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Chapter 5: Problem 4

Their son had become absorbed in his study and his parents were becoming accustomed with the fact. A. in his study and his parents were becoming accustomed with the fact. B. at his study and his parents were becoming accustomed with the fact. C. to his study and his parents were becoming accustomed with the fact. D. in his study and his parents were becoming accustomed in the fact. E. in his study and his parents were becoming accustomed to the fact.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Option E is correct.

Step by step solution

01

- Analyze the Sentence Context

Understand the sentence context to grasp the relationship between the son’s activity and the parents' reaction. The sentence means the son is deeply engaged in studying, and his parents are getting used to it.
02

- Understand Prepositional Usage

Identify the correct preposition usage. The phrase 'absorbed in his study' is the proper usage. Similarly, 'accustomed to the fact' is correct because 'accustomed' is followed by 'to' when indicating what someone is familiar with.
03

- Evaluate Option A

Option A uses 'in his study' correctly but uses 'accustomed with the fact,' which is incorrect. It should be 'accustomed to the fact.'
04

- Evaluate Option B

Option B uses 'at his study,' which is not the proper preposition. The correct phrase is 'absorbed in his study.' Additionally, 'accustomed with the fact' remains incorrect.
05

- Evaluate Option C

Option C starts with 'to his study,' which is incorrect. The appropriate preposition is 'in his study.' The second part 'accustomed with the fact' is also incorrect.
06

- Evaluate Option D

Option D uses 'in his study,' which is correct. However, 'accustomed in the fact' is incorrect.
07

- Evaluate Option E

Option E uses both 'in his study' correctly and 'accustomed to the fact' correctly. This is the only option with both prepositions used properly.
08

- Determine the Correct Answer

The correct option is E because it correctly uses both prepositional phrases: 'in his study' and 'accustomed to the fact.'

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Prepositional Usage
Prepositions often play a crucial role in sentence correction, especially in GMAT questions. Prepositions show the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence. In the sentence, 'Their son had become absorbed in his study, and his parents were becoming accustomed to the fact,'
  • 'absorbed in' is correct because the preposition 'in' correctly describes the involvement in an activity.
  • 'accustomed to' is proper prepositional usage because 'accustomed' is always followed by 'to' when indicating what one has adapted to.
This precision ensures the sentence is both grammatically correct and contextually appropriate. Incorrect usage can alter the meaning or make the sentence awkward.
Common Grammatical Errors
Grammatical errors can often be subtle but significant. In the example sentence, consider the common pitfalls:
  • Misuse of prepositions: 'accustomed with' is incorrect because 'accustomed' should be followed by 'to'. This is a typical error when translating similar phrases from other languages.
  • Inconsistent prepositional phrases: 'at his study' is also incorrect since being 'absorbed' in something usually suggests immersion into an environment or task, not a location.
Recognizing these frequent mistakes can greatly improve your accuracy in sentence correction on the GMAT.
Correct Answer Evaluation
Evaluating the correct answer involves more than just selecting an option that appears right. It involves a thorough understanding of prepositional phrases and context. For this exercise, each option was evaluated based on proper prepositional usage and sentence coherence.
Option E, 'in his study and his parents were becoming accustomed to the fact,' is the correct choice because it uses both 'absorbed in' and 'accustomed to' correctly. Taking the time to evaluate each option ensures you identify not just the seemingly correct answer but the most grammatically and contextually appropriate one.
Sentence Context Analysis
Understanding the context of a sentence is key to proper grammatical usage. In this case, the sentence is about the son's deep involvement in studying and the parents' adaptation to this fact.
Analyzing the individual elements helps in identifying the proper relationships:
  • The son's activity: 'absorbed in his study' accurately describes his engagement.
  • The parents' reaction: 'accustomed to the fact' correctly describes their adjustment.
Comprehensive context analysis ensures the correct prepositional phrases are used and the sentence meaning is clear, thus achieving coherence and grammatical correctness.

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