By Clipper Ledgard
In the GMAT, Sentence correction tests the usage of expressions that are frequently incorrect according to GMAT standards. One of these expressions is “due to”. Many people use the expression “due to” as a synonym of “because of”. However, “due to” is an adjective phrase, meaning “caused by”; therefore, it should only be used referring to a noun, not to a clause.
Take a look at this example from the official guide.
Due to poaching and increased cultivation in their native habitats, researchers have determined that there are fewer than 100 Arabian leopards left in the wild, and that these leopards are thus many times as rare as China’s giant pandas.
(A) Due to poaching and increased cultivation in their native habitats, researchers have determined that there are fewer than 100 Arabian leopards left in the wild, and that these leopards are thus many times as rare as
(B) Due to poaching and increased cultivation in their native habitats, there are fewer than 100 Arabian leopards left in the wild, researchers have determined, making them many times more rare than
(C) There are fewer than 100 Arabian leopards left in the wild due to poaching and increased cultivation in their native habitats, researchers have determined, which makes the leopards many times more rare compared to
(D) Researchers have determined that, because of being poached and increased cultivation in their native habitats, there are fewer than 100 Arabian leopards left in the wild, thus making them many more times as rare as
(E) Researchers have determined that, because of poaching and increased cultivation in their native habitats, there are fewer than 100 Arabian leopards left in the wild, and that these leopards are thus many times more rare than
We can eliminate answers A, B, and C because these choices use the phrase “due to” referring to a clause: There are fewer than 100 Arabian leopards left in the wild.
We can eliminate D, because of the unidiomatic use of “being” in the expression “because of being poached”, and thus, the correct answer is E.
So, when choosing between “due to” and “because of” it is safe to select “because of”; the GMAT always refers to a clause, not to a noun.
However, can we be 100% sure? If you pay attention to the introduction of this article, you can see that I wrote “according to GMAT standards”. However, some authorities of the English language say that, in fact, “due to” can be a synonym of “because of”, so we cannot discard these choices.
In the next example, also from the Official Guide, we can see that the GMAT itself uses “due to” as a synonym of because of. “Due to” refers to the clause “the Earth’s northern latitudes have become about ten percent greener since 1980”. However, this “due to” is not underlined and thus must be correct.
Data gathered by weather satellites has been analyzed by scientists, reporting that the Earth’s northern latitudes have become about ten percent greener since 1980, due to more vigorous plant growth associated with warmer temperatures and higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
(A) Data gathered by weather satellites has been analyzed by scientists, reporting that the Earth’s northern latitudes have
(B) Data gathered by weather satellites has been analyzed by scientists, and they report the Earth’s northern latitudes as having
(C) After analyzing data gathered by weather satellites, scientists report that the Earth’s northern latitudes have
(D) After analysis of data, gathered by weather satellites, scientists report the Earth’s northern latitudes as having
(E) After data gathered by weather satellites was analyzed by scientists, who report that the Earth’s northern latitudes have
This example shows that, even though the GMAT has its own standards, there are other reputed authorities. The GMAT will not contradict these authorities, so the testers will give us some other clue. There are exceptions, and, once in a while, the GMAT testers will use one of these exceptions. In order to avoid falling into this trap, you must focus on meaning, as well as on grammar.
Recommendation: Be open minded.
