at the following question. (Its directly based on  #789  on p. 707  in the 2017 Official GMAT Guide please note that I cant reprint the official version here for copyright reasons.) While many of the neanderthal  fossils discovered  recently in southwest  France  appear to offer evidence of a connection  between neanderthals  and modern  humans, the number  of ambiguous  fossils appear  more likely at this point  that they will aggravate  debates over the origin of modern humans  rather than  resolve  them. (A) appear  more likely at this point  that they will aggravate  debates over the origin of modern humans  rather than (B) appear  more likely that it will aggravate  debates over the origin of modern humans  at this point than (C) appears  more likely to aggravate  debates on the origin of modern humans  at this point rather than (D) appears  more likely at this point to aggravate  debates over the origin of modern humans  than to (E) appears  more likely that it will aggravate  debates on the origin of modern humans  at this point than to When you look at this set of answer choices, it might seem logical to conclude that the question is testing debates on vs. debates over. If youre not sure which version is correct, you might start to panic a little but that would be a shame since you can answer the question without addressing the idiom at all. The first things to notice is that (A) and (B) begin with appear  (plural) whereas (C)-(E) begin with appears  (singular). That split indicates  that the question is testing subject-verb agreement. What is the subject of that verb? That is, what seems more likely to inflame debates? The number  of ambiguous  fossils (complete subject). But careful here: the true subject is  the  number  (singular). The plural noun  fossils belongs to the prepositional phrase  of ambiguous  fossils. So the subject is singular and requires a singular verb (appears), eliminating both (A) and (B). Now, look at (C), (D), and (E). Literally, just  look at them. (D) is the shortest of the three, a clear sign that you should pay special attention to it.   Now, think in terms of parallel structure:  more  likely  to aggravatethan  to resolve. (E)  does not keep the verbs parallel at all (that it will aggravate vs.  to resolve), so it can be eliminated.   Now youre down to (C) and (D). If you know your word pairs and can recognize that  more must be paired with  than, not  rather than, you can eliminate (C). Otherwise, if you find yourself absolutely stuck between two very similar answers without any way to decide between them, youll usually be better off opting for the shorter one. In this case, that rule of thumb will get you to (D), the correct answer. So there you have it: an idiom question that really isnt.  Ã‚   And for  an overview  of all the rules tested on GMAT Sentence Corrections, click here.