Heating-oil prices are expected to be higher this year than last becau

Hello dave13,


How to solve Comparison questions

It is a no-brainer that this question tests comparison. What makes comparison questions very complicated is the use of ellipsis — the concept of not repeating those words in the second part of the comparison that have already been mentioned in the first part of the comparison. The omitted words make it difficult to understand what entities are compared in the sentence. Therefore, it is crucial that we read the original sentence very carefully and try to understand the intended logical comparison in the context of the sentence.

Another thing that we need to guard ourselves against while solving comparison questions is not to get tangled in the comparison idioms and start checking whether the two sides of the comparison use parallel structures. Doing so makes us lose our focus on the intended logical comparison and start focusing on the grammar. So, stay focused on understanding the meaning presented by the sentence. So, let’s do so.


Understanding the Intended Comparison



The sentence says that prices of heating oil are expected to increase this year. Presenting a comparison, the sentence says that prices this year would be higher than the prices (of heating-oil) last year. Reason: refiners are paying about $5 per barrel more for crude oil this year than they were paying last year.

To sum it up, because the refiners are paying about $5 a barrel more for crude oil than they were paying last year, heating-oil prices are expected to be higher this year than the prices last year.
So, from our meaning analysis, we understand that the sentence presents two comparisons:

1. Heating-oil prices this year Vs. Heating-oil prices last year.
2. Crude oil prices now Vs. Crude oil prices last year.

Now that we understand the intended meaning/comparison, let’s deal with the ellipsis in this sentence.


Clearing the ellipsis conundrum

Since the massive play of ellipsis in this sentence confuses many, let’s focus on this aspect to check whether the original sentence is correctly written.



We have already figured out that the sentence presents two comparisons, as mentioned above.

From the structure of the sentence, it may appear that “heating-oil prices this year” have been compared to “last year.” But that is not the case. Clearly, the ellipsis is at play here. The phrase “heating-oil prices” is actually omitted or understood before “last” because these words are already present in the first part of the sentence. So, to keep the sentence concise, they have not been repeated.

For the very same reason, the word “year” is also understood after “last.”

We see the use of the ellipsis in the second comparison as well. The word “paying” is understood after “were,” as it already appears in the first part of the comparison. If you can crack the ellipsis conundrum in this or in any comparison sentence, you can solve a comparison sentence in 90 secs or less.

So, this sentence presents logical comparison through correct grammar and is error-free.

 

Ellipsis in Other Answer Choices

A. Heating-oil prices are expected to be higher this year than last because refiners are paying about $5 a barrel more for crude oil than they were

B. Heating-oil prices are expected to rise higher this year over last because refiners pay about $5 a barrel for crude oil more than they did

C. Expectations are for heating-oil prices to be higher this year than last year's because refiners are paying about $5 a barrel for crude oil more than they did

D. It is the expectation that heating-oil prices will be higher this year over last because refiners are paying about $5 a barrel more for crude oil now than what they were

E. It is expected that heating-oil prices will rise higher this year than last year's because refiners pay about $5 a barrel for crude oil more than they did

Choices B, D, and E are clean on the ellipsis test. Both these choices end with the simple past tense verb "did" after which the verb "pay" is understood because this verb is already present in the first part of the comparison. These choices are incorrect for other reasons. We shall see them when we get to the detailed solution later in the post.

Ellipses are a problem in Choice C. The last word in this choice is “did.” This verb must be followed by the verb “pay.” But this word is not present anywhere in this choice. So, the ellipsis does not work here.


Try these questions to cement your understanding

Cracking ellipsis may take time, but then practice can make anyone perfect. So, take this step and solve these questions that involve ellipsis:


2. Despite recent increases in sales and cash flow: https://gmatclub.com/forum/despite-recent-increases-in-sales-and-cash-flow-that-have-propelled-au-75275.html#p1386178

3. Do read this article "How ellipsis works in comparison sentences": https://gmatclub.com/forum/how-far-ellipsis-is-permissible-in-comparison-148973.html

Detailed Solution

We have already taken a look at the meaning of this sentence and established that Choice A is correct. Let’s now see why other answer choices are incorrect.

B. Heating-oil prices are expected to rise higher this year over last because refiners pay about $5 a barrel for crude oil more than they did

1. Redundancy Error: The use of “rise” along with “higher” leads to redundancy because they both denote an increase in prices.

2. Idiom Error: The correct idiom for comparison is “higher than.” This choice uses the incorrect idiom “higher over.”

3. Verb Tense Error: The use of the simple present tense verb “pay” and the simple past tense verb “did” does not convey ongoing actions in their respective timeframes. So, the verbs in this part of the comparison dilute the cause-and-effect in that the ongoing cause is going to result in a rise in heating-oil prices.


C. Expectations are for heating-oil prices to be higher this year than last year's because refiners are paying about $5 a barrel for crude oil more than they did

1. Expression Error leading to Meaning Error: This choice seems to suggest that expectations, and not the heating-oil prices, will rise. This meaning is not the intended meaning.

2. Parallelism Error: The use of the possessive form “last year’s” violates the parallelism in the comparison because the first part of the comparison does not use a possessive noun. For the correct use of “last year’s,” the first part of the comparison must mention the phrase “this year’s.”

3. Verb Tense Error: The simple past tense verb “did” is incompatible with the present continuous tense verb “are paying.” A simple tense verb cannot be used in the second part of the comparison as a replacement for a continuous tense verb in the first part of the comparison.


D. It is the expectation that heating-oil prices will be higher this year over last because refiners are paying about $5 a barrel more for crude oil now than what they were

1. Idiom Error: This choice repeats the idiom error we see in Choice B with regards to the use of “higher over.”

2. Expression Error: The use of the word “what” is absolutely unnecessary in this choice.


E. It is expected that heating-oil prices will rise higher this year than last year's because refiners pay about $5 a barrel for crude oil more than they did

1. Redundancy Error: This choice repeats the redundancy error of Choice B.

2. Verb Tense Error: This choice also repeats the verb tense error we find in Choice C with regards to the usage of the simple present and past tense verbs.


Takeaways
1. Ellipsis is an integral part of a comparison. Make sure to pay attention to them and analyze them carefully.
2. The verbs in the two parts of the comparison must be compatible with each other.
3. We must be careful of those structural changes that change the intended meaning of the sentence.


Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha