Sentence correction

GMAT sentence correction questions are designed to test the ability to identify the understanding power of not just written English (that is grammatically-correct) but also so the situations that are ambiguous in any sort. Each question has sentences, parts of which have been underlined. You will then be presented with 5 different answer choices presenting alternative ways of stating the underlined portion of the text. One answer choice will repeat the text without any changes (meaning that the sentence is clear in meaning and grammatically correct as written). The other choices will re-write the text, sometimes in subtle ways.

The correct answer will have all of the following 4 characteristics:

1. No grammatical mistakes
2. Correct sentence structure
3. No diction errors
4. No changes to the sentence's intended meaning

Note: This is not stating that the correct answer is always the most concise one though often this is the case, but does not always hold true. You may find that you need to resist the temptation to always select the shortest answer choice.

GMAT Sentence Correction Tips and Strategies:

Do not waste time on a close reading of answer choice A:

Its a human nature to focus too much on the very first thing and being the first option Choice A is focused the most and generally it (Choice A) repeats the wording of the underscored section. Keep in mind, however, that we are not saying to ignore choice A entirely. It will be correct approximately one fifth of the time. This is just to save time and redundancy as the choice A very rarely is the correct answer but nonetheless it should not be ignored.

so keep in mind while attemping the question to read all the options with equal interest and speed.

Look out for multiple errors. :

A sentence might contain more than one error. A common fallacy that test-takers fall into is to find one error and then quickly choose the answer that corrects that mistake, without considering whether there are other errors in the sentence that an alternative answer choice might also address. The correct answer must correct all of the errors in the underlined text.

Actually this is the same problem as we have discussed for the choice A that we focus too much on what we see first and this leads to avoidance of others.

so keep in mind to have a detailed reading and equal time spreading over each and every option and error.

Employ process of elimination wherever possible:

The easiest way to use process of elimination in sentence correction questions is simply to eliminate any answer choices that are themselves grammatically incorrect. You can also eliminate any choices that alter the intended meaning of the sentence. If you are still unsure about how to answer a question even after narrowing your choices down to two, you will fare better by selecting the more concise of the remaining answer choices – provided that it does not use the passive voice.

this is the place where you can depend on your first thing you focus means if you see any error, you can simply eliminate that particular option and can move on.

Do not worry about spelling or capitalization errors:

The test writers don't get tested for these 2 errors.

When in doubt, look for subtle differences among the different answer choices:

Examining how answer choices differ from one another can also be a good way to determine what errors might be present in the underlined text. This technique can also help you fight the tendency to read so carefully for meaning that you overlook grammatical mistakes.

Read the entire sentence a second time, inserting your selected answer choice:

We have found this to be a very powerful tip for dealing with sentence correction questions. It can keep you from making careless mistakes that would harm your GMAT score.

Trust your ears:

If you get stuck, 'say' the choices in your head and then select the passage that sounds best to your ears. Most test takers, particularly native English speakers, have internalized many more grammar rules than they can explicitly identify.

Grammar Concepts and Rules one should know:

There is no enough time and space to to review the material tested by the GMAT sentence correction section here. However, I have have compiled the following "short list" of grammatical rules that the writers particularly like to test. You are strongly encouraged to memorize this list of grammar concepts and rules, and to refresh your knowledge of them, before you sit for the GMAT..

• 'Among' versus 'between'
• Elliptical verb phrases
• Misplaced modifiers
• Parallel sentences
• Pronoun-subject agreement
• Proper use of adverbs (they modify verbs)
• Proper use of the semicolon
• 'Fewer' versus 'less'
• Run-on sentences
• Sentence fragments
• Subject-verb agreement
• Verb tenses
• 'Who' versus 'whom'

In further posts I will be releasing out free Gmat test material that will be a boost to all the reader of my blog. The resources that I will be giving away to my readers will have the full grammar concepts and rules, which cannot be explained appropriately in post format.

Hi friends..

So now that all of you have read the tips on how to approach the reasoning questions let us try and do one simple example.
This example is of medium level and in the final exam the level of questions will be higher so be prepared and do the critical reasoning part practice thouroughly and carefully as this part is the one in which students most often make elementary mistakes due to time constraints and other pressures.


