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AbhilashM94
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Re: Alamos National Laboratory

by AbhilashM94 Sat Jul 12, 2014 6:37 am

Stuck between (D) & (A)

(A) BEAM robots are not programmed to walk; instead they use brainlike circuits called neural networks to learn to walk through trial and error
(D) brainlike circuits called neural networks are used instead of programming for BEAM robots learning to walk through trial and error

How are you certain that the modifier is talking about Beam robots and not brainlike circuits.
RonPurewal
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Re: Alamos National Laboratory

by RonPurewal Thu Jul 17, 2014 4:47 am

Which modifier?

In which answer choice?
CrystalSpringston
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Re: Alamos National Laboratory

by CrystalSpringston Wed Oct 28, 2015 8:49 pm

jlucero Wrote:
cgrcrs02 Wrote:With D and E, why can't "brainlike circuits called neural networks" be the subject? I understand D and E would still be wrong for parallelism, but not for subject reference. Please advise

Thanks,
Srini


Those could be a subject of a sentence, but then the opening modifier is modifying circuits instead of BEAM robots. Also, the main idea of the sentence changes from what BEAM robots can do, to circuits are being used. Each of these are reasons to eliminate D/E.


Hi Ron,
I have difficult in understanding why the main idea of the sentence is talking about robots rather than circuits. Why can't be the circuit be pioneered by scientists?
That's why I chose D. Such science sentences sometimes overwhelm me not mianly because of grammar but because of the meaning.
Thank you.
CrystalSpringston
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Re: Alamos National Laboratory

by CrystalSpringston Thu Oct 29, 2015 10:53 am

What's more: when we consider the main idea of the sentence, how we assure what the real idea the author intends to convey? Normally, we reply on the original sentence, but sometimes the original one also distort the meaning. Even though it has no grammatical issue, it is still possible to change the meaning.
So what is the most effective way to capture the main idea?

Thank you!
yulongw540
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Re: Alamos National Laboratory

by yulongw540 Mon Nov 02, 2015 9:29 pm

Even though Jamie has explained why C is wrong, I am still confused. In Jamie's post:

BEAM robots are not being programmed to walk but instead using brainlike circuits called neural networks and learning to walk through trial and error

1) "not being programmed" is a different meaning from "not programmed". "being" implies that something is currently happening.

2) verbs: They are "not being programmed" to walk but instead "USE" circuits called neural networks and "LEARN" to walk.

For example:
I do not cheat but instead USE my brain to think of the answers. is correct
NOT
I do not cheat but instead USING my brain to think of the answers.


C actually is:
I am not cheating but instead using my brain to think of the answers. -- Is this sentence wrong?

The structure of C is :

BEAM robots are not being programmed to walk but instead using brainlike circuits called neural networks and learning to walk through trial and error

So what is wrong with the above structure?
RonPurewal
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Re: Alamos National Laboratory

by RonPurewal Thu Nov 05, 2015 8:02 am

the biggest problem is 'and'.

using brainlike circuits called neural networks and learning to walk through trial and error
this ^^ implies that 'using brainlike circuits...' is SEPARATE FROM, and INDEPENDENT OF, 'learning to walk...'.
oops.

another example here:
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/foru ... ml#p108282
RonPurewal
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Re: Alamos National Laboratory

by RonPurewal Thu Nov 05, 2015 8:06 am

also, the tense of the verbs is problematic.

the point of the sentence is, quite clearly, to state general facts about how the robots do(n't) work.

GENERAL FACTS are correctly stated in the present tense:
they are not programmed to walk
they use neural networks...

'is/are __ing', on the other hand, is used to express what's happening right now—with the implication that it is NOT permanent.
e.g.,
My dad is working as a contractor --> this implies a short-term job. (maybe he's doing this until he finds a more satisfactory job in another field.)
My dad works as a contractor --> this implies a permanent, or at least long-term, career choice.

so, 'is/are __ing' does not capture the point here.
ShriramC110
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Re: Alamos National Laboratory

by ShriramC110 Wed Nov 18, 2015 12:01 pm

Hi Ron,

The usage of Instead in B is also wrong??
Right??

