In Hungary, as in much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion

Hi Guys,

First of all, it is unlikely that this is a real GMAT question. A real question would not have used "portion of women;" the correct answer would use "number of women". "Portion" or "amount" can be used for non-count or singular nouns ("portion of the population," "amount of money," BUT "number of people").

So let's leave the subject-verb agreement issue aside and focus on the other aspects of the sentence that you've correctly identified:


In Hungary,as in much of eastern Europe,an overwhelming propotion of women work,many of which are in middle management and light industry.

A. as in much of eastern Europe,an overwhelming propotion of women work,many of which are

To refere to people, use "who" or "whom", never "which" or "that".

B. as with much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming propotion of women works, many

Notice that the prepositional phrase, "with much of Eastern Europe," does not accurately describe anything here. There is nothing in the sentence that can be described as being "with Europe."

TIP: The GMAT SC from time to time likes to user "with..." to create an inaccurate modifier.

INCORRECT: The student with the highest grade was rewarded.
CORRECT: The student who received the highest grade was rewarded.

C. as in much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming propotion of women work,many of them

First, the comparison of the two prepositional phrases ("in Hungary" and "in ... Europe") is logical and properly uses the word "as".

Second, "many of them in in middle management and light industry," is a structure called an absolute phrase.

The absoluate phrase is just a noun+description (NO VERB!) This is not a clause and not a modifier, but rather just a form of additional info.

Ex. Sue drove down the street, the wind (noun) in her hair (description).

So "many of them (women) in the ..." is just a way of adding info to the already complete clause, "an overwhelming propostion/number of women work/s".

D. like much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming propotion of women works,and many are

NOTE: "Like" can be used to compare only two nouns, not two descriptions or clauses.

So "like... Europe" would have worked if the sentence had begun with "Hungary," not "In Hungary."

E. like much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming propotion of women works,many are

Same problem as D.

Also, "many are in..." is a full independent clause (subject + verb that could be a sentence on its own). Two independent clauses cannot be attached with just a comma!

INCORRECT: I am hungry, I will eat.
CORRECT: I am hungry [; / ,and / ,so...] I will eat.

Check out Lesson 6 for more on comparisons and Lessons 9 and 10 for count and non-count nouns at gmaxonline!

Best,
Sarai

The key point in this question is to recognise wether to use like or as. This can be done by rewriting the statement as:
An overwhelming proportion of women work in Hungary,as in much of Eastern Europe, many of which are in middle management and light industry.
Since action is being compared so as would be used instead of like. Hence D and E are eliminated. B is wrong bcos it violates parallelism by using "with" instead of "in". Now b/w A and C, As wrong bcos of usage of "which" (distosts the meaning). C is the best choice

C

But the subtle part for me is the proportion of [plural noun] + plural/singular

Thanks to the following post, I get the idea
https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/in- ... t5864.html

the proportion of filipinos living in milpitas has increased --> it's the actual proportion that has increased (filipinos can't "increase")

a large proportion of the filipinos in milpitas work in san jose --> the filipinos themselves work (a proportion can't work)

First of all the 3 options are using "as" and remaining 2 are using "like". We need to determine which one of these is correct.
"As" is used as an adverb while serving as a preposition with the meaning of "in the capacity of". It should be used before a clause, adverb or prepositional phrase. This is exactly what we need here.
"Like" is used before a noun or pronoun, so does not suits here.
Now we are left with A, B, and C.

"As in" is correct usage than "As with".

So we are left with A, and C.

If you look carefully A is ending in "many of which are in" while C is ending in "many of them in". Obviously C is ending correctly.

Answer C.

For you to know....proportion can be singular/plural depending upon the intent and construction.
Here are few examples that will make it clear..

the proportion of women working in Europe has increased --> it's the actual proportion that has increased (proportion is singular here)

a large proportion of the women work in Europe --> the women themselves work (a proportion can't work) So plural

Hope it helps!!

Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:
Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this sentence is that as in much of Eastern Europe, in Hungary, an overwhelming proportion of women work, and many of them work in middle management and light industry.

Concepts tested here: Subject-Verb Agreement + Meaning + Pronouns + Grammatical Construction

• The pronoun “which” cannot be used to refer to a human being.
• A comparison can only be made between similar elements.
• A comma cannot join two independent clauses; such usage leads to the error of comma splice; to correct this error, the comma must be replaced with a semicolon or comma followed by a conjunction such as "and", "but" etc.

A: This answer choice incorrectly uses "which" to refer to "women"; please remember, the pronoun “which” cannot be used to refer to a human being.

B: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun "women" with the singular verb "works". Further, Option B alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "with much of Eastern Europe"; the use of "with" leads to an incoherent meaning; the intended meaning is that as in much of Eastern Europe, in Hungary, an overwhelming proportion of women work.

C: Correct. This answer correctly refers to the plural noun "women" with the plural verb "work". Moreover, Option C correctly refers to "women" with an appropriate pronoun "that", which can be used to refer to humans. Further, Option B correctly compares the prepositional phrase "In Hungary" with the prepositional phrase "in much of Eastern Europe", conveying the intended meaning - that as in much of Eastern Europe, in Hungary, an overwhelming proportion of women work. Additionally, the answer choice formed by Option C uses the phrase "many of them in middle management and light industry", conveying the intended meaning - that many women in Hungary work in middle management and light industry. Besides Option C correctly uses a comma to join the independent clause "In Hungary...an overwhelming proportion of women work" with the dependent clause "many of them in middle management and light industry"

D: This answer choice incorrectly uses "which" to refer to "women"; please remember, the pronoun “which” cannot be used to refer to a human being. Further, the sentence formed by Option D alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "and many are middle management and light industry"; the construction of this phrase illogically implies that many women in Hungary are middle management and light industry themselves; the intended meaning is that many women in Hungary work in middle management and light industry. This answer choice incorrectly compares the prepositional phrase "In Hungary" to the noun phrase "much of Eastern Europe"; please remember, a comparison can only be made between similar elements.

E: This answer choice incorrectly compares the prepositional phrase "In Hungary" to the noun phrase "much of Eastern Europe"; please remember, a comparison can only be made between similar elements. Further, Option E incorrectly uses a comma to join the independent clause "In Hungary...an overwhelming proportion of women work" with the independent clause "many are in middle management and light industry"; please remember, a comma cannot join two independent clauses; such usage leads to the error of comma splice; to correct this error, the comma must be replaced with semicolon or comma followed by a conjunction such as "and", "but" etc.

Hence, C is the best answer choice.

To understand the concept of "Comma Splices" and "Run-ons" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~6 minutes):



All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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In Hungary, as in much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women work,
many of which are in middle management and light industry.
A. as in much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women work,
many of which are in
B. as with much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women works,
many in
C. as in much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women work,
many of them in
21
D. like much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women works, and
many are
E. like much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women work, many are in

Last but not least, Parallelism leaves you only with A & C (2-3 split)...

IMO C

a) as in much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women work, many of which are in – which can’t refer to human beings
b) as with much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women works, many in – as with wrong
c) as in much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women work, many of them in – Correct
d) like much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women works, and many are – like is wrong. Can’t use for prepositional phrases
e) like much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women work, many are in - like is wrong. Can’t use for prepositional phrases

Since we compare action here not nouns, then we should choose "as", not "like". C is the best of the answers with "as".

Sorry Sir / Madam.... here I go...

In Hungary,as in much of eastern Europe,an overwhelming propotion of women work,many of which are in middle management and light industry.

1. as in much of eastern Europe,an overwhelming propotion of women work,many of which are
many of which is not correct when being referred to Women present in the proportion

2. as with mych of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming propotion of women works, many
as with much is wrong usage...... should be as in much!

3. as in much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming propotion of women work,many of them
Correct - as in much... correctly used... many of them correctly refer to the women in the proportion which is being talked about...

4. like much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming propotion of women works,and many are
many are is not correct as it now directly refers to the proportion and not the women accounted in the proportion. Also works is wrong... it should be work as an overwhelming propotion of women is plural

5. like much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming propotion of women works,many are
many are is not correct as it now directly refers to the proportion and not the women accounted in the proportion. Also works is wrong... it should be work as an overwhelming propotion of women is plural

Nice Question. I was worried about subgroup modifiers and prepositional comparisons. What is the Source? What is the OA?

A. as in much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women work, many of which are in
proper comparison, subgroup modifier is a proper form however which cannot refer to people !

B. as with much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women works, many in
improper comparison, in Hungary cannot be compared to as with

C. as in much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women work, many of them in.
correct ! proper comparison, subgroup modifier is a proper form, and them can refer to people !

D. like much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women works, and many are.
improper comparison, in Hungary cannot be compared to like much

E. like much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women work, many are in.
improper comparison, in Hungary cannot be compared to like much

"an overwhelming proportion of women work"
I think proportion is singular........like %age of something

First, like much of Eastern Europe is not paralleled with "In Hungary". Therefore, D and E are out.

As with much of Eastern Europe also wrong in term of meaning and paralleled. => Choice B is out.

"In Hungary" should be paralleled with "AS in ...". Hence, choice A and C are in finalist.

In choice A, "many of which" refers to "women" is wrong. So, we keep choice C as the final answer. That's correct
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as the sentence is starting with IN HUNGARY...
IN = PREPOSITION...
now LIKE is never followed by prepositional phrase...so we cannot use LIKE ...
So we can eliminate option containing LIKE.
more over in options containing LIKE ..much of is followed by like....hence the comparison is also not correct.

according to parallel structure necessity..we need:
in hungary, AS IN....

basing this we can eliminate option B.
MOREOVER option B HAS singular verb WORKS for plural subject ,,hence incorrect.

