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Hi TSDVJ, I took GMAT couple of months back and performed poorly in Verbal. Now I am planning to retake the test in next two-three weeks. As I have done [tooltip=Official Guide]OG[/tooltip] and Kaplan before , I am looking for some new (good) practice material. It appears that you have some good source for RC's ( and may be for CR and SC). Will apprecaite any recommendations.

I don't know the answers. There questions are so confusing for me too. And I am sure I am not alone. Detail answer will be a great help here for many.

I have come across many such questions while prepearing for TOEFL. A typical format is ...one of many + that/which + plural verb I think, here "that" is used for "substances" and not for "one of the substances" in this sentence and hence takes plural verb "tell".

I understand when "AS" is used as conjunction, clause (s +V) should follow it. Now, review the following Q from [tooltip=Official Guide]OG[/tooltip] (with correct answer) Salt deposists and moisture threaten to destroy the Moehanjo-Daro excavation in Pakistan, a site of an ancient civilization that flourished at the same time as the civilizations in the Nile delta and river valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates. I was thinking, V after "as"( such as florished or did in this sentence) is essential in this sentence and can not be omitted to form an eliptical. Why not ?? Further, if we "reduce" adjective clause "that flourished ..." and modify sentence : Salt deposists and moisture threaten to destroy the Moehanjo-Daro excavation in Pakistan, a site of an ancient civilization flourishing at the same time as civilizations did in the Nile delta and river valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates. Do you think this sentence is coorect and convey the meaning? ... Or florishing mistakely convey present sense. Help !

Review the following question (It is a correct answer) from [tooltip=Official Guide]OG[/tooltip], testing parallelism It is well known in the supermarket industry that how items are placed on shelves and how frequently inventory turns over can be crucial to profits. OG explains that here the model is "X and Y are crucial" and X and Y need to be in parallel . [tooltip=Official Guide]OG[/tooltip] does not repeat "that" with Y. In other words, correct answer does NOT read : It is well known in the soipermarket industry that how items are placed on shelves and THAT how frequently inventory turns over can be crucial to profits. However, notice repetation of "that' in following statement. A panel concluded that malnutrition is the most serious health problem facing the third world countries, but that it can and will be eradicated with the assistance of developed countries. Now my question is what are the rules govering repetation of "that". Similarly , in [tooltip=Official Guide]OG[/tooltip] there are number of questions where (and) that , (which) that repetation are tested. I do have a few more generic (GMAT) grammer questions that I will be asking in separate threads. Thanks,

Thanks Tho and Raghuveer. Tho thanks for your prompt and detail answers other day. Raghuveer, I have also gone through many of your earlier answers, and the clarity and confidence with you answer impresses me most. (BTW, I re-read my post above about my TOEFL experience and noticed many typos. I apologize for all these mistakes. But hey ! I am sure that I am improving with all the encourgement I am receiving from nice TM friends around) Bye . :-)

My score : Listening : 28 , Structure : 13-29, Reading : 28 I did not prepare for listening and reading sections. Partly it was time issue or rather lack of it. I am from india but I have been living in USA since last three plus years and so I thought that this live experiience would take care of these two sections. However, I realized some questions in reading seccion were confusing - particularly those realted to main topic. I finished this section with some 30 minutes left and did go back to check these confusing questions. But I could not decide one way or other. I found out that questions related to main topic had two answers which more or less covered the main topic and was not detailed enough so I could not choose one confidently . I am sure ETS has some particular way to handle these questions and probably practise can make a difference here. So if you do not have mucch time for preparation or lack motivation or do not feel the need of preperation, atleast check RC question types before you you find yourself in test center. Listening passages were long and therefore tough ( and, therefore, irritating). I am not sure where I made mistakes. I thought I was doing al right. So again be careful and alert. Structure was the only part I practiced for. Thanks to many magicians and migicians-in-making I learned a lot over last three or so days. I got anaswers and help instaneously and guys were amazingly friendly. Kudos to Erin and many others at TM. In real exam, I was not sure about one question. Rest were familiar. I remember two questions testing on "One of many " and 'missing article/ determiner" rules. No S-V inversion questions surprisingly. My essay was topic was something about a holiday you want to start in your country to honor a leader or event, and how would you celebrate this holiday. I wrote about about six paragraph essays detailing that I propose to start a holiday honouring Nelson Mandela's life and work and some description about why I chose him and some ways to celebrate this holiday. I guessit was OK content wise but I make many spelling/typos (MS spell check has spoiled me thoroughly) mistakes and not sure how badly these may reflect in my score. I can share more once I get my essay score. I intend to keep sneaking to this forum. It is a great learning site and will help me for my GMAT preparation too. Best of luck to all who is still waiting for their exams. ( and for essay results - including me) Thanks to TM and its magicians. Erin you are doing a great job. Thanks!!

Thanks HTS. ( yes.. I have few more hrs before exam :-) Just realized we ALWAYS require noun after despite ..that's how "despite being second" ..becomes grammatically correct. Hope some grammer guru out there can endorse it.

______ second in size to Jupiter, Saturn has a mass much smaller than that of Jupiter. A. When b .While C. Despite Answer : B I follow the explaintaion that it is a case of reduced adj caluse with 'while' as subordinate conjuction showing contrast. Fine. However, what I do not understand is why despite is a wrong answer. Since first part , 'second in size to Jupiter' , is a pharse and it sounds right to use 'despite' to show contrast. ( I do understand that despite can not be used with clause) Despite second in size to Jupiter, Saturn has a mass much smaller than that of Jupiter. What am I missing here ? Thanks.

