• SanDroid (3/9/2011)


    Duncan Pryde (3/9/2011)


    SanDroid (3/9/2011)


    Tom.Thomson (3/8/2011)


    SanDroid (3/8/2011)


    Tom.Thomson (3/8/2011)


    The right answer of course is "each of them can (but only one at a time)" so of the options provided 3 is closest to correct. 1 (the "right" answer) would only be really correct if the question was "how many of them can be rowguidcol columns at the same time".

    I have to agree to disagree with this statement.

    "enabled" is the key word in this question and makes perfect english as the last word in the question. This makes it the main describer for the question.

    I don't think the word "enabled" helps at all. The way the question is phrased would allow it to help only if the word "simultaneously" were inserted between "can" and "have" (or after "enabled" if a little sloppiness is permitted).

    My point was that the english in the question is correct.

    This type of question and it's wording is very common on all tests taken here in North America.

    I can't verify that they are like this in other regions where English is the primary language.:cool:

    FYI: That coins question ther other user asked you is in both of my daughters SAT study guides. If it makes you feel any better I had to explain it to them also.

    Just to add my £0.02-worth:

    Duncan

    Duncan,

    You are correct in all your statements.

    Unforetunately none of them had anytihng to do with the fact that the question was not incorrect in its use of the english laguage.

    Only one can actually be enabled.

    I don't suppose it will help you understand what I was saying if I point out that the person who introduced the term "incorrect" into this discussion was you, not me, that as I understand the language "imprecise" does not mean "incorrect" (it is imprecise to say "my bungalow is about 100 metres from the sea", but it certainly is not incorrect), and that in my view there was absolutely no incorrect use of English in the question or in the answer, just imprecise use. The wording of the question was imprecise, in that in permitted more than one interpretation, and although it seemed pretty obvious which meaning the author intended (unless he was playing trick questions; and he wasn't, so that was his meaning) a different interpretation was perfectly reasonable.

    Most of the time no-one bothers to be precise - the common feeling is something like "what's the point of complete precision" (except when writing about mathematical logic, or formally provable correctness of algorithms, or that sort of thing) - but in QOTD we unfortunately see a trick question now and again and as a result any imprecision (no matter how slight) risks being interpreted very carefully, unlike normal everyday speech or writing - just look at the number of comments saying something like "I got it wrong because I thought it was a trick question" or of really ludicrous things like the recent suggestion that the use of the word "drive" in one of Steve's RAID questions made it into trick a question.

    Tom