A 4 min read

In this article, we’ll look at the solution to the 700-level GMAT Official Guide Sentence Correction question SC65561.01-“When adjusted for Body Weight…”.

SC65561.01 – When adjusted for body weight, children of various age groups in the United States have a caffeine intake that ranges from 36 to 58 percent of the average amount consumed by adults.

Refer to GMAT Official Guide for Options

Here is some general information about this OG question:

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OG Solution – SC65561.01- When adjusted for Body Weight…

I find this question very interesting not for the concepts this question tests but for the trap so smartly used by the author to confuse test-takers. Could you avoid this trap while solving this tricky question?

Does This One Have the Key Ingredient – Logic?

Logic is the crucial ingredient in any SC problem. Let’s analyze the content of this sentence to figure out whether the cook (or author) has kept this key ingredient intact.

• When adjusted for body weight,
• children of various age groups
• in the United States
• have a caffeine intake
• that ranges from 36 to 58 percent of the average amount
• consumed by adults.

The sentence mentions that “something” is adjusted for body weight. Reading further, we understand that children of different age groups consume caffeine that ranges from 36 to 58 percent of the average amount of caffeine consumed by adults in the US. Wow, kids do take in a lot of caffeine in this country.

Anyway, let’s focus on what we set out to look for – logic. This ingredient is undoubtedly missing in this sentence. Why? Take a good look at that modifier right at the beginning of the sentence — When adjusted for body weight. Are children adjusted for body weight to measure their caffeine intake? Not at all. The amount of caffeine consumed by children is adjusted for body weight for further calculation. This sentence is certainly not palatable as it lacks logic, our key ingredient.       

The Trap 

This sentence is free of grammatical flaws. Every grammatical ingredient in the underlined part of the sentence is perfect. All the SV pairs, verbs, modifiers, and idioms have been used immaculately. However, when we add the opening modifier to the underlined part, the sentence leaves a bad taste in our mouths. The opening modifier totally ruins the logic of the sentence by illogically modifying the subject “children.” We must rewrite the sentence in such a way so that the amount of caffeine consumed by children becomes the subject to make this sentence consumable.  

Data shows that many miss this trap and happily devour (read choose) Choice A. The only reason for this mistake is not focusing on the sentence in its entirety. Generally, we tend to focus on the underlined portion of the sentence as only this part can be changed to make the sentence correct, right? Wrong. The underlined part MUST sync well — logically and grammatically — with the non-underlined part to create an error-free sentence. Authors of such questions understand  our mindset well  and craftily use this trap that we fail to identify. So, never lose sight of the non-underlined portion of the sentence while analyzing answer choices.           

Choice B – The Best Bet

Choice B:  the caffeine intake of children of various age groups in the United States ranges from 36 to 58 percent of the average amount consumed by adults

Choice B is the only answer choice that mixes perfectly with the opening modifier. It indeed is the caffeine intake of children that is adjusted for bodyweight for the calculation mentioned in the sentence. No other answer choice logically syncs with the opening modifier.

So, if you diligently stick to the very basic component of a sentence — logic — you will never fall into such traps.       

Treading Through the Traps

Let’s take a look at this interesting trap set up in all the incorrect answer choices.

1. children of various age groups in the United States have a caffeine intake that ranges from 36 to 58 percent of the average amount consumed by adults
2. the caffeine intake of children of various age groups in the United States ranges from 36 to 58 percent of the average amount consumed by adults
3. various age groups of children in the United States range in caffeine intake from 36 to 58 percent of that consumed by the average adult

This choice again kills the logic by using “various age groups” as the subject.

• in the United States, children of various age groups have a caffeine intake that ranges from 36 to 58 percent of the average adult’s consumption
• in the United States, the caffeine intake of children in various age groups ranges from 36 to 58 percent of that consumed by the average adult

These two answer choices do not even start directly with the entity that is adjusted for body weight. The use of the modifier “in the United States” is not accepted as a hindrance between the opening modifier and the modified subject.

Practice Question:  

There are numerous questions in which the authors take advantage of the fact that we only focus on the underlined part of the sentence. Try your hand at this question to learn how logic is the only way to avoid such traps.

You will have fun solving this question also. But remain watchful for the trap.  

Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha

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