<p>I need some help with this:</p>
<p>To attempt a comprehensive mapping of the human (genome is undertaking) an extremely ambitious project.</p>
<p>(A) genome is undertaking
(B) genome is to undertake
(C) genome undertakes
(D) genome, it undertakes
(E) genome, thus undertaking</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>It’s “B”. It’s because the “…to undertake” which is an infinitive form must match “To attempt” (also an infinitive).</p>
<p>My answer key says the answer is C, and this is an administered test</p>
<p>By the way, I don’t understand the structure in this sentence:</p>
<p>The Great Gatsby is now considered a classic novel set in America’s Jazz Age, but in 1925 its reviews were mixed and its sales disappointing.</p>
<p>I don’t understand: “its reviews were mixed and its sales disappointing”</p>
<p>what’s this structure?</p>
<p>^ Isnt it wrong structurre.</p>
<p>Think of “to attempt a comprehensive mapping of the human genome” as the subject of the sentence. And this subject “undertakes an extremely ambitious project.” I’m not a 100% sure this is correct, but does it make sense? Possibly?</p>
<p>Looks like a hard level question. I would’ve chosen B too…</p>
<p>I would say… the answer is (C) genome undertakes
and for your second question, “its reviews were mixed and its sales disappointing”</p>
<p>were mixed … disappointing is a wrong structure… I think they should match.</p>
<p>Is it possible for the “were” that belongs in “disappointing” to be implied and unnecessary to write? Or am I just over-thinking it?</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/541668-sat-questions-help-please.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/541668-sat-questions-help-please.html</a> I googled the genome question and this other thread was created a couple years ago with someone saying that the infinitive form was correct. (Confused)</p>
<p>I am very much of the opinion that in this case the infinitive form is correct. It’s in the spirit of:</p>
<p>To do <something> is to achieve <something>.</something></something></p>
<p>and similar phrasing, some that appear often in literary and business communication material.</p>
<p>I would say C too. It’s because there are to many tos in B. Take out the innards. To attempt mapping is to undertake or to attempt mapping is undertaking. The second one sounds better.</p>
<p>so what parcheese means is A?</p>
<p>I just googled the question and this is what I found. Someone actually thought the answer the answer was C, but her book said the answer was B, but she didn’t know why. I think your book just has a typo.</p>
<p>Yes, the answer is B. The structure is "to attempt . . . is to undertake . . . " This is perfectly fine in English, even if it is unfamiliar as a construction. Trying to say “to attempt . . . undertakes” is wrong, because the subject of “undertakes” must be the person who is doing the undertaking, not the task that is being undertaken. The answer C is just a typo.</p>
<p>It can be a typo. How about the second structure?</p>
<p>Also, the construction about the Great Gatsby in #4 is correct as it stands. The technical name for this usage is “enthymeme.” The sentence is (enthymemically) understood to mean: " . . . its reviews were mixed and its sales [were] disappointing." It is acceptable to drop forms of the verb “to be” where they will be understood by the reader. Other elements of parallelism generally need to be included explicitly.</p>
<p>A couple of suggestions if questions at this level are causing trouble: Read the New York Times and the Economist. They both offer many examples of somewhat unusual, but correct constructions.</p>
<p>Wow, this is new to me. Thank you very much for that!</p>
<p>^ These types of questions wont be tested on the SAT. Wont they ??</p>
<p>This is from an administered test, May 2008, I think</p>