GMAT Style Strategies

By Abhishek Tomar on Aug 18, 2009 with Comments 0

GMAT always likes to make long sentences to confuse the examinee. The idea behind this is to make the examinee confuse during the exam. As there is a pressure of time during the exam, GMAT examiner uses redundancy to hide the error. If you are new to GMAT than brevity, redundancy, or altered intent comes under GMAT STYLE error.

Brevity

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Always remember “shorter sentence are better”. Why shorter sentences are better? Shorter sentences are much clearer and contain less potential grammar error. Shorter sentences eliminate redundancy (unnecessary repetition) and ambiguity. If you are going by the elimination rule and are left with 2 sentences always choose the shorter sentence.

Example

Wordy: Past experience reveals that cancer patients rarely ever exhibit the exact same symptoms.

Better: Experience reveals that cancer patients rarely exhibit the same symptoms

Remember, GMAT always like short and clear sentences!

Redundancy

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One and the most important problem with the long sentence is the redundancies: i.e. saying the same thing twice. Let see this example that comes in the GMAT exam

Example

The three prices sum to a total of $ 321.

Now, were you able to find the redundancy in the above example, if YES, you are quick and if you were not able to find the answer YOU ARE NOT READING CAREFULLY! Look “Sum” and the “Total” are all means the same. Most of the GMAT sentences are based on this rule and should be eliminated immediately on the bases of redundancy.

NEXT important thing to remember is “BEING” always indicate redundancy. Let see this example:

Example

Being excited about her upcoming graduation, Mary could barely focus on the final exam

Their is no need for “BEING”, a simple sentence will do the trick

Excited about her upcoming graduation, Mary could barely focus on the final exam

BEING always indicate wrong meaning and is used in GMAT for redundancy and must be avoided

Altered Intend

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By this term altered Intend you know what I am going to say in next two lines. So read it, Altered Intend in GMAT is used to fool the examinee. How? When the examinee like you are involved in solving the grammar problem what GMAT examiner do is that they changes the meaning of the sentences and even though the sentence is grammatically correct but has lost the original meaning of the sentence. Don’t believe it look at this example:

Example

Red wine, the finding of recent studies, may prevent serious heart problems in many adults.

The sentence is awkward structured and is facing the problem of misplace modifier. Now conceder the two sentences

Example

Recent studies have found red win to prevent serious heart problems in many adults.

Recent studies have found that red wine may prevent serious heart problems in many adults.

A small change if compare both the sentences and both the sentences correct the error of misplace modifiers but one sentence contain MAY and the other don’t so which sentence is correct. Yes, you got it and if you are the same person who was not able to find the correct answer in previous question than “GMAT will become costly for you” just kidding. According to the original sentence, may provides the doubt and does in first sentence omits that doubt and confirms the statement which is wrong, so be careful about the meaning of the original sentence.