TOEFL grammar

Question

"The new electric cars run partially on free energy installed at businesses have no means by whih to measure or ill for the electricity used."
a. with rechargers
b. as rechargers
c. recharging
d. using rechargers
and the answer is b. Can anybody rephrase the sentence? After checking the explanation, I still can't understand the reason (they use linguistics terms). Thank you very much.

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]"The new electric cars run partially on free energy installed at businesses have no means by whih ... the sentence? After checking the explanation, I still can't understand the reason (they use linguistics terms). Thank you very much.[/nq]
furthermore, what's a "mint-quality" collector's item?

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]"The new electric cars run partially on free energy installed at businesses have no means by whih ... the sentence? After checking the explanation, I still can't understand the reason (they use linguistics terms). Thank you very much.[/nq]
The whole sentence is a bit scrambled.
I think it's trying to say,
The new electric cars run partially on free energy, as rechargers installed at businesses have no means by which to measure or bill for the electricity used.
The part from
" , as rechargers... ... ... used."
explains why the electric cars run partially on free energy. The 'as' in this usage could be replaced by ' because'.

john

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]"The new electric cars run partially on free energy ... the reason (they use linguistics terms). Thank you very much.[/nq]
[nq:1]furthermore, what's a "mint-quality" collector's item?[/nq]
One that's as good as new. Check the definition of mint(4) in M-W.

john

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]"The new electric cars run partially on free energy installed at businesses have no means by whih ... the sentence? After checking the explanation, I still can't understand the reason (they use linguistics terms). Thank you very much.[/nq]
"As" here is being used as synonymous with "because ". Read: "The new electric cars run partially on free energy because rechargers installed at businesses have no means by which to measure or ill (sic) for the electricity used."
I have no idea what the "or ill" means. I think that's some sort of typo on your part.

Usenet · Answer

Ieyasu (Email Removed) wrote on 26 Nov 2003:
[nq:1]"The new electric cars run partially on free energy installed at businesses have no means by whih ... the sentence? After checking the explanation, I still can't understand the reason (they use linguistics terms). Thank you very much.[/nq]
It seems to me that you've left a few important letters and maybe a word or two out of the question sentence.
[nq:1]"The new electric cars run partially on free energy installed at businesses have no means by which to measure or bill for the electricity used."[/nq]
I wouldn't write this sentence. I'd say "{provided by / from} rechargers installed at businesses unable to measure or bill for the electricty used".
What was the book's linguistic explanation? Oh, now I see why they say that the answer is "b": "as rechargers" means "because rechargers". This is a mistake. "as" should not be used as a subordinating conjunction in place of "because" in the middle of a sentence but only at the beginning of a sentence (Fowler and Garner).

To rephrase, "The new electric cars run on partially-free energy because (as) the rechargers installed at businesses cannot measure how much electricity each car has used and the rechargers cannot send out electricity bills".
Bad question. Bad writing. Bad style. Throw the book away.

Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor. Unless otherwise specified, all my acceptability and grammaticality judgments are based on my understanding of what is normal, idiomatic, and grammatical in Standard American and Standard International English. My judgments are based on what I believe is acceptable in formal written English and on the English sections of tests like the SAT, GRE, GMAT, & LSAT. What is considered normal, idiomatic, and grammatical in other dialects is not within my purview.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]"The new electric cars run partially on free energy ... the reason (they use linguistics terms). Thank you very much.[/nq]
[nq:1]furthermore, what's a "mint-quality" collector's item?[/nq]
Unused. Not just unused, but in the exact state that it was originally sold.
Our mint makes our coins. A "mint" coin is one that has never been handled and is in the exact state it came from the mint. The use of "mint" also means "as the manufacturer shipped it" in the case of collectibles. A "mint-quality" toy would be in the original box and never played with.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]"The new electric cars run partially on free energy installed at businesses have no means by whih ... b. Can anybody rephrase the sentence? After checking the explanation, I still can't understand the reason (they use linguistics terms).[/nq]
The problem in the original (aside from the typos involving and ) is the omission of the mandatory, obligatory, nonnegotiable comma after .

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]"The new electric cars run partially on free energy installed at businesses have no means by whih ... the sentence? After checking the explanation, I still can't understand the reason (they use linguistics terms). Thank you very much.[/nq]
They are being tricky.
You are supposed to say to yourself:
here we have 2 finite verbs ("run" and "have no means") so there must be
2 clauses. But there's no conjunction to connect the two clauses! Onceyou realize that you need a conjunction, there is no possibility other than b).
Now you have a meaningful and grammatical sentence:

"The new electric cars run partially on free energy, as rechargers installed at businesses have no means by which to measure or ill for the electricity used."
"As" means "since" here.
They have carefully tried to mislead you. If you read the sentence from front to back, you'll be likely to pick one of the other answers. But these answers will not result in a meaningful and grammatical sentence.

Gary

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]furthermore, what's a "mint-quality" collector's item?[/nq]
[nq:1]Unused. Not just unused, but in the exact state that it was originally sold. Our mint makes our coins. A ... shipped it" in the case of collectibles. A "mint-quality" toy would be in the original box and never played with.[/nq]
For comic books, at least, it's even stricter than that, as "mint" implies that there are few or no manufacturing defects, either, and no damaging modifications by the reseller. From The Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide :
Near perfect in every way. Onlythe most subtle printing or bindery defects allowed. Cover is flat with no surface wear. Cover inks are bright with high reflectivity and minimal fading. Corners are cut square and sharp. Small, light pencilled, stamped or inked arrival dates are acceptible as long as they are in an unobtrusive or aesthetical location. Staples must be original and are generally centered and clean with no rust. Books signed on the inside do not detract from this grade. Cover is well centered and firmly secured to interior pages. Paper is supple and like new. Spine is tight and flat.

Since the 1960s, comics have been graded "mint", "near mint", "very fine", "fine", "very good", "good", "fair", and "poor". Recently, a
100 point scale has become popular, with "mint" covering 98-100. Therange of what is sold as "mint" is sometimes wide enough, that you'll sometimes see things advertised as "pristine mint" to signify the real upper-end of the scale, typically books that were never actually even shipped (and, of course, were well preserved).

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Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]furthermore, what's a "mint-quality" collector's item?[/nq]
Can be substituted for a Life Saver.

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