[wjossey]

It's questions like this that make me glad I don't take standardized tests anymore.

When I took the GREs in 2008, I received a 480 on the verbal section (which was bad given I was applying to PhD programs), and a perfect 6/6 on the written section. I actually didn't qualify for a handful of programs, because they required ESL students to achieve 500 or greater (so I was below what a non-english speaker needs to score, and I spoke english as a first language). So, somehow I was an excellent writer, but had poor verbal skills.

It's remarkable that we test people against this style of language, both domestically in the US and abroad, given the unlikeliness someone will ever stumble across this type of prose. And, if you do, you should really ask the writer why they're trying to be so convoluted in their argument.