he wins frequently as much

[abhisheks901]

1) RIGHT: He wins frequently,as much because he plays so hard as because he cheats. Sc 6th ed. ch-9, page -142, ( As....As idiom.)

this sentence didn't made any sense to me. what is the meaning of this sentence and how is this sentence correct? please explain.

2) SUSPECT: we have AS MANY apples AS OR MORE apples THAN you.

does it mean that either i have equal no. of apples as you have or i have more no. of apples than you have? for what reason this sentence is in SUSPECT category?

3) RIGHT: Matt drives fast car LIKE his sister's. ("like idiom", page 145)

(= both drive similar cars OR, less optimally, one of the cars he drives is his sister's).

i am confused how can above sentence conveys the meaning mentioned in bracket? i think the above sentence is wrong. what does this "sister's" mean in above sentence?please explain this thoroughly.

4) WRONG: matt trains in many ways SUCH AS BY DRIVING on racetracks. (page 147, "such as" idiom)

5) WRONG: matt enjoys intense activities, SUCH AS TO DRIVE fast cars.

Right: matt enjoys intense activities, SUCH AS DRIVING fast cars.

Why are Sentences 4 and 5 wrong, when the above sentence is termed right in the book? please explain.

6) WRONG: AS MANY AS OR MORE THAN 250 newspapers are published here.(THAN idiom, page 147)

this sentence is clearly conveying the meaning that no. of newspapers published here is greater than or equal to 250. then why is this sentence wrong?

7) WRONG: WHETHER THEY BE trash or treasure, the recyclables must go. (whether...or idiom, page 147)

is there any rule by which we can identify these type of wrong sentences? or do we have to just learn it?

I know, this is a big post. Thanks in advance for your patience in answering these questions.
also i am feeling most difficulty in understanding idioms chapter. is there any other simple and efficient way of identifying correct idioms?

Thanks

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

Let me try my best here:

1) He wins frequently. This is because he cheats, but also because he plays hard. Actually, the fact that he plays hard is just as important as the fact that he cheats.
Don't be distracted by the 'so' here, it just means 'very'.
2) The sentence is suspect because it's long and clunky. We can just put 'as many or more' together.
3) This is a simple example of ellipsis (leaving out repeated words). Here, the full sentence is 'Matt drives fast cars LIKE his sister's CAR.' The sentence is comparing the cars Matt drives and his sister's car. Alternatively, the sentence is saying 'Matt drives fast cars SUCH AS his sister's CAR.' Using the word 'like' to give an example is a borderline area in GMAT. See the 'such as' idiom.
4) & 5) These sentences are wrong because the examples don't match the categories: 'by driving' is not an example of one of the 'ways', and 'to drive' is not an 'intense activity'.
6) 'as many as' means '250 or less', and 'more than' means '250 or more', so this sentence isn't giving much information.
7) The idiom 'whether X or Y' requires a parallel structure. Check out the parallelism chapter for more here.

Although it's great that you're engaging with the kind of nuances of meaning that are testing in GMAT problems, simply taking a fine comb through the whole SC book might not be the most efficient way for you to study. Remember that this test is one of logic, not of memorization. I would encourage you to spend the bulk of your study time on real GMAT problems, from the Official Guide or practice tests. Then use the SC guide as a reference if you get stuck reviewing a problem or notice that you're weak at a certain area.