Caribou are wary animals

[jlucero]

..., so to stalk them over the treeless landscape and get close enough to kill one, as D did, required exceptional hunting skill.


"to stalk them over the treeless landscape and (to) get close enough to kill one" is the subject of the sentence after "so" and the second "to" is omited. Am i correct?

You're super close. "To stalk them" would be the beginning of the subject. Technically, "To stalk them over the treeless landscape and get close enough to kill one" is the full subject here. This is a rare case where we actually don't want to include a second "to", because the two elements here aren't parallel. The second verb is subordinate to the main action here.

I am going to run and hide. (correct- run and hide as one element)
I am going to run and to hide. (incorrect- these aren't intended to be two separate actions)

[mail2harvinder]

hi ron
can you pls help to understand why option C ("so in order to") is wrong here, is it just based on concison preference?

[vietmoi937]

Hi, Ron!!!
I got a question about the difference between the "one" and "ones."
Can "one" be plural? If not, why "one" is correct in the key B.

Thanks in advance!

"One" is singular and not plural, and it's not used as a plural in this sentence. It is standing in for "a caribou", or a singular member of the caribou group.

this is rule problem. The rule that "one" can refer to plural noun is not explained in grammar book. But gmat accepts this rule and we learn a new rule in this question.

this rule looks strange, but it is logic because the singular meaning is required though the plural noun appears at the begining.

[RonPurewal]

hi ron
can you pls help to understand why option C ("so in order to") is wrong here, is it just based on concison preference?

there's no subject in that sentence.

in the correct answer, "to stalk..." is the subject of "required". this is legitimate; "to+verb" can be the subject of a sentence.

"in order to xxxxxx", on the other hand, is strictly a modifier; it can't be the subject. so, (c) doesn't have a subject at all.

[270699172]

Hi Ron,
In option d, is "and so" redundant? i think we cannot use both "and" and "so". they are both conjunction.

[RonPurewal]

nah. "and so..." is a perfectly legitimate -- and quite common -- construction.
"so" can also be an adverb, as it is in that construction. when you write "and so...", that means, roughly, the same thing as "and, as a result, ..." or "and therefore ..."

e.g.,
My son weighs 110 pounds, and so is too heavy to ride the "junior" roller coaster.

[270699172]

Thanks Ron!!!

[jlucero]

Glad you learned something.

[Haibara]

Ron, I'm somewhat puzzled by the use of "one" in the correct answer.
A couple of days ago, you just replied me in the post in the link
post96217.html?hilit=&sid=1aaa37f385d22b8259ea8956f0a84775#p96217 that "one" can be used ONLY with a modifier/description that further narrows the group. Apparently, here in OA, there are no such modifiers.

So why the use of "one" is legitimate in this question?

Thanks a lot.

[RonPurewal]

Nope. That's a different animal. That's "ones"; this is "one".

Despite their ostensible similarity, "one" (as used here) is completely unrelated to "ones".

The plural form of "one", as used in this sentence, is "some". (I had too many apples, so I gave some to the food bank.)

[Haibara]

Nope. That's a different animal. That's "ones"; this is "one".

Despite their ostensible similarity, "one" (as used here) is completely unrelated to "ones".

The plural form of "one", as used in this sentence, is "some". (I had too many apples, so I gave some to the food bank.)

Thanks for clarification, Ron. I'm surprised to learn that "one" has nothing to do with "ones". I assume that "ones" has to refer to plural nouns. And I want to know what is the singular form of "ones", if "one" could only stand for the singular form of "some"?

Thanks as always.

[RonPurewal]

You could use "the one" (No car is as unreliable as the one I drove when I was sixteen). But that's not at all the same as the "one" mentioned here.

[kunkha]

Speaking of "the one", I just want to say that Ron Purewal is "the one". His posts are fantastic in clarifying every detail of these verbal questions to the point where you really increase your ability to grasp these problems in a quick timeframe. Thanks!

[DiJ92]

Dear Ron


What is the difference between " doing " and " to do " when both of them can be used as the subjects?
Also, in choice e, the construction " close enough in order to kill " is correct? I know that "enough to do " is correct
Thanks

[RonPurewal]

Dear Ron


What is the difference between " doing " and " to do " when both of them can be used as the subjects?

there is a difference, but it is not tested on this exam.
for this exam, the only thing you have to know is that both of them can be used as nouns.

if you are faced with a 'decision' between these forms, IGNORE IT and find other criteria by which to judge the choices.