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GMAT Sentence Correction – Parallelism
GMAT Parallelism in sentence construction refers to the grammatical structure of phrases and clauses within a sentence, in which similar elements are matched and arranged in a parallel form. GMAT parallelism is tested as a part of Sentence Correction questions, where the test taker is expected to identify and correct sentences that lack parallel structure. To maintain GMAT parallelism, it is important to use consistent grammatical forms for parallel elements, such as using the same tense, voice, and word order, to ensure that ideas are clearly and effectively conveyed.
Example: "The CEO was known for his intelligence, charisma, and that he always dressed professionally."
This sentence lacks parallelism because the third item "that he always dressed professionally" is not grammatically alike to the first two items. A correct version of this sentence could be: "The CEO was known for his intelligence, charisma, and professional attire." In this revised sentence, all three elements are GMAT parallelism in form and convey similar ideas.
GMAT Parallelism
This is a messy topic for many candidates as GMAT Parallelism is one of the favorite devices on the Sentence Correction. The GMAT test makers love this topic as it is so flexible and confusing at the same time. Parallelism is a property of the sentence where a “higher-order” feature of a sentence depends not only on grammar but also on logic. In order to better understand the concept of Parallelism in a sentence, suppose P & Q are two phrases or clauses that we want to put into parallel, it is not enough that P is grammatically correct and separately Q is grammatically correct. These sentences being grammatically correct individually is a bare minimum, but not sufficient. Thus, in order to construct the parallelism correctly, P and Q must match in their grammatical form and must serve the same logical role in the sentence. It is important to understand that there is no simple formula for parallelism and thus, we have to engage with the logic and meaning of the sentence.
What can be in Parallel?
It is as simple as the meaning of the word i.e. placing into parallel individual words which could be two nouns, two verbs, two adjectives, etc. Few of the simple examples of parallel words are ‘the birds and the bees’, ’eat and run’, ‘necessary and sufficient’. Such words may appear on the sentences in GMAT Sentence Correction parallelism, however, they will not be a focus in the questions that are asked, instead the focus of the GMAT Sentence Correction questions is based on the complex parallelism i.e. the parallelism sentence correction of two phrases which could be any of the phrases including the prepositional phrases, infinitive phrases, participial phrases, gerund phrases or clauses including substantive clauses. However, since there is high competition in GMAT, the test maker loves to increase the complexity, thus, if P and Q are phrases or clauses in parallel, each one is likely to have a long modifying phrase accompanying it and thus, this complexity can make it more difficult to spot the parallel elements.
GMAT Parallelism Markers
While this may seem obvious, the candidate can still make mistakes related to two parallel joinings either through single coordinating conjunction or a pair of correlative conjunctions. To list down a few of the three coordinating conjunctions that, by themselves, can join parallel phrases are
- ‘and’ - It can join two elements (“P and Q”) or three (“P, Q, and R”), in which case the format is always [first term][comma][second term][comma] “and” [third term]. Thus, every time a candidate sees the word “and” on the Sentence Correction, some kind of parallelism is in play. For example, the government responds to inflation by raising the prime lending rate, limiting the money supply, and setting up cost-of-living adjustments for folks on a fixed income.
Other most common correlative conjunctions on the GMAT are – ‘but’, ‘or’. They can be in the following formats:
- not only P but also Q
- not P but Q
- both P and Q
- either P or Q
There are other makers of parallelism as well, two sets of words that are like coordinating conjunctions which are parallel in themselves are “as well as” and “rather than”.
Logic and False GMAT Parallelism
This part of sentence correction is there to trouble the candidate in the GMAT examination as there are more sophisticated mistake patterns that are called false parallelism, this includes pairing of two or more elements that superficially, grammatically, seem to match, but which logically play very different roles.
Example: ‘Last night, I cooked dinner with fresh vegetables, with my friend Chris, and with a sense of profound satisfaction.’
Now, just looking at the above-quoted sentence, the candidate would superficially think that these are in parallel as there are three correctly constructed prepositional phrases, each beginning with the word “with.”
To accompany that, at the level of pure grammar there is absolutely nothing wrong with this sentence. However, at the level of logic, though, this sentence is completely wrong since this sentence puts in parallel three completely different meanings of a “with” prepositional phrase:
- materials: “with fresh vegetables”,
- accompaniment: “with my friend Chris“,
- manner: “with a profound sense of satisfaction”
Parallelism – Go by Logic
Many candidates solving the sentence correction part of the GMAT Verbal Ability section miss every time when there is a problem pertaining to parallelism since instinctively the candidate will check the grammatical structure of the entities to make the list parallel and there is nothing wrong in checking if the entities have a same grammatical structure to make the list parallel. However, what the candidate must still keep in mind is how the grammatically parallel entities in the list convey the meaning of the sentence and if it is logically intended or not, since, if the grammatically parallel entities make the sentence illogical, then the list is not considered parallel.
How to Get to the Logic?
Till not it must be clear that there are not just the grammatical mistakes in the sentence correction questions of the GMAT Verbal Ability section, these sentences must also be logically correct. Therefore, to solve a parallelism problem, it is highly important to first understand the logical meaning of the sentence and accordingly make the entities grammatically parallel to convey that meaning.