:) Thanks !!

Hello Erin, Wondering if you can post "SCN exceptions" list and "the sun ..but Pluto" list. (So, please remind me if I forget come Monday. .....)

1. Choose from a wide variety of subject areas, you are allowed to up to three elective courses. Ans. is A. Why ? Also any comments on construction of this sentence : How are two clauses connected ? (though sentence appears right while reading) 2. Today, elderly is the fastest growing demographic group in many developed countries. Ans. is A. What might be the correction ? Thanks

Definitely, I will . And thanks once again. Btw, I apprecaite if you can post both 'SCN exceptions' and 'the ..sloar object' lists together on Monday.

Yep Erin. The Q is from your exercise. So is "Pluto" without "the" is correct in this particular sentence? The [varying] orbit [of] Pluto means that [ambient] temperatures also [vary] greatly. Thanks

While posting next weak is definitely a great idea, it will be a bit late for me. (TOEFL scheduled on Nov. 27 :-( Dare I ask the posting of partial list for time being. Thanks ! ( You are so prompt with your responss even on late evening on Saturday. I am impressed with test magic more than ever)

It may be a simple one , but confuses me most often. Do we always say The sun , The earth , the Pluto...etc as these are unique bodies. Please also refer following test question : The [varying] orbit [of] Pluto means that [ambient] temperatures also [vary] greatly. varying of ambient Correction: its ambient. We need to use a determiner with temperatures to show that the temperatures belong to Pluto and are not general temperatures. its is a determiner. Thanks,

Hi, I found following question on test that Erin wrote. I chose the answer "in orbit" as orbit is a singualr count noun and , so I thought, needs either "a" or "the" before it. However, Erin mentions problem with other part: "an atom nucleus" I though, this part is correct and is a compound word such as Human Blood. ( we don't say Human's blood). Help !! The bonds holding protons neutrons and electrons [together] [in orbit] around an [atom] nucleus [are] among the strongest known to scientists. together in orbit atom Correction: atom's. nucleus is a singular count noun and therefore needs a determiner. 's is a determiner. are

Since the 1930's aircraft manufacturers have tried to build airplanes with frictionless wings, shaped so smoothly and perfectly that the air passing over them would not become turbulent. (A) wings, shaped so smoothly and perfectly (B) wings, wings so smooth and so perfectly shaped © wings that are shaped so smooth and perfect (D) wings, shaped in such a smooth and perfect manner (E) wings, having been shaped smoothly and perfectly so Why C not A? I am repeating this question in hope of a answer from Erin or from other experts out there..... Does the modifier "Shaped" automatically refers to the first nown (wings) it follows ? If not, then probably "shaped" modifies "aircraft manufacturer". What is the rule here? ( I realize that for introductory modifier, rule is clear that introductory modifier modifies first nown that follows it. For instance : Having said that, I have a question concerning 'ending' modifer) But how to apply the rule with ending modifier as is the case above) Underlines added for clarity by Erin

Doctors still know little about how the Listeria bacterium is spread and why the disease it causes, listeriosis, afflicts some people in a contaminated area though it spares many others. A) though it spares (B) where it spares © despite sparing (D) when sparing (E) while sparing Ans. is E. I understand the counfusion pronoun "it" ( Bacterium or disease ?) causes here , but I don't understand lack of parallelism: Why not use 'spares' verb parallel to 'afflicts'.

Thanks Erin. Guess 8 years experience does make a bit 'old'.:) Thanks for your inspiring words, and I have decided to retake the exams. However, question remains what more to practice and,more importantly, how ? I did go though [tooltip=Official Guide]OG[/tooltip] first time ( and Kaplan) and now remember almost all the questions in there. I did realize 'sentence correction' as my weakest point: despite reading and understanding most common mistakes, I take long time to answer sentence correction questions and more often than not choices make situation worse. ( I guess I should be asking this question in GMAT general section.) Thanks,

Hi Erin and Others, I discovered this site by chance just four days before my GMAT which I took on Nov.4 . In retrospect, I wish that I should have known this site earlier and that could have made some difference in my score and approach to exam. Now I am recommending my other friends ,who are planning to take GMAT, to visit Testmagic . My GMAT score is not good. (Q 48, V 31 overall 650). I am from India and now working in USA since last four yers. I would be completing 8 years experience by July. 2003 and wish to join one of top MBA programes beginning fall'03. I have work experience in six countries India (4 yrs) and USA (about 4 yrs) included with some of the biggest names in telecommunication. So far I have made decent progress in my career to present level of staff enginner / Technical lead. Now I need your help to understand how do you see my chances to make it to some good school (top 10) with GMAT score as low as 650. To what extent expereince can offset poor GMAT score? (I do understand that my essays, GPA will influence my chances. However , with 650 GMAT do I stand any chances considering possible high volume of application to B schools this year again.) Are there any schools among top-10 schools that have reputation of going easy with poor verbal score of international student. (Read in Berkeley Haas guide that they are particularly looking for Q scores) Thanks a bunch .

Excellent score. Congratulation. I have seen many message refering [tooltip=Official Guide]OG[/tooltip]. ( Guess it is for ETS official guide) Why is this guide so important ? Do people even see questions being repeated for the guide in real exam ? I have taken Kapaln tests and found verbal part - particularly reading passages - quite hard that that in ETS guide. What is the feeling on verbal part in real exam viz a viz ETS guide. How long were typical Critical reasoning questions ? Thanks for all your help.