AWA Hints from 6.0 Grader

Pick up the Princeton Verbal book. It gives a great, straightforward approach to tackling the AWA section.

Next, when you are writing your essays, take a very direct approach. The introduction and conclusion are the MOST important parts of your piece. Why? Because, as the books will tell you, the graders only take a few minutes to read over your essay, because they have a ton to read during their shift.

So my intro's are always like this:

"In today's society, blah blah blah. Blah blah blah. Therefore, the author is incorrect in asserting that... and the alternate approach is more effective because..."

"The author introduces an argument that.... however, her reasoning is based upon 2 faulty premises, and one invalid assumption."

Make sure the reader knows EXACTLY what point you are trying to make. I always make my conclusion, or thesis statement, the last sentence in the introduction.

The body of your essay should then develop the idea you presented in the introduction. Make sure that each paragraph deals with one thought or piece of your overall argument, unless of course you are making a clear connection between two smaller ideas.

It is also important that you provide a real life example to support your position in the issue analysis essay. So get reading, or talk to your friends about current issues that you can call on to support your stance. Microsoft, intel - these are good for technology. Just find the basics, you don't need to come up with an obscure example, just something that shows you command a very good understanding of the issue.

Also, VERY IMPORTANT: ACKNOWLEDGE THE STRENGTHS OF THE OPPOSING ARGUMENT OR ISSUE. You want to show the reader that you understand that the opposing issue does have merit, but that your position is the superior choice. Don't expand too much on the strengths of the argument, but just make sure you mention them briefly. This applies moreso to the issue analysis, and not the analysis of an argument.

The conclusion then ties the introduction and body together, and provides some sort of link putting it all together. It should not just restate what you wrote in the introduction and the body of your essay - you should try to come up with a way to paraphrase what you have written. The idea is to restate the main idea of your essay without using the exact same language you used in the essay itself.

So to summarize, try to follow something like this for the argument analysis:

The author says this... but she is wrong based on reasons 1, 2, and 3.

New paragraph discussing reason 1

New paragrpah discussing reason 2

New paragraph discussing reason 3

1+2+3=6, 6 being the paraphrased conclusion linking everything together.

For issue analysis:

The issue is... and I take this position because...(make sure your position is fully established in the introduction.)

New paragraph elaborting on your position, provide some logical reasoning

New paragraph introducing a real life example supporting your position

New paragraph acknowledging that you understand the opposing view does have it's strengths - but regardless of this, your position is the superior one, and describe why, by introducing yet another new idea (if you can think of one) or by linking your reasoning from an earlier paragraph.

Conclusion ties it all together, but does not just repeat what you said in the body of the essay. You want to parahprase what you said, try to keep it interesting and remember this should be the cherry on top of your essay icecream.

Reading Comprehension

Main Idea:
Look in the first and last paragraphs for the main idea. Any conclusion words
like therefore, thus, so, hence, etc. that you see are most likely introducing the main idea.
The correct answer will say the same thing as it says in the text, but using different words.
The Main Idea is not always stated explicitly in the passage – in fact, more likely than not, it is
not stated explicitly. Therefore, in order to answer this type of question when it is more
implicit:
Re-read the first line of every passage, and the last line of the first and last paragraphs. This
should give you the general structure or outline of the argument, with which you can answer
the Main Idea question.
After determining the general structure or content of the argument, eliminate answer choices
that are too broad or too specific, i.e. answer choices that go beyond the content of the
passage, or that deal with content only discussed in one paragraph of the passage.
Make brief notes – a couple of words- regarding the Main Idea on the text on your scrap
paper while you read.


Primary Purpose:
What is the author trying to do? What is his intention?

Note: A good main idea or primary purpose does not go beyond the scope of the passage,
nor does it limit itself to discussing only one part of the passage.

Detail Questions:
Location is everything, locate the specific corresponding section and answer accordingly.


Organization of the passage questions:
Re-read the first line of every passage, and the last line of the first and last paragraphs. This
should give you the general structure or outline of the argument, with which you can answer
the question.Remember to make brief notes about the structure of the text on your scrap
paper.

Test Strategy:
1) Aggressively read each paragraph for its main idea. If you can’t write down in a few words
what the point of each paragraph is, you weren’t reading actively enough.
2) Note any trigger words, same train of thought words.
3) Always eliminate bad choices first before answering.
4) "According to the passage/author" question type of questions. Whenever you see this
question, tell yourself, "Stop and stop thinking. I need to FIND, not think."
5) For main point or central idea type of questions, re-read the first and last sentences of each
paragraph before making elimination choices and answering. Getting the overall structure is
really helpful before answering.
6) Mostly you can weed out too strong an answer. Use of words like “only”, “definitely”, “p
ositively” or disrepectful words.