Now since the candidate has understood that a grammatically correct parallel list will still be incorrect if it does not convey logical meaning and thus in order to get to the logical meaning of a sentence, there are two essential things that are of most important nature, they include:
- Understanding the context of the sentence with an outside view: While it is very important to spend some time with the original sentence, analyzing it to decipher the logical intended meaning as the original sentence always sets the context for the logical meaning and even if any entity in the list conveys illogical meaning, it is indicating that we must first correct that unit first for logical parallelism and then make it grammatically parallel with other logical units in the list.
- Attention to the sentence structure: Knowledge of sentence structure helps in determining the correct role of the entities in the list so that they can convey logical sense and also helps in choosing appropriate grammatical structure of the entities to keep them grammatically parallel.
Example: ‘John prepared for Hurricane Sandy in advance, storing enough food and water, purchased flashlights and candles for possible power outages, and charging his cell phone to reach out to authorities in case of emergency.’
- storing enough food and water, purchased flashlights and candles for possible power outages, and charging
- storing enough food and water, purchased flashlights and candles for possible power outages had charged
- storing enough food and water, purchasing flashlights and candles for possible power outages, and charging
- stored enough food and water, purchased flashlights and candles for possible power outages, and charged
- stored enough food and water, and purchased flashlights and candles for possible power outages, being charged
As mentioned earlier, one of the most important and essential method to check whether the sentence is grammatically correct or not, it is very important to understand the meaning of the sentence, here, the sentence says that John prepared himself for Hurricane Sandy and he did the following list of things for his preparation:
- He stored enough food and water,
- He purchased flashlights and candles,
- He charged his cell phone for emergency use.
Error Analysis (Related only to Parallelism)
Let us try to identify the error in the above-quoted example sentence. Firstly, there is a list of things that John has done to prepare for Hurricane Sandy.
While without any doubt it is clear that the modifier “storing” correctly modifies the preceding clause giving additional information with regards to what John did for his preparation against the mishap of Hurricane Sandy. However, if the candidate looks at the sentence closely, the word “purchased” is not parallel to “storing” and “charging”.
Correct Sentence
‘Storing enough food and water, purchasing flashlights and candles for possible power outages, and charging’ is the correct choice because it is not only grammatically parallel but also logically parallel. Thus, the three verb-ing modifiers correctly modify the preceding clause, presenting information about the modified clause.
Assorted thoughts on Parallelism
- Many of the ways of stating a comparison involve parallelism in sentence correction, therefore, it is useful to review the idioms involved in comparisons, looking for indicators of comparison.
- Many idioms necessarily involve elements in parallel, like “to think of A as B” or “to consider P Q”.
- Another important part that the candidate must understand is that the verbs in parallel need not have the same tense.
- Pay close attention to the placement of any common words in parallel structure (one of the sentences of the three above has issues with the placement of a common word.)
- Pay attention to what implied words we are allowed to drop, and especially how to handle the tricky issue of repeated verb phrases.
GMAT Sentence Correction Practice Questions
Just have a look at the GMAT Sentence Correction Practice Paper for numerous such examples of enticing correction. Presenting the pdf of GMAT sentence correction questions to empower the GMAT grammar and vocabulary,
The GMAT sentence Corrections questions identify the basic grammar of the candidates and also the appropriate use of phrases and words. While preparing for the GMAT SC questions, the candidates need to concentrate on two aspects- the meaning of the sentence and the sentence structure.
GMAT 2024 : 27 Answered QuestionsView All
Ans. Generally speaking anything above 750 is a good score for admission to IBS Hyderabad. But even a high GMAT score does not guarantee admission to IBS Hyderabad because the shortlisting is profile-based. GMAT score is just a part of the entire selection process. You need to improvise your profile by working on other aspects also like essays profile academics extracurricular activities Academics: Your 12th class marks graduation grades, post-graduation, and certification scores along with the GMAT cutoff is considered in your academic profile. Leadership: The leadership skills of the aspirants are tested on the basis of their prior achievements and roles. Personal attributes: This comprises your personal qualities like hobbies, talents, and extracurricular skills. Aspirants from diverse work experiences, cultures, and educational backgrounds are welcomed at IBS Hyderabad. So along with preparing well for GMAT, give importance to these parameters as well to increase your chances of admission. Read more
Ans. In case you are enquiring about the CAT percentile let me clarify that ISB Hyderabad does not take into consideration CAT scores. It accepts GMAT/GRE scores only. Most importantly, the ISB Shortlisting process is profile-based. This means even with a lower percentile you can manage to get shortlisted provided you have an excellent profile. There is no fixed cutoff for GMAT. However, a 700+ GMAT score isn't a must-have for ISB if your application is strong in other areas. According to an ISB spokesperson, candidates were admitted to the 2021 cohort with scores as low as 580, and as high as 780. So the GMAT score range for ISB is 580-780. Read more
