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GMAC老头通过OG 2018对 “which” 用法的昭示

一直以来,很多教师都把GMAT里面which的用法作如下介绍:不能指代前面全句,只能指代就近名词。这些老师也爱把此类异于广义英语要求的GMAT所谓规则称为“偏好”或“家规”;此类说法应最早来自例如OG11的49题之类的官方自身口径:

The cameras of the Voyager II spacecraft detected six small, previously unseen moons circling Uranus, which doubles to twelve the number of satellites now known as orbiting the distant planet

A、 which doubles to twelve the number of satellites now known as orbiting                     

B 、doubling to twelve the number of satellites now known to orbit               

C、which doubles to twelve the number of satellites now known in orbit around                

D、doubling to twelve the number of satellites now known as orbiting                            

E、which doubles to twelve the number of satellites now known that orbit


官方解释,请注意反红部分

The pronoun which should be used to refer to a previously mentioned noun, not to the idea expressed in an entire clause. In A, C, and E, which seems to refer to a vague concept invol­ving the detection of moons, but there is no specific noun, such as detection, to which it can refer. Also in E, the use ofthe phrasing the number... now known that orbit is ungrammatical and unclear. B and D use the correct participial form, doubling, to modify the preceding clause, but D, like A, uses known as orbiting rather than known to orbit, a phrase that is more idiomatic in context. B, therefore, is the best answer.                                  

官方当年的口径还是蛮明确的,就是不准你which指代前面整句话啊。官方都这么说了,自然GMAT老师也没啥好说的了。这个说法就这么一代代传了下来,后面的GMAT老师不求甚解接过前人的说法也就这样传播下去了。

大仙对这一规矩的怀疑,最早来自14年亲自考试的时候遇到过的一个题目,大仙把原题做了精确记忆还原:

Even the sure-handed Michelangelo testedpossibilities before making final decisions, suggest the exhibition's drawings: one profile study has two versions of the bridge of the nose and the eyelashes, which, given that the portrait itself is not on exhibit, makes us guess at which one the artist ultimately preferred.


注意划线外的which,很明显,根据上下文,它肯定是指代前面一个句子的,尽管此题并未把which的指代作为考点,但已经发出了一个关键信号:老头已经在which指代规则上实现了更新换代!

2016年底,大仙再次参加考试,此次考试终于活抓一个以which指代全句为考点的题目(题目回忆不完整):

一种房子牛X,在于两方面:first…….; second……

注意:

这题出现了 which 指代全句

First, 它的屋顶反射光spaced, which means 地球 absorb 了 less of energy;

second,房子温度下降了,which results 更少的温室气体

此题中,大仙反复确定,并没有出现正常来说GMAC老头喜欢的用Ving放句子后面,由全句发出该动作的选项,除了which之外的选项,均有其它毛病,所以此题选which指代全句无疑

因此,自2016年底起,大仙在面基课程便已预警考生,尤其是沉迷于曼某顿等网上所谓总结的同学,不可执念于所谓规律偏好,而要以分解老头意图为最高原则。

最终,2017年6月出版OG2018披露的一道题目(注意,OG出现的题目都是已经退出现役的题目,这意味着老头已经接受which指代句子的用法有一段时间了!)完全确认了大仙的判断,题目来自OG2018的781题:

Gusty westerly winds will continue to usher in a seasonably cool air mass into the region, as a broad area of high pressure will build and bring fair and dry weather for several days.

A、to usher in a seasonably cool air mass into the region, as a broad area of high pressure will build and

B、ushering in a seasonably cool air mass into the region and a broad area of high pressure will build that

C、to usher in a seasonably cool air mass to the region, a broad area of high pressure building, and

D、ushering a seasonably cool air mass in the region, with a broad area of high pressure building and

E、to usher a seasonably cool air mass into the region while a broad area of high pressure builds, which will


老头的解释:

Verb form; Grammatical construction; Diction
The sentence offers a prediction that two concurrent weather events will bring a certain type of weather, but its use of the phrase as . . .will build causes confusion. The wording makes the sequence of events and the causal relationships among them unclear. Future tense is used to indicate that winds will continue. The relation of as to the rest of the sentence makes it unclear whether as is intended as a logical indicator (similar to because) or as a temporal indicator(equivalent to while). If as is intended in the former way, it would be preferable to resolve the ambiguity by using a word or phrase such as because or given that. If it is intended in the latter way, a present tense verb would be needed following as or while to show that the second event is concurrent with, or part of, the future situation: while high pressure builds. In addition, usher in . . . into is redundant and unidiomatic. A clear, concise way to express this idea is will continue to usher a seasonably cool air mass into the region while a broad area of high pressure builds.
A. Usher in … into is redundant and unidiomatic. As … will build causes confusion.
B. The absence of a comma after 
region makes this ungrammatical. Ushering in . . . into is redundant; will build is the wrong verb tense; the plural verb bring does not agree with area, the singular antecedent of that.
C. The grammatical function of a broad area of high pressure building is unclear.
D. 
Ushering … in the region is incorrect since into is needed to indicate movement from outside in; the subject of the verb bring is unclear.
E. 
Correct. The idea is expressed with clear, correct combinations of verbs and subjects.
The correct answer is E.

这一解释清晰表明了
老头认为正确选项E里面bring的发出者是前面提到的俩事儿,也就等于确认了which可以指代前面整个大句子


尘埃落定之时,回忆十余年以降与命题老头的斗智斗勇,乃作一感叹并警示于考生:文法规则为社会科学,唯学者之共识矣。世易时移,或共识移,或GMAC当权之老头移。为师者,需与时俱进;为学者,当时而自省之:抱定陈规,奉为圭臬,南辕北辙也。