Question
Technically, “quicksand” is the term for sand that is so saturated with water as to acquire a liquid’s character.
Option A
Option B
Option C
Option D
Option E
(This question is from Official Guide. Therefore, because of copyrights, the complete question cannot be copied here. The question can be accessed at GMAT Club)
Solution
Sentence Analysis
- Technically, “quicksand” is the term for sand (Main Subject: “quicksand”; Main Verb: “is”)
- that is (Dependent clause modifier for “sand” – Subject: that; Verb: “is saturated”)
- so saturated with water as to acquire a liquid’s character. (Modifier explaining how much saturated the sand is with water)
- that is (Dependent clause modifier for “sand” – Subject: that; Verb: “is saturated”)
The sentence defines “quicksand”. It is a term for sand saturated to an extent. To what extent? To such an extent that the sand acquires the character of a liquid.
Right now, I don’t have a reason to reject this option. However, I see a prevalent incorrect explanation for rejecting this option. The explanation is that “to acquire” indicates the purpose/intention of “sand”. Since, “sand” cannot have an intention, this option is incorrect.
However, this explanation is incorrect. In this “so x as to verb y” construction, “to verb” doesn’t denote purpose or intention. “to verb y” part indicates the extent of “x”. For example:
- The numbers coming out of Exxon Mobil XOM 0.37% were so good as to be slightly embarrassing. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/no-more-ti … 1517589782)
- Potential penalties would be so low as to have no relevance for financial markets. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/investor-t … 1536256548)
- The company’s descriptions of the partnership dealings were so complicated as to be practically indecipherable. (https://jp.wsj.com/articles/SB1011560211577333280.djm)
In all the above sentences, the subjects of the sentences cannot have an intention. Still, the sentences are correct. There are hundreds of other similar sentences on WSJ.com and NYTimes.com. Unless we consider all these sentences incorrect, we cannot agree with the above explanation.
Option Analysis
(A) Incorrect. Right now, I don’t have a solid reason to reject this option.
(B) Correct. This option seems better than option A. “the character of a liquid” construction seems more formal than “liquid’s character”.
(C) Incorrect. “enough” word is misplaced. It should come before “water”. The construction should be “that is saturated with enough water to…”.
(D) Incorrect. This construction is inferior to the construction used in options A and B.
(E) Incorrect. “so much” modifies ‘saturated’. Thus, it is ideal to place “so much” right after “saturated” i.e. ‘saturated so much with water’. Besides, ‘liquid character’ doesn’t necessarily mean the character of a liquid. It could mean a character which is liquid or malleable. Thus, the meaning is distorted in this option.
If you have any doubts regarding any part of this solution, please feel free to ask in the comments section.
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Hey CJ,
Thanks for this explanation. Unfortunately, I do not understand the reasons mentioned here and not sure how this would be transferable to other similar questions in GMAT. Wanted to check if you have any other explanations for the same.
Hi Sukrit,
I’m sorry. This is the only explanation I have. I agree though that the explanation given in this question does not present strong tangible reasons for rejection.
Definition: So X as to Y” means something is SO (big, strong, slow, whatever, but something kind of extreme) that it actually causes something else to happen – something that wouldn’t ordinarily happen
in so x as to verb y, you mentioned that “X to verb y” part indicates the extent of x.
Please correct
1. the examples you have mentioned have “so X(adjective) to Y”. Adjective makes sense to show extension of the meaning .
room is so dark as to appear black – Correct
he is so dark as to appear black – Correct
(dark appears like black. extension of dark meaning)
2. If verb then how a non-living thing can take action or show any purpose.the purpose must be denoted by a living thing.
He has so stretched out the cloth so as to tear it.- Correct
(stretched action ; tear action – done by him on cloth-has some purpose-make sense)
Cloth is so stretched out as to torn- WRONG
(stretched action ; tear action – can not be done by cloth itself – doesn’t make sense)
(who torn – subject is not clear)- see below question
Cloth is so stretched out that it is torn- Correct
room becomes so dark that it appears black.- Correct
Similarly , sand is so saturated with water as to acquire- should be wrong in options A, C, D and E
Another similar question:
Congress is debating a bill requiring certain employers provide workers with unpaid leave so as to care for sick or newborn children.
(A) provide workers with unpaid leave so as to
(B) to provide workers with unpaid leave so as to
(C) provide workers with unpaid leave in order that they
(D) to provide workers with unpaid leave so that they can
(E) provide workers with unpaid leave and
between choice B and D, B doesn’t make sense ( to provide so as to care- who cares subject is not mentioned)
Immanuel Kant’s writings, while praised by many philosophers for their brilliance and consistency, are characterized by sentences so dense and convoluted as to pose a significant hurdle for many readers interested in his works.
A. so dense and convoluted as to pose
B. so dense and convoluted they posed
C. so dense and convoluted that they posed
D. dense and convoluted enough that they posed
E. dense and convoluted enough as they pose
Here A is correct because so dense as to – dense is adjective
concise form as compared to C
Hi SkR,
I’m not sure what point you’re trying to make here. Besides, the question you’ve quoted is a non-official question. So, I wouldn’t rely on it.
Hi there,
It’s my pleasure to share my analysis with you.
A liquid’s character seems to say that sand gets only ”one” feature from liquid. However, a more logical meaning will tell that sand acquire ”all” the character from liquid.
Hope you will give me some feedback.
I don’t think so.
Hi Sir,
Just want to make a point about ‘so that’ and ‘so as to be’, can you please confirm my understanding?
1) So that … – used to show purpose
2) So as to …. – used to show purpose
3) So X… that Y …. – used to show cause & effect relationship
4) So X… as to Y …. – used to show cause & effect relationship
Here, in this question, we are trying to show a cause & effect relationship between ‘sand saturated with water’ and ‘sand acquiring the character of a liquid’. So use of either 3 or 4 is correct here. However, I have noticed experts on GMATClub says 3 is preferred over 4. Similarly for 1 & 2.
I selected option A thinking X and Y in 3 & 4 should be parallel. But that’s not a deterministic error, right?
Hi Sakshi,
How are X and Y parallel in option A?
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