如何檢討 GMAT SC 慣用法

之前有一個同學提出了這樣一個問題：

大致上想問為什麼OG詳解中因為estimated to be更好而被排除的 “estimated at/as”用法，去在其他題的題幹中（非畫線處）出現呢？

以下附上OG該題題目和選項：

Paleontologists believe that fragments of a primate jawbone unearthed in Burma and estimated at 40 to 44 million years old provide evidence of a crucial step along the evolutionary path that led to human beings.

(A) at 40 to 44 million years old provide evidence of

(B) as being 40 to 44 million years old provides evidence of

(C) that it is 40 to 44 million years old provides evidence of what was

(D) to be 40 to 44 million years old provide evidence of

(E) as 40 to 44 million years old provides evidence of

OG詳解節錄：

Idiom; Agreement

“The verb estimated should be followed by the infinitive to be, not the preposition at – unless the writer intends to indicate a location at which someone made the estimate.”

雖然有時 GMAT 的慣用法並不是非常明確，但 OG 解釋的規則可以說是最接近 GMAT 出題的規則。在這裡 OG 指出，estimated 必須接 to be，而不能接 as，所以答案選 (D)。

同學提到的題幹未畫線處出現estimate at的完整題目如下：

With surface temperatures estimated at minus 230 degrees Fahrenheit, Jupiter's moon Europa has long been considered far too cold to support life, and with 60 square miles of water thought to be frozen from top to bottom.

(A) Europa has long been considered far too cold to support life, and with

(B) Europa has long been considered far too cold to support life, its

(C) Europa has long been considered as far too cold to support life and has

(D) Europa, long considered as far too cold to support life, and its

(E) Europa, long considered to be far too cold to support life, and to have

在沒有畫線的部分，用了 estimated at。這是否代表 estimated 也能使用 at?

在這裡，必須要先跟同學說，GMAC 如果在 OG 說過的規則，在答案選項會錯的機率不高

(請看清楚，是不高，但不是絕對)。

但在某些情形，GMAT 在出題時，是相對不會關注的規則用法，我們就拿 “in that” 來當我們的例子好了：

The Olympic Games helped to keep peace among the pugnacious states of the Greek world in that a sacred truce was proclaimed during the festival’s month.

(A) world in that a sacred truce was proclaimed during the festival’s month

(B) world, proclaiming a sacred truce during the festival’s month

(C) world when they proclaimed a sacred truce for the festival month

(D) world, for a sacred truce was proclaimed during the month of the festival

(E) world by proclamation of a sacred truce that was for the month of the festival

OG詳解節錄：

This sentence depends on using the correct conjunction to join independent clauses. In that is a conjunction that means inasmuch as; because in that has largely gone out of use, it is considered stilted and overly formal.

GMAT 認為如果 in that 當連接詞，已經是不適用的用法了。然而，我們可以在下面兩個地方看到：

1. 未畫線的部分:

Although ice particles in the upper atmosphere benefit Earth in that they reflect and absorb solar radiation, acting as a 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 chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's).

(A) acting as a 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 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

Answer:

在未畫線的部分中，其實我們常看到 GMAT 出題並不是非常仔細，常會出現一些官方解釋中不偏好的使用方法。如此題的 in that，出現在沒有畫線部分當中當連接詞。

2. 出現在所有答案選項當中

A wildlife expert predicts that the reintroduction of the caribou into northern Minnesota would fail if the density of the timber wolf population in that region is more numerous than one wolf for every 39 square miles.

(A) would fail if the density of the timber wolf population in that region is more numerous

(B) would fail provided the density of the timber wolf population in that region is more

(C) should fail if the timber wolf density in that region was greater

(D) will fail if the density of the timber wolf population in that region is greater

(E) will fail if the timber wolf density in that region were more numerous

Answer: D

在此題當中，我們發現五個答案選項都有 in that 當連接詞的用法。

如果在 GMAT 題目當中，都會放入不正確的使用方式，我們應該怎麼去抓出正確答案的使用方式呢？

我們在此也提供兩項建議:

1. 以正確答案選項及畫線部分的使用方式為主

有同學常注意未畫線的使用方式，基本上未畫線的部分，出題者只是提供線索來讓同學解出正確答案，也因此相對來說，會比較不去避免使用不偏好的文法使用方式。因此，我們會建議，專注在正確答案、且是畫線部分所使用的用法。

2. 專注在正確答案與錯誤選項的差別