Sentence Correction:

Pronouns

Singular and Plural Clause
When two nouns are in the sentence doing an action together but they are linked with
i) Along with
ii) Together with
iii) With
iv) As well as
v) In addition to
vi) Accompanied by

This does not make the following action they do plural. Only “AND” can take the
two singulars and make their action plural.

Singular Pronouns (Memorize these)
It’s SANE to memorize this
Some---
Any—
No—
Every—

Relative pronouns are often used incorrectly today.
1) Referring to things or animals – that, which
2) Referring to people—who, whom
3) They – be careful that you don’t use this unless you’re positive there is a referring
noun.

Compound Subject
In compound subject joined by 'OR', the verb matches the closer part of subject.
1. Every day Joy or Clara rides the subway to work.
Here rides is Clara is singular and hence merits singular verb rides.
2. Every day Joy or Clara's sisters ride the subway to work.
Clara's sisters is plural and hence plural verb ride.


Test Strategy
1) Avoid Passive voice
2) Avoid Redundancy, shorter is better
3) 'Being' - Don't choose answers with 'being', 'thing'
4) Read answers back into sentences - very useful strategy

The president of the Women's Freedom Association tried to convince her peers they should join forces to prevent discrimination in the workplace rather than continuing to be underpaid.

(A) they should join forces to prevent discrimination in the workplace rather than continuing to be underpaid.

(B) that they should join forces to prevent discrimination in the workplace rather than continue to be underpaid.

(C) about joining forces to prevent discrimination in the workplace instead of continuing to be underpaid.

(D) for the joining of forces to prevent discrimination in the workplace rather than continue to be underpaid.

(E) to join forces to prevent discrimination in the workplace rather than continuing to be underpaid.

Explanation:
Choice B is correct. The error in the original sentence is faulty parallelism. Only Choice B has both elements in the same form, "join rather than continue". Choice C is incorrect because it uses the incorrect phrase "convince about".

Regarding the legalization of medicinal marijuana, the Governor is not concerned so much by its potential impact on elderly cancer patients but instead by its potential nationwide impact on innocent schoolchildren.

(A) but instead

(B) so much as

(C) rather

(D) but rather

(E) as

Explanation:
Idiom: Choice E is correct, as it provides the correct structure "not so much by....as by....".

Active vs Passive



A) John was not ready to move to the new company because they had not rated it highly by any investment company.

B) Because of its low investment rating, John was not ready to move to the new company.

C) Because of it's low investment rating, John was not ready to move to the new company.

D) John was not ready to move to the new company because no investment company rated it highly.

E) John was not ready to move to the new company since it was not rated highly by any investment company.

Explanation:
(D). The first answer contains a pronoun (they) without an antecedent.
In addition, the sentence is ungrammatical, having a 'by'-phrase from a passive without the required form of 'be' in the verb.
Choices (A) and (E) have passives, always avoid passives in GMAT.
Choices (B) and (C) contain misplaced modifiers, making the correct choice (D).

A) The old geezer aggravated his younger counterparts by consistently producing more work than them.

B) The old geezer aggravated the younger counterparts by consistently producing more work than they.

C) The old geezer irritated the younger workers by consistently producing more work than them.

D) The old man irritated his younger workers by consistently producing more work than them.

E) The old man irritated his younger workers by consistently producing more work than they.

Explanation:
(E) Geezer and counterparts are jargon and should be avoided.
A wound or sore is aggravated; a person is irritated.
They is subject of the understood produce, not the object. Hence (E) is correct.
The old man irritated his younger workers by consistently producing more work than they did (better than Them did)

Gerund follows the verb

Even though she didn't anticipate manager's proposal to strengthen her department.

A) to implement it, the advertising manager agreed with the personal

B) implementing it, the advertising manager agreed with the personal

C) implementing it, the advertising manager agreed with the personnel

D) to implement it, the advertising manager agreed with the personnel

E) implementing it, the advertising manager agreed to the personnel

Explanation:
(E) 'Personal' deals with a person's own special things; 'Personnel' deals with a lot of people.
Verbs like 'anticipate' must be followed by a gerund, the verb form in '-ing'. The correct idiom usage should read: a person 'agrees with' another person, not with an inanimate thing such as a proposal. Therefore, she agrees 'to the proposal.' (E) is correct.

Different Than vs Different From

His approach to singing is .

