Often major economic shifts are so gradual as to be...

[RonPurewal]

hm? that's a purely objective, rational line of thought -- basically, are we talking about the actual abilities/capabilities of someone/something?

there's no reason why native speakers of english would have any advantage in considering that issue.

[tim]

And no, you can NEVER EVER eliminate an answer choice because it is wordy. Unless you don't mind getting the question wrong, that is.

Please don't use being a non-native speaker as an excuse to abandon logic and use the wrong approach on questions. That is one of the surest ways to guarantee failure on the GMAT.

[aflaamM589]

Can some one please tell what is wrong with D and E ?

B I think is breaking the idiom...so .....so that

(e) is unidiomatic. you can't mix "enough" and "so that".
the correct idiom is "enough to...". you can't "double up" with another idiom.

as for (d), i'm not sure whether you're allowed to insert "not" between "enough" and "to".
i don't think that you are.
if anyone has seen a legitimate source in which this happens (i.e., "enough not to..."), please let us know.

hello Ron,
This SC has been thoroughly discussed in this post and thus leaves little room for more questions.
Just want to ask if one in D is also problematic for the following two reasons:
i) one is trying to stand for people
ii) pronoun one has no antecedent
Thanks in advance.

[RonPurewal]

the word "one" does not appear in choice D.

[aflaamM589]

the word "one" does not appear in choice D.

Sorry for typo.
In E, i meant, apart from errors discussed.
Thanks in advance : )

[RonPurewal]

when "one" is used to mean "a random person", it doesn't need an antecedent.

THIS kind of "one" couldn't possibly have an antecedent, anyway -- the whole point is that it could refer to anyone at all.
when you are talking about antecedents, i think you're confusing this kind of "one" with a totally different kind of thing (e.g., This store has large bottles of my favorite soda in the cooler, so I will buy one for the drive.)

[littleb417]

[redacted]

[RonPurewal]

your last post was a problem from 1000SC, which is a banned source here (and you really, really, REALLY shouldn't use that source—there are issues with almost every single problem in that source, excepting only the ones stolen directly from GMAC sources).

please read the forum rules (top of the General Verbal folder) for banned sources BEFORE posting. thank you.

[RAHULS852]

in general, "so [adj/adverb] that [complete sentence]" is used when "[complete sentence]" has a DIFFERENT SUBJECT than the original sentence.
e.g., When I came back from vacation, I was so tan that my friends didn't even recognize me.
(subject changes from "i" to "my friends")

if the subject is still the same, then "so [adj] as to [verb]" is a more efficient way to write the construction.

.

Hi Sage/ Manhattan expert,

As per above highlighted portion, we can eliminate (C).
In (C) subject is same (economic shifts).

Kindly review my understanding.

I would like to ask one more question: How to decide between "so x as to y" and "x enough to y. I read in the explanation of a question that "so x as to y" is used when emphasis is on X and that "x enough to y" is used when emphasis is on Y.

The category 1 to 5 rating known as the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale provides an estimate of a hurricane’s potential to destroy or damage property, and is primarily determined by wind speed; a category 5 storm has wind speeds so high as to blow away small buildings, completely destroy mobile homes, and cause severe window and door damage.

Regards,
Rahul Singh

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

I think that Ron's point about the different subject is both contentious in general and unimportant for GMAT. It's the kind of nuance of meaning that may be interesting to consider, but may be a distraction from more significant issues. I would put knowing the difference between 'x enough to y' and 'so x as to y' in the same category.

A much more important thing to notice about C is the illogical meaning of 'they are unable'. Take a look at this post here: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/foru ... ml#p132839

[RAHULS852]

Thanks Sage for your reply.
In C more important issue is "ability of economic shifts".

I would put knowing the difference between 'x enough to y' and 'so x as to y' in the same category.

So this difference is not important. It means that I will not get any question where i need to select answer based on this difference.
Got your point about important issues.

Regards,
Rahul Singh

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

Good to hear that. Just to warn you: I can't guarantee that GMAT won't test that difference in the future, but, in my experience, it's the kind of nuance that is most likely to be a distraction from the more important issues.

[RAHULS852]

Ok
I can understand your cautious tone about nuance. In SC better to focus on important issues such as grammar and meaning.


Regards,
Rahul Singh

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

Sure thing.