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

(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

(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

(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

(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

(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

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如何檢討 GMAT SC 慣用法