A) different than the approach used by any other tenor

B) different from the approach used by any other tenor

C) different from the approach which is used by any other tenor

D) different then the approach of any other tenor

E) different from the approach of any other tenor


Explanation:
(E)
Different than is grammatically incorrect. The correct version of the idiom (different from) appears only in choices (B), (C) and (E). Moreover, Choice (D) uses 'Different then' which changes the meaning and makes no sense. Choice (C) contains 'used by' which is a passive voice construction, almost always avoided by ETS. The correct answer is (E).
B is probably more wordier than E.

After Junko lay down, like a soft blanket.

A) having finished a hard day's work, sleep descended on her

B) having finished a hard day's work, she felt sleep descend on her

C) sleep descended on her having finished a hard day's work

D) having finished a hard day's work, sleep had descended on her.

E) having completed a hard day's work, sleep descended on her.



Explanation:
(B). As in other participial phrases, the subject of the phrase finished must be the subject of the verb in the main clause. This problem is corrected by (B) Otherwise it sounds as if 'sleep' had just finished a hard day's work.

Less vs Fewer

Cynics charge that Major League Baseball lobbied for stadiums with fewer seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.

A. lobbied for stadiums with fewer seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
B. lobbied for stadiums with less seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
C. lobbied for stadiums that had fewer seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
D. lobbied for stadiums that had less seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
E. lobbied for stadiums that had less seats as a means of reducing supply so they could increase ticket prices.

Explanation:
Less = not countable, Fewer = Countable...eliminate B/D/E
C. Wordier
A. holds

Tense

Several financial officers of the company spoke on condition that they not be named in the press reports.

A. that they not be named
B. that their names will not be used
C. that their names are not used
D. of not having their names
E. of not naming them


Explanation

A

A. that they not be named
Correct--> "spoke" refers to past tense, so here they not be "named" where named is past tense agrees with the sentence construction. Also "on the condition that" is the right grammar

B. that their names will not be used
--> "will" is future tense, "spoke" is past tense

C. that their names are not used
-->"are" is present tense,"spoke" is past tense

D. of not having their names
--> "not having names" in press report is not the right usage.

E. of not naming them
--> "not naming them" is not proper grammar

Such As Vs Like

Based on the growth rates of large modern reptiles such as the Galapagos tortoise and examinations of fossils of juvenile dinosaurs, scientists estimate that the largest dinosaurs probably lived to be between 100 and 200 years old.
(A) Based on the growth rates of large modern reptiles such as
(B) On the basis of growth rates of large modern reptiles such as
(C) Based on the growth rates of large modern reptiles like
(D) On the basis of growth rates of large modern reptiles, like those of
(E) Based on such growth rates as those of large modern reptiles like


Explaination:
such as = for example, like = simlar...so eliminate C/D/E.

scientists estimate that the largest dinosaurs probably lived to be between 100 and 200 years old. - is the main independent clause

Subject - scientists
verb - estimate

The first dependent clause acts as adverb clause..
Confusion between A and B.
A - Based on X, scientists estimated Y
8 - On the basis of X , scientists estimate Y
B holds good

Based on always tricks in GMAT and mostly wrong.

Reference Reading Material:

Sentence Correction:
Kaplan 800 - Read online

Nowhere in Prakta is the influence of modern European architecture more apparent than their government buildings.
(A) more apparent than their
(B) so apparent as their
(C) more apparent than in its
(D) so apparent than in their
(E) as apparent as it is in its

Explaination:

E would have been close, but the part in bold is not required -
as apparent as it is in its

Ellipsis SC.

(C) survives.

Elipsis:
Ellipsis - We often leave out words to avoid repetition, or in other cases when the meaning can be understood without them. This is called ellipsis.

Ellipsis can be applied only in parallel structure and if removing redundant words still makes sense.

Read more

Brutal 66

Although ice particles in the upper atmosphere benefit Earth in that they reflect and absorb solar radiation, acting as global thermostat and thus keeping Earth from either burning up or freezing over, they also accelerate the destruction of the ozone layer by reacting with chloroflurocarbons (CFC's).

A) acting as global thermostat and thus keeping Earth from either burning up or freezing over, they also accelerate
B)acting as a global thermostat and thus keeping Earth either from burning up or freezing over, while also accelerating
C)act as a global thermostat and thus keep Earth from either burning up or freezing over, while also accelerating
D)they act as a global thermostat that thus keeps the Earth either from burning up or freezing over, even though it also accelerates
E)they act as a global thermostat to thus keep Earth from either burning up or freezing over, but they also accelerate

Explanation:
Although ice particles in the upper atmosphere benefit Earth in that they reflect and absorb solar radiation, acting as global thermostat and thus keeping Earth from either burning up or freezing over, they also accelerate the destruction of the ozone layer by reacting with chloroflurocarbons (CFC's)

Although...they also....

