Skip to Main Content

Source: Official Guide for the GMAT 13th Ed. Reading Comprehension; #54 Official Guide for the GMAT 2015 14th Ed. Reading Comprehension; #54

1

Which of the following best describes the relationship

Which of the following best describes the relationship of the statement about large plants (lines 12-17) to the passage as a whole?

1 Explanation

1

Daniel Paylor

D is a trap answer. C is correct. Perhaps the most ideal answer would be a mixture of answers C & D, something like: "It provides examples of a misconception mentioned earlier in the passage." As written, however, C is the better answer choice.

C states that the statement "provides examples of" X (a claim made earlier in the passage), while D states that the statement "exemplifies" Y (a misconception mentioned earlier in the passage). The trap is to focus on Y being a better description of what comes earlier in the passage than is X. The fact is that both X and Y work, and what is actually different between the two answer choices is something else altogether.

The key is the difference between "provides examples of" and "exemplifies". The former means TO STATE instances of something, while the later means TO BE an instance of that thing. The statement in the passage states instances of the claim/misconception; it is not itself an instance of that claim/misconception. Thus C is correct.

D would only be correct if the statement in the passage actually made the same mistake that the earlier portion of the passage had called out.

Aug 8, 2019 • Comment

David Recine

Your response is on-target for the most part. However, I would say that your hybrid of C and D "It provides examples of a misconception..." is still too close to D. If instead you said "It provides counter-examples to a misconception..." that would work. :)

Aug 26, 2019 • Reply

Add Your Explanation

You must have a Magoosh account in order to leave an explanation.

Learn More About Magoosh

Official GMAT Material

Official Guide for GMAT Review 2016

Official Guide for the GMAT 13th Ed.

Official Guide for the GMAT 2015 14th Ed.

Nova's GRE Prep

Official Guide for the GMAT 12th Ed.

Revised GRE PDF 2nd Ed.


Section 7.4 Reading Comprehension

Section 7.4 Reading Comprehension

Improve Your Score

Magoosh GMAT is an affordable online course for studying the GMAT.

Learn More About Magoosh

Share Post

Email

Facebook