其实这种逻辑类考题并不像大家所想象的那样毫无规律,只要将历年真题加以总结就可以发现,这些题目还是可以有迹可循的。从总的方向来看,可以分为以下几个种类:
1. 事物的本身不能说明问题,事物的变化方能说明问题
这类考题和GMAT逻辑中的一类考题是非常类似的,仅仅通过事物的本身不能说明问题,事物变化的趋势和结果才能说明问题。比如我们看下面两道题目:
1.As the price of gasoline rises, which makes substituting alcohol distilled from cereal grain attractive, the prices of bread and livestock feed are sure to increase.
(A) which makes substituting alcohol distilled from cereal grain attractive
(B) which makes substituting the distillation of alcohol from cereal grain attractive
(C) which makes distilling alcohol from cereal grain an attractive substitute
(D) making an attractive substitution of alcohol distilled from cereal grain(E)
(E) making alcohol distilled from cereal grain an attractive substitute
这道题目中划线部分的which只能用来指代价格,但是价格的本身是不能说明用从谷物中蒸馏出来的酒精来做替代品变得更有吸引力的,油价上涨了这件事情方能说明,所以不能使用which,因为which只能指代一个特定的主体,它不能用来指代整个句子。应该用现在分词做伴随状语来表结果,所以答案应该选E,使用make n1 n2的句型。
2.Some of the tenth-century stave churches of Norway are still standing, demonstrating that with sound design and maintenance, wooden buildings can last indefinitely.
(A) standing, demonstrating that with sound design and maintenance, wooden buildings can last indefinitely
(B) standing, demonstrating how wooden buildings, when they have sound design and maintenance, can last indefinitely
(C) standing; they demonstrate if a wooden building has sound design and maintenance it can last indefinitely
(D) standing, and they demonstrate wooden buildings can last indefinitely when there is sound design and maintenance(A)
(E) standing, and they demonstrate how a wooden building can last indefinitely when it has sound design and maintenance
这道题目的意思是一些十世纪的教堂在挪威依然屹立着,展示了有着很好的设计和保养,木质结构可以无限延续下去,所以答案选A,同样用现在分词做伴随状语来表结果,而C,D,E的逻辑就错了,它们使用了they,只能指代复数名词教堂,变成教堂本身展示了有着很好的设计和保养,木质结构可以无限延续下去,这个逻辑是不对的,教堂本身怎么可能展示呢?比方说十世纪有个教堂,到了十一世纪就倒塌了,它所展示的意义不是刚好和原文相反了吗?所以教堂本身是不能展示的,教堂在挪威依然立着这件事情方能展示有着很好的设计和保养,木质结构可以无限延续下去。C,D,E的逻辑错误就明显属于事物的本身不能说明问题,事物的变化方能说明问题。
2. 词与词之间的逻辑搭配关系
这种题一般就属于难题了,它要求大家在考试的时侯要时刻保持清醒的头脑,注意正确的词与词之间的搭配关系。我们同样举几个例子:
3.As a baby emerges from the darkness of the womb with a rudimentary sense of vision, it would be rated about 20/500, or legally blind if it were an adult with such vision.
(A) As a baby emerges from the darkness of the womb with a rudimentary sense of vision, it would be rated about 20/500, or legally blind if it were an adult with such vision.
(B) A baby emerges from the darkness of the womb with a rudimentary sense of vision that would be rated about 20/500, or legally blind as an adult.
(C) As a baby emerges from the darkness of the womb, its rudimentary sense of vision would be rated about 20/500; qualifying it to be legally blind if an adult.
(D) A baby emerges from the darkness of the womb with a rudimentary sense of vision that would be rated about 20/500; an adult with such vision would be deemed legally blind.(D)
(E) As a baby emerges from the darkness of the womb, its rudimentary sense of vision, which would deemed legally blind for an adult, would be rated about 20/500.
这道题目正确的逻辑表述是当一个婴儿出现于子宫的黑暗当中,婴儿有着最初等的视觉,这个视觉将会被评为20/500,而一个成年人有着这样的视力将会被认为合法的瞎。首先A选项是不对的,它里面有两个代词it,第一个很明显指代视力,而第二个则是指代婴儿,这就违背了在同一句话中相同的代词应该指代相同事物的原则,所以A不对。这里?代视力,是视力将会被评为20/500,这没有问题,但是很遗憾这个定语从句后面还引导了legally blind as an adult,它的逻辑主语也是that,这样就变成视力合法的瞎了,这个逻辑就是有问题的,我们只能说人瞎,视力是无法说它瞎的。同样我们只能说人聋,听力是无法说它聋的,因此B选项就属于词与词之间的逻辑搭配关系错误。答案应该选D选项,后半分句是一个成年人有着这样的视力将会被认为合法的瞎,消除了逻辑搭配不当和代词指代的错误。
4.The physical structure of the human eye enables it to sense light of wavelengths up to 0.0005 millimeters; infrared radiation, however, is invisible because its wavelength—0.1 millimeters—is too long to be registered by the eye.