Example question

Some of our federal legislators are opposed to government endowments or other financial support for photography as an art form on the basis that much of modern photography portrays nudity and is thus obscene. These legislators are mistaken, however, since even they would agree that Michelangelo’s works of art, most of which depict nudity, are not obscene.

Which of the following statements, if true, would most seriously weaken the argument above?

• The artistic level of the works of the vast majority of modern photographers does not approach that of Michelangelo's works.
• Many modern photographic works of art have been displayed in museums alongside Michelangelo's works.
• The majority of Michelangelo's work was not funded or otherwise supported by the government.
• What these legislators consider to be obscene does not coincide with what the general citizenry views as obscene.
• The works of Michelangelo that portray nudity are considered not obscene due to their relatively high artistic value.

The author of the passage attempts to refute the legislators' argument by reasoning essentially as follows:

Premise: Michelangelo's works portray nudity.

Premise: Michelangelo's works are not considered obscene.

Intermediate Conclusion: A work of art that portrays nudity is not necessarily obscene.

Final Conclusion: The legislators are mistaken about why they should not provide funding for photographic art that portrays nudity.

The first answer choice (we'll call it "A") is the second-best answer among the five choices. (A) Suggests a possible explanation why modern photographers' works portraying nudity might be considered obscene while Michelangelo's works portraying nudity would not. But a better response would go further—to explain how artistic value affects whether an artwork is considered obscene. Thus, while (A) tends to weaken the argument, you should look for another answer choice that refutes the argument's unstated assumption more directly.

The second answer choice (we'll call it "B") actually strengthens (supports) the argument, rather than weakening it. (B) Provides some evidence, albeit weak, that Michelangelo's works are relevantly similar to those of modern photographers.

The third answer choice (we'll call it "C") is irrelevant to the argument, which relies on a logical connection between nudity and obscenity, not on any logical connection between federal funding and obscenity

The fourth answer choice (we'll call it "D")fails to provide enough information to either weaken or support the argument. More specifically, (D) does not indicate how the general citizenry's view as to what is obscene compares with that of the legislators. Without this information, (D) accomplishes nothing toward either weakening or supporting the argument.

The fifth answer choice (we'll call it "E")is the best one. (E) directly refutes the unstated assumption that Michelangelo's works and those of modern photographers are similar in all respects relevant to the argument—by stating explicitly that Michelangelo's works are considered not obscene because of their relatively high artistic value.

2. CRITICAL REASONING

NUMBER OF QUESTIONS: 14-15

TEST SECTION: In the 75-Minute Verbal Ability section, interspersed with Reading Comprehension and Sentence Correction questions

FORMAT: Multiple-choice (you select one of 5 choices by clicking on an oval)

SKILLS TESTED: Your ability to understand, criticize, and draw reasonable conclusions from arguments.

Before trying out some example questions and how to solve them read the tips on how to go about solving the critical reasoning part.

Important tips on critical reasoning questions

• always read the question stem first (before reading the passage). It will contain useful clues about what to look for and think about as you read the passage.

• that ask you to identify an assumption and those that ask you to find the choice that most weakens the argument, your task is to determine what must be assumed in order for the argument's conclusion to be reasonably inferable. In the latter type of question, your second task is to find the statement among the answer choices that refutes that assumption.

• if the passage confuses you, try identifying the argument's conclusion (often signaled by terms such as "as a result," "consequently," and "therefore") and its premises—evidence that is given as factual (often signaled by terms such as "because," "since," and "given that.") The passages do not always present the components of an argument in the most coherent sequence. Reasoning linearly from premises to conclusion can help you make sense of it all.

• In any question that asks which answer choice most effectively either weakens or strengthens the argument, you can be certain that one or two of the answer choices will go the wrong way—by accomplishing just the opposite of what the question asks for. Be on the lookout for them; it's remarkably easy to become confused and go for this type of answer choice under time pressure and during a momentary lapse of concentration.

• many passages contain superfluous statements, which are irrelevant to the argument and shouldn't come into play at all in responding to the question at hand. Don't be thrown by these red herrings; separate them out from the important logical features of the argument.