OPTION A everything correct except...use oF WHICH.
now we know we can never USE which /that for human beings....
so MANY OF WHICH...this is wrong..

hence left with OPTION C

hope it helps

In Hungary, as in much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women work, many of which are in middle management and light industry.

A. as in much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women work, many of which are in
B. as with much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women works, many in
C. as in much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women work, many of them in
D. like much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women works, and many are
E. like much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women work, many are in

Subject Verb Agreement:
In Option B and D, a proportion of women -> is plural so work should be used.

Comparison issue.

We are comparing the following sentence:
an overwhelming proportion of women work in Hungary as an overwhelming proportion of women work in much of eastern Europe
Now why not like

an overwhelming proportion of women work in Hungary like much of eastern Europe
Like is used for the comparing nouns so that is correct.

If we use like, there can be two inferences drawn:
an overwhelming proportion of women work in Hungary as an overwhelming proportion of women work in much of eastern Europe -> Intended meaning
an overwhelming proportion of women work in Hungary as Hungary work in much of eastern Europe -> which is illogical

Hence we need to use as and we need to repeat "in" so that comparison is proper.

hence Option D and E are out

With usage in B)
Normally in GMAT either with is used as part of idiom or used to modify the noun.
For example "association with" is an idiom
or "Starfish, with anywhere from five to eight arms, have a strong regenerative ability"
here with is modifying the noun - "Starfish"

But in Option B) I need a comparison marker. So Option B) is wrong

Between A) and C)
in A) many of which -> which refers to proportion and we require many of them -> to refer to the actual women.

In C) the reference (many of them) correctly refers to the women and hence C) is the correct answer

Side note:
Why we don't have the option C) as
as in much of Eastern Europe, an overwhelming proportion of women work, many of them are in

(many of them) is a noun and if we have a verb - are , that makes the sentence as Independent clause and this cannot be joined with the previous independent clause.

I understood that "proportion of women" is plural because it is women who work not the proportion. However, if someone can explain to me the use of "them" to refer to "women" because "women" is a part of prepositional phrase "of women".

Hi Gaurav, how did you get the impression that a pronoun cannot refer to a noun that is a part of prepositional phrase?
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This is one of those rare GMAT questions whose correct answer I happen to disagree with.

The noun here is "a proportion," not "women," because "women" is preceded by a preposition ("of") and is thus an object, not a subject. "a proportion (of women) works" = "it works" = correct. Thus, "works" should be the correct verb, not "work." Furthermore, any subject that is preceded by the indefinite article "a" is by definition singular.

I will admit that Choice B is not a perfect choice either, because of the non-parallel structure of "in / with", but I would argue that this error is less egregious than is the verb tense error in the "correct" answer, Choice C.

In addition, the "of them" in choice C is unnecessary.

GMAC says C, but I say B.

So what's the take-away here? On the GMAT, if the subject refers to "a" proportion, percentage, or number, then you should conjugate it as you would a plural subject...even though "a proportion" is technically a singular subject. If the subject refers to "the" proportion, percentage, or number, then you should conjugate it as you would a singular subject.

For example, "a proportion of women are..." vs. "the proportion of women is..."

I know that a large proportion of people disagree with me that B is best choice, especially since it would sound weird if I were to write, "a large proportion of people disagrees with me." However, that which is grammatically correct is not always that which sounds best. Choice C sounds best, but the Choice B follows the rules of grammar more strictly, at least with regard to verb conjugation, in my opinion.

Side note: I'm not sure why GMAC is putting "proportion" in the same exception box as "number" and "percent." Compared to the word "proportion," the words "percent" and "number" are more obviously plural when used by themselves: 50 percent of people have received the COVID vaccine (they have), 75 people are coming to the wedding (they are), et cetera. I suppose that "proportion" technically means "1 apple for every 2 bananas," for example, which could be considered a plural, but not as obviously so. However, if that's the case, then why don't we say "a large group of people are coming to the party (incorrect, collective singular noun)" instead of "a large group of people is coming to the party (correct)." Why is a "group" (singular) different from a "number" (plural) on the GMAT?

Of course, there is a difference between that which is technically correct grammar, and that which is accepted usage / sounds best. On the GMAT, what's technically and/or grammatically correct is only part of the consideration—it also matters what the GMAC thinks is best, for whatever reason.

Some of the commenters below maintain that GMAC is always correct when it comes to these matters, but I respectfully dissent. GMAC is flawed just like the rest of us, and every once in a while, it writes flawed questions, too. The trick is to know precisely how GMAT questions are flawed, so that you can still answer them correctly, even if you happen to disagree with the correct answer.

Hi,

GMAC is correct in this Q too and PROPORTION acts in similar way as NUMBER..
proportion preceded by 'the' makes it singular AS THE is literally talking of the ratio/fraction-
The proportion of women working from home IS higher than that of men.

Whereas 'A proportion' talks of the NOUN itself and not fraction..
A higher proportion of women VOTE in elections nowadays.
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