Thanks,
RonPurewal
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Re: Alamos National Laboratory

by RonPurewal Sat Nov 21, 2015 8:53 am

correct; 'instead of' should be followed by a noun.

why so many question marks?
jabgt
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Re: Alamos National Laboratory

by jabgt Mon Nov 21, 2016 5:12 am

Dear Ron Sir,

May I ask how we could tell the subject should only be "BEAM robots" instead of "brainlike circuits" ? Guidances from Instructor Michael and Instructor Joe Lucero, if I don't interpret wrongly, say because "Beam robots" appear in Answer (A) while "brainlike circuits" does not appear in Answer (A). But because one of your lectures taught us that Answer A has no priority than other answers and because I'm pretty sure that even if orders of answers switch, the correct answer is still the same, I still have the question why choice D "brainlike circuits" cannot be subject here.

Is "for BEAM robots learning to..." the error of Choice D? As you have taught us in your "Thursday" sessions that "preposition + noun + -ing" is wrong when "-ing" is not modifier to the noun. ( Exception- the construction "with noun +-ing/-ed" is all right)

Thank you so much!

( I have exact same questions as those of AbhilashM94 and CrystalSpringston. But I don't find answer addressing CrystalSpringston's latest question, which was asked more than one year ago.

I ask this question after having studied the guidances from Instructor Michael and Instructor Joe Lucero, and I can see that AbhilashM94 and CrystalSpringston asked their questions after checking posts as well. Please forgive me that I make this statement because I'm quite worried that this question has not been answered because of the misunderstanding that we repeat asking the same question without checking the answers firstly.)


mschwrtz Wrote:When a sentence begins with a participial phrase followed by a comma, the participial phrase will either modify the subject of the main clause or attribute action to the subject of the main clause, which subject will immediately follow the comma.

In this sentence, the participial phrase Pioneered by scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory should modify BEAM robots, so BEAM robots must follow the comma.


jlucero Wrote:Those could be a subject of a sentence, but then the opening modifier is modifying circuits instead of BEAM robots. Also, the main idea of the sentence changes from what BEAM robots can do, to circuits are being used. Each of these are reasons to eliminate D/E.


tim Wrote:
aakash.saxena33 Wrote:whats wrong with D ?


Michael already explained this. Please read the entire thread before asking a question that has already been asked and answered..
jabgt
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Re: Alamos National Laboratory

by jabgt Mon Nov 21, 2016 6:04 am

Dear Ron Sir,

May I ask one question about correct Answer A: "Pioneered by ..." SEMANTICALLY apply to both former clause before semi-colon and latter one after semi-colon, but should this initial modifier only apply to the former clause? Take another prep problem as an example "Both the caribou and the reindeer belong to the species Rangifer tarandus, but after 7,000 years of domestication in Eurasia, reindeer have developed a tendency to circle in tight groups, while caribou tend to spread far and wide." -- "after 7,000 years of domestication in Eurasia" is only applied to the clause "reindeer have developed..." not to the clause "while caribou tend to spread far and wide"


Then Ansewr A "pioneered by certain scientists, XXX do not do something" but "do not do something" no need to be pioneered; instead "XXX do something for the first time" that is what pioneered. That's the problem I have with Choice A.

Thank you so much!

Best Regards,
Christine
RonPurewal
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Re: Alamos National Laboratory

by RonPurewal Wed Dec 07, 2016 12:01 pm

i don't know what "semantically" means. since you put that in capital letters, i probably don't understand your question.

the semicolon here is EXACTLY like a period. the things on opposite sides of it are two completely different sentences.
it's impossible for a modifier in sentence #1 to modify something in separate sentence #2.
RonPurewal
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Re: Alamos National Laboratory

by RonPurewal Wed Dec 07, 2016 12:02 pm

"Both the caribou and the reindeer belong to the species Rangifer tarandus, but after 7,000 years of domestication in Eurasia, reindeer have developed a tendency to circle in tight groups, while caribou tend to spread far and wide." -- "after 7,000 years of domestication in Eurasia" is only applied to the clause "reindeer have developed..." not to the clause "while caribou tend to spread far and wide"


those clauses are true simultaneously, so this is a non-issue.