GMAT/SAT 命题设计中的”大门”与狗洞”考量

在早年经典作品《大仙论道GMAT系列》中就曾提到，GMAT SC题型，以及与之思路相近的SAT improving Sentence题型，在选项设计有一非常有特色的考量，即在很多情况下，错误选项所蕴含的错误数目都多于一个，而实际上我们排除该选项只需要一个错误。当时就已经指出，这些错误背后所对应的排除成本和风险是不同的，训练有素的考生应该在不同的题目中增加对“通法”，也就是推广性强，适用面广，完全木有风险的排除标准的熟练程度，而不应该为了做题排除选项的快感，使用适用面窄，没有准确理论支持而具有一定风险的排除方式，比如“being”、“having”错，以及某些机构很热衷的“GMAT偏好”，“某某优先某某”等基于有限归纳的方法。

实际上对GMAT的研究发展到今天，我们已经可以很自信地说，一个训练有素的考生，如果能熟练掌握GMAC作为命题出发点，希望一个考生具备的分析、推理能力，能区分宏观、微观的切换角度，真正去思考，那些技能是商学院生存所必备的，而不是短视于当前排选项，那么我可以证明，绝大部分的SC题目，根本用不着各种奇奇怪怪的“狗洞”，考生大可超越那些纯为了考试而存在的“being”“偏好”，与孔乙己的“茴字有几种写法”无异的酸臭知识点（如比较can 和able to，capable of，比较whether和if“等等），以较为大气的方式完成商学院的预备课程-GMAT。

大门与狗洞的比喻，来自叶挺将军的诗作《囚歌》：

“囚歌

为人进出的门紧锁着，

为狗爬出的洞敞开着，

一个声音高叫着：

爬出来吧，给尔自由！

我渴望自由，

但我深深地知道——

人的身躯怎能从狗的洞子里爬出！

注意只是借用啊，哈哈。

看两个例子：

（1）

Nikola Tesla, the inventor of alternating current, because he was excited with the prospects of harnessing Niagara Falls for producing electric power, he predicted in the mid-1890's that electricity generated atNiagarawould one day power the streetcars ofLondon and the streetlights ofParis.

A.Nikola Tesla, the inventor of alternating current, because he was excited with the prospects of harnessing Niagara Falls for producing electric power, he

B.The prospects of harnessing Niagara Falls to produce electric power was exciting to Nikola Tesla, the inventor of alternating current, and so he

C.Excited about the prospects of harnessing Niagara Falls to produce electric power, Nikola Tesla, the inventor of alternating current,

D.Nikola Tesla, the inventor of alternating current, excited about the prospects of harnessing Niagara Falls for the production of electric power and

E.The inventor of alternating current, excited with the prospects ofharnessingNiagaraFallsfor producing of electric power, Nikola Tesla

A 句子不完整，B主谓不一致， C为正确选项，D 木有谓语 E 夹心（即两个修饰成分出现在主句出现之前，OG称之为“The verb phrase dominating... is called a “squinting modifier (a modifier (as often in *getting dressed often is a nuisance*) so placed in a sentence that it can be interpreted as modifying either what precedes or what follows)” because it looks in both directions:”。

以上排除4个选项的理由都非常坚实，而且都是大量重复常见的可推广性错误，不可谓不是“大门”。有趣的是，GMAC也为某些缺乏宏观观察能力的考生留下了“狗洞”：注意 C和E 除了修饰成分放置的方法以外一个啼笑皆非的区别：C以about与excited 搭配，而E悄悄地改为 with。命题者用意何在？给个狗洞，多点逃生机会。

2

Imported intoMassachusettsfromEuropein 1869, the gypsy moth was used by a French scientist in an attempt at developing a strong strain of silk-producing insects, crossing gypsy moths with adult silkworms.

A.Imported intoMassachusetts fromEurope in 1869, the gypsy moth was used by a French scientist in an attempt at developing a strong strain of silk-producing insects, crossing gypsy moths with adult silkworms.

B.Imported intoMassachusetts fromEurope in 1869, a French scientist was attempting to develop a strong strain of silk-producing insects by crossing gypsy moths with adult silkworms.

C.To cross gypsy moths with adult silkworms, in attempting the development of a strong strain of silk-producing insects, a French scientist in 1869 imported the gypsy moth intoMassachusetts fromEurope.

D.The gypsy moth was imported intoMassachusetts fromEurope in 1869 by a French scientist attempting to develop a strong strain of silk-producing insects by crossing gypsy moths with adult silkworms.

E.In an attempt at the development of a strong strain of silk-producing insects, a French scientist, importing the gypsy moth fromEuropeintoMassachusetts in1869 inorder to cross gypsy moths and adult silkworms.

A 选项 crossing 发出者指向主语不符合逻辑，B 主语科学家不能被imported修饰 C 夹心， D正确， E木有谓语。

和上一个案例一样，其实命题者的主要意图是考察考生对宏观大结构的把握，但是同样留了若干“狗洞“：如，只有E选项是使用” Cross A and B“的表达，其它选项均为with。

走大门，走狗洞？狗洞况许能解一时之急，然则练就推广性强的寻找大门之技能，方为通往自由王国之路。