C is flawed after "while also accelerating" isnt correct

Should be A

Past and Present Participle

The growth of the railroads led to the abolition of local times, which was determined by when the sun reached the oberver's meridian and differing from city to city, and to the establishment of regional times.
(A) which was determined by when the sun reached the oberver's meridian and differing
(B) which was determined by when the sun reached the oberver's meridian and which differed
(C) which were determined by when the sun reached the oberver's meridian and differing
(D) determined by when the sun reached the observer's meridian and differed
(E) determined by when the sun reached the observer's meridian and differing


Explaination:

E) The difference lies in active/passive voice Local times were determined by X, it is the object of X. In other words, "local times" are not determining X but determined by X so past participle is correct. However, local times are differing from city to city because it not only "differed" in the past but it is also "differing" today. We need present participle to logically illustrate that. A, B and C make the second half a relative clause and lack in conciseness compared to the participial forms of D and E A 1972 agreement between Canada and the United States reduced the amount of phosphates that municipalities had been allowed to dump into the Great Lakes. (A) reduced the amount of phosphates that municipalities had been allowed to dump (B) reduced the phosphate amount that municipalities had been dumping (C) reduces the phosphate amount municipalities have been allowed to dump (D) reduced the amount of phosphates that municipalities are allowed to dump (E) reduces the amount of phosphates allowed for dumping by municipalities Explaination: D C,E are out --> 'reduces' is the wrong tense B --> 'phosphate amount' is awkard. Out. A --> Out. Not trying to emphasize two past actions. D. 'are allowed to dump' suggests what the 1972 agreement laid out for the two countries at that specific moment when it was enacted.

Few Good Questions:
CR

Very few software engineers have left MicroFirm Corporation to seek employment elsewhere. Thus, unless CompTech Corporation increases the salaries of its software engineers to the same level as those of MicroFirm's, these CompTech employees are likely to leave CompTech for another employer.

The flawed reasoning in the argument above is most similar to the reasoning in which of the following arguments?

a. Robert does not gamble, and he has never been penniless. Therefore, if Gina refrains from gambling she will also avoid being penniless.

b. If Dan throws a baseball directly at the window, the window pane will surely break. The window pane is not broken, so Dan has not thrown a baseball directly at it.

c. If a piano sits in a humid room the piano will need tuning within a week. This piano needs tuning; therefore, it must have sat in a humid room for at least a week.

d. Diligent practice results in perfection. Thus, one must practice diligently in order to achieve perfection.

e. More expensive cars are stolen than inexpensive cars. Accordingly, owners of expensive cars should carry auto theft insurance, whereas owners of inexpensive cars should not.

The correct answer is (D). The original argument's line of reasoning is essentially as follows:

Premise: The well-paid engineers at CompTech do not quit their jobs.

Conclusion: If MicroFirm engineers are not well-paid, they will quit their jobs.

You can express this argument symbolically as follows:

Premise: All A's are B's.

Conclusion: If not A, then not B.

The reasoning is fallacious (flawed), because it fails to account for other possible reasons why MicroFirm engineers have not left their jobs. (Some B's might not be A's.) (D) is the only answer choice that demonstrates the same essential pattern of flawed reasoning. To recognize the similarity, rephrase the argument's sentence structure to match the essence of the original argument:

Premise: All people who practice diligently (A) achieve perfection (B).

Conclusion: If one does not practice diligently (not A) one cannot achieve perfection (not B).

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Sentence Correction
Brutal 70 - Gmat Club
1000 SCs (719-756)
1000 SCs (757-796)

Majority Are Vs Majority Is
“Majority” is one of those words that can be either singular or plural. Common sense works pretty well in deciding which. If you mean the word to describe a collection of individuals, then the word should be treated as plural: “The majority of e-mail users are upset about the increase in spam.” If the word is used to describe a collective group, then consider it singular: “A 90% majority is opposed to scheduling the next meeting at 6:00 A.M.” If you are uncertain which you mean, then choose whatever form sounds best to you; it's not likely to bother many people.

Useful links for GMAT preparation

AWA Argument
AWA Issue
Tips for Sentence Correction
GMAT Grammer - Detailed concepts with Examples
GMAT - 1000 Sentence Correction Question Bank

GMAT Bible - Need to create account


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