SC- Attitude for prepositional phrase

[YuanqiZ223]

Dear Manhattan instructors and students,

I have a general question about the GMAT's attitude towards to the prepositional phrase, such as 'because of', 'in turn'.

We all know that the GMAT exam prefers concise sentence with clear meaning, and the correct answer will be always better than the wrong ones in terms of those two properties. However, does GMAT exam believe that one-word conjunction and adverb are naturally better than the prepositional phrases with the same meaning? If so, does that mean that we can pay less attention to the choices with the prepositional phrases when we see more concise usage exists?

For example, here are two sentences.
1. X does y, and THEREBY activate C.
2. X does y, IN TURN an activation OF C.

We choose 1 over 2 for concision, but more specifically, is it because that 'thereby' is better than 'in turn', or because' that 'activate' is better than 'activation'?

If my assumption is wrong, is there any example when we choose prepositional phrases over conjunction/adverb?

Thank you

[StaceyKoprince]

Hello! Please remember to read the forum guidelines before posting. This folder is only for general strategy questions, not content or specific test problems. Check out the content / problem folders and post in the relevant folder depending upon the source of the problem you want to post (and make sure to follow the rules about banned sources).

Your particular question would go in the General Verbal Questions folder. I'll give you a short answer here; if you'd like to have a more in-depth discussion, please post in the General Verbal folder.

The GMAT prioritizes a clear meaning, yes—but it does not actually prioritize concision. It seems this way because their explanations will often say a wrong answer is "wordy"...but if you dig into why that thing is wrong, it turns out that the language is redundant or ambiguous or in some other way messes up the meaning of the sentence.

The takeaway: don't look at the length or number of words that it takes to say something. Focus on meaning and grammar.

Next, conjunctions and prepositional phrases play different roles in sentences; they are not interchangeable. You would have to change the sentence structure (as your examples do...though we need to change some details of your examples for other reasons).

For example, all of these sentences are correct:
1) Practicing under test conditions leads to improved performance on the real test, and therefore your odds of getting the score you want increase.

2) Practicing under test conditions leads to improved performance on the real test, thereby increasing the odds that you will get the score you want on the GMAT. (meaning: the entire action—this whole series of events—increases your odds)

3) Practicing under test conditions leads to improved performance on the real test, in turn increasing the odds that you will get the score you want on the GMAT. (meaning: the entire action—this whole series of events—increases your odds)

4) Practicing under test conditions leads to improved performance on the real test, which in turn increases the odds that you will get the score you want on the GMAT. (meaning: the improved performance—a noun—increases your odds)

The main difference is that the first sentence uses a comma+conjunction to connect two independent sentences. The others don't have a second independent sentence; rather, the part after the comma is a modifier talking about the core / main part of the sentence.

In general, if you're not going to have a second independent clause, you're not going to use a conjunction. Also, if you do have a modifier after that comma, that modifier can't just be a straight-up noun (eg, an increase). I can't say:

Practicing under test conditions leads to improved performance on the real test, thereby (or in turn) an increase in the odds that you will get the score you want on the GMAT.

A noun, noun modifier (also called an appositive) would work this way:
The real test, the GMAT, is used for business school admissions.

The GMAT is the modifier—and it's directly defining the noun right before (the real test). This set up is not used when you want the modifier to provide new information about the noun or clause before. And if you're using the in turn language, then by definition you are trying to provide new / follow-on information, not just naming or defining the prior noun.

[YuanqiZ223]

Thank you very much!

[StaceyKoprince]

You're welcome! Good luck with your studies!