(A) infrared radiation, however, is invisible because its wavelength—0.1 millimeters—is too long to be registered by the eye
(B) however, the wavelength of infrared radiation—0.1 millimeters—is too long to be registered by the eye making it invisible
(C) infrared radiation, however, is invisible because its wavelength—0.1 millimeters—is too long for the eye to register it
(D) however, because the wavelength of infrared radiation is 0.1 millimeters, it is too long for the eye to register and thus invisible(A)
(E) however, infrared radiation has a wavelength of 0.1 millimeters that is too long for the eye to register, thus making it invisible
这道题目与刚才那道题的解题思路是完全一样的,我们再来体会一下这种题的出题特点。题干说人类眼睛的物理结构使它能感受到波长0.0005的光,然而射线是看不见的,因为它的波长是0.1,这太长了以至于不能够被眼睛探测到。A选项说波长看不见,这是个正确的逻辑,没有问题,然而B选项说射线的波长太长了以至于波长不能被看见,这就不对了。我们可以说射线看得见或是看不见,但是不能说波长看不见,因此B选项也属于词与词之间的逻辑搭配关系错误。
5.Although the term “psychopath” is popularly applied to an especially brutal criminal, in psychology it is someone who is apparently incapable of feeling compassion or the pangs of conscience.
(A) it is someone who is
(B) it is a person
(C) they are people who are
(D) it refers to someone who is(D)
(E) it is in reference to people
题干说尽管术语psychopath指的是一个特别残忍的罪犯,在心理学中它指的是某个人,他对别人没有同情心也不会受到良心的谴责。这道题的出题思路与上两道题略有不同,A,B选项谓语动词用了be动词,变成术语是某个人了,这个逻辑就错误了,术语指的是人而本身不是人,所以逻辑搭配错误,答案应该选D。
6.Promotions, retirements, deaths, and other actions approved by the board of directors at its May meeting will be reported in the July 15 issue of the company paper.
(A) Promotions, retirements, deaths, and other actions approved by the board of directors at its May meeting will be reported in the July 15 issue of the company paper.
(B) Promotions, retirements, and other actions which have been approved at the May meeting of the board of directors along with deaths, with be reported in the July 15 issue of the company paper.
(C) To be reported in the July 15 issue of the company paper are the promotions, retirements, deaths, and other actions which were approved at the board of directors’ May meeting.
(D) Meeting in May, the promotions, retirements, and other actions approved by the board of directors, including obituaries, will be reported in the July 15 issue of the company paper.(E)
(E) The July 15 issue of the company paper will report on promotions, retirements, and other actions approved by the board of directors at its May meeting; the paper will also include obituaries.
这道题目的难度比较大,考场中如果不能保持清醒的头脑,很有可能会把题目做错。题干的意思是提升,退休,死亡,和其他活动在五月份的董事会议上被批准了,这将会在7月15日的公司报章上有所报道。稍加分析我们就会发现问题,提升和退休可以被批准,死亡怎么能被批准呢,这明显属于词与词之间的逻辑关系搭配错误。答案应该选E,句子的最后另起了一个分句,这个文章也会包括死亡报告,消除了逻辑错误,而且用了obituaries是death的书面语,更符合商业英文的习惯。
3.事物本身不能和它自身进行比较,要把自身排除在外
这类考题又是考察了另外一种解题思路,事物在与其他事物进行比较时一定要把自身排除在外,因为自身和自身进行比较是没有任何意义的。一般情况下这种题目的正确答案都会加上other这个词。
7.Los Angeles has a higher number of family dwellings per capita than any large city.
(A) a higher number of family dwellings per capita than any large city
(B) higher numbers of family dwellings per capita than any other large city
(C) a higher number of family dwellings per capita than does any other large city
(D) higher numbers of family dwellings per capita than do other large cities(C)
(E) a high per capita number of family dwellings, more than does any other large city
题干说落杉矶有更高的人均家庭住宅要比任何一个大城市,很明显落杉矶本身也是个大城市,它不能和自身进行比较,所以A错,答案选C,加了other以后就把落杉矶自己排除在外了。