Ans. Yes, it certainly is worth paying a hefty fee of 30k for GMAT coaching at Crack ISB Hyderabad. The quality of trainers and the certainty of admission is what draw the candidates here. While there are many institutes that specialize in training for the CAT, very few institutes offer training for GMAT. Crack ISB Hyderabad has many features that have made it so popular and demanding among GMAT aspirants The peer group is a productive and effective group discussion is possible The institute gives the admission essay reviews free of cost while most institutes charge around 20-25k The quality of editing is much better at this Institute mainly because the faculty comprises alumni of top B Schools So it’s better to pay more for quality education than pay less or the same for substandard education. But remember an Institute can just prepare you for your entrance exam. It’s upon you to put in maximum effort and achieve your goals. Read more
Ans. There is hardly any B-school in India that accepts GMAT scores for full-time MBA. IIMs, FMS, XLRI, JBIMS, IIFT, MDI, etc. are some of the institutions that accept GMAT scores. However, students applying through a foreign national quota or NRI quota are eligible for GMAT score. ISB on the other hand accepts the GMAT for its full-time program MBA program. Here is the list of some B-Schools that accepts GMAT scores in India XLRI, Jamshedpur XIM, Bhubaneswar VIT Business School TISS, Mumbai TERI School of Advanced Sciences, TERI University TASMAC, Pune TAPMI, Manipal School of Management, Udaipur School of Management, NMIMS, Mumbai School of Management, International Institute of Management This is why most students go for CAT, XAT, SNAP, and other management exams for admission in MBA. Only foreign nationals or students with NRI Quota can apply through GMAT. Read more
Ans. Yes, ISB Hyderabad’s PGP program requires a minimum of 2 years of full-time paid work experience. This criteria came into force on 31st March 2016 and is still a necessity. For candidates who lack in this aspect, there is a back door entry called the Early Entry Option or the EEOs. Under this, you can apply right away, go through the selection process, and receive the admission offer but join only after working for 2 years. This can also be referred to as Deferred admission. Read more
Ans. More than 140 Business Schools in India accept GMAT scores. Here is a list of popular B-School that accept GMAT scores. IIM Ahmedabad (PGPX) IIM Bangalore (EPGP) IIM Calcutta (PGPEx) IIM Indore (EPGP) IIM Kozhikode (EPGP) IIM Lucknow (IPMAX) XLRI Jamshedpur MDI Gurgaon IMT Ghaziabad IIFT Delhi FMS Deli ISB Hyderabad/Mohali Many other reputed B-School across the country also accept GMAT scores. Read more
Ans. Very few universities in Canada offer MBA without GMAT scores. They will consider other factors as eligibility criteria such as work experience for selection. York University’s Schulich of School of Business, McMaster University’s Degroote School of Business are some of the most reputed business schools in Canada that offer MBA without GMAT. Other than these, other universities offering MBA without GMAT are New York Institute of Technology, Thompson Rivers University, Lakehead University, Wilfrid Laurier University. You have the option to apply for executive MBAs without a GMAT score, too. Read more
Ans. IIM Shillong accepts GMAT scores of only for International students for the PGP flagship program The Executive PGP program For International students who are targeting the PGP flagship program, the cutoff is as follows Category SSC Percentage HSC percentage General 80 80 EWS 80 80 DA 50 50 ST 50 50 SC 55 55 So a good GMAT score for an International student is anything above 700. For the Executive program too, a GMAT score of 700+ is a good target. If your profile is average you can target a higher GMAT score. Read more
Ans. There are many business schools in India that require GMAT scores at the time of admission. Some of the top business schools with requiring GMAT scores in India are: Institute Name GMAT Score ISB, Hyderabad & Mohali 730 or higher S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai 550 IIM Ahmedabad 711 School of Management, NMIMS Mumbai 600 IIM Bangalore 710 Great Lakes Institute of Management 600 IIM Calcutta 701 XLRI Jamshedpur 710 IIM Lucknow 680 IMT (All campuses) 720 IIM Indore 700 ICFAI Business School (Hyderabad & Mumbai) 700 IIM Kozhikode 700 A few other institutes include - MDI Gurgaon, FMS Delhi, Sunstone Business School Noida, ISB Indore, and more. Read more
Ans. I know this decision is a bit difficult to make. What you need to keep in mind is that these two colleges should not be compared to other great IIMs or even ISBs. Those B Schools are at another level and cannot be on par with Kashipur or Raipur. To facilitate a better decision, I will mention the circumstances of these B Schools then you can choose after considering all options. IIM Indore and IIM Kashipur: Both these colleges are not worth a year drop as they will help you earn only an extra 1.5-2 LPA. Moreover, in the coming years, Kashipur and Raipur will have almost the same brand value as that Indore and Kozhikode. IIM Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Lucknow and Bangalore: All these top IIMs are definitely worth a year's drop provided that you are confident enough to cope with the cutoff. All these IIMs consider your academics while selecting so if that is your reason for the year drop I don’t think it will help. There is no surety of admission even after a percentile of 100. ISB: This one is at a whole different level and is in the category of elite B Schools like UCB, NYU, HBS, etc. The top-notch faculty offers amazing pedagogy at relatively low fees. CAT is sufficient for IIMs. But if you want to go for ISB, a work experience of 4+ years and a GMAT are a must. Read more
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College
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