According to recent studies comparing the nutritional value of meat from wild animals and meat from domesticated animals, wild animals have less total fat than do livestock fed on grain and more of a kind of fat they think is good for cardiac health. (A) wild animals have less total fat than do livestock fed on grain and more of a kind of fat they think is (B) wild animals have less total fat than livestock fed on grain and more of a kind of fat thought to be (C) wild animals have less total fat than that of livestock fed on grain and have more fat of a kind thought to be (D) total fat of wild animals is less than livestock fed on grain and they have more fat of a kind thought to be (E) total fat is less in wild animals than that of livestock fed on grain and more of their fat is of a kind they think is https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/19/health/vital-signs-nutrition-but-what-did-the-cow-have-for-lunch.html Wild animals not only have less total fat than livestock fed on grain, but more of their fat is of a kind (omega-3) thought to be good for cardiac health, and less of a kind (omega-6) that promotes heart disease, said the studies, published in the March issue of The European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Many of the same benefits were found in grass-fed livestock, also known as free range. Nutritional Value (A) Pronoun ( they ) (B) CORRECT Topic ( question text ); (C) Comparison ( X less than Y ) (D) Comparison ( X less than Y ); Pronoun ( they ) (E) Comparison ( X less than Y ); Pronouns ( they ; their ) First glance The opening split ( wild animals vs. total fat ) doesn’t point