December 21st, 2009 | 
Author: More than thirty years ago Dr. Barbara Mc-Clintock, the Nobel Prize winner, reported that genes can “jump,” as pearls moving mysteriously from one necklace to another.
(A) as pearls moving mysteriously from one necklace to another
(B) like pearls moving mysteriously from one necklace to another
(C) as pearls do that move mysteriously from one necklace to others
(D) like pearls do that move mysteriously from one necklace to others
(E) as do pearls that move mysteriously from one necklace to some other one
Highlight to see answer: B
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More than five thousand years ago, Chinese scholars accurately described the flow of blood as a continuous circle controlled by the heart, but it went unnoticed in the West.
(A) but it went
(B) but it was
(C) although it was
(D) but the discovery went
(E) although the discovery was
Highlight to see answer: D
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More and more in recent years, cities are stressing the arts as a means to greater economic development and investing millions of dollars in cultural activities, despite strained municipal budgets and fading federal support.
(A) to greater economic development and investing
(B) to greater development economically and investing
(C) of greater economic development and invest
(D) of greater development economically and invest
(E) for greater economic development and the investment of
Highlight to see answer: A
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More ancient Egyptian temples were constructed in the reign of Ramses II as in any other.
(A) as in any other
(B) as any other
(C) as in others
(D) than others
(E) than in any other
Highlight to see answer: E
Please post your explanations in the comments below!
Coordinating conjunctions are a fairly simple and straightforward topic in GMAT sentence correction; however, many students will get these questions wrong simply because of careless errors. It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with coordinating conjunctions in great detail, so that you can recognize a coordinating conjunction problem when it appears on the actual GMAT exam.
The purpose of coordinating conjunctions is to connect words, phrases, and clauses. See the examples below:
Eg.
The bowl of beef stew is hot and delicious.
The beef stew is so thick that you can eat it with a fork or spoon.
Pooky, my black tomcat, loves having his head scratched but hates getting his claws trimmed.
Recognition
There are seven coordinating conjunctions total: and, but, for, nor, or, so, and yet. To remember all seven, you can memorize the acronym FANBOYS.
F = for
A = and
N = nor
B = but
O = or
Y = yet
S = so
Common Traps
Pay special attention to the usage of these conjunctions and their impact on the intent of a sentence. The words “and” and “or” have very different meanings and can change a sentence’s meaning. Always identify the logical intent of the sentence and choose the best answer that reflects this.
GMAT Example
Recently physicians have determined that stomach ulcers are not caused by stress, alcohol, or rich foods, but a bacterium that dwells in the mucous lining of the stomach.
A. not caused by stress, alcohol, or rich foods, but
B. not caused by stress, alcohol, or rich foods, but are by
C. caused not by stress, alcohol, or rich foods, but by
D. caused not by stress, alcohol, and rich foods, but
E. caused not by stress, alcohol, and rich foods, but are by
Explanation
In solutions D and E, the use of the word “and” changes the meaning of the sentence. “Stress, alcohol, and rich foods” implies that ulcers are caused by all three things working together. The original intent of the sentence is that each factor can cause an ulcer by itself, so we need to use the word “or” instead of “and.” To distinguish between answer choices A, B, and C, refer to your parallelism notes. The correct parallelism phrase is “…not by X….but by Y…” The only answer uses the correct expression is answer C.
Key Takeaways
Always note the logical meaning behind a sentence. Make sure the correct conjunction is used to in order to express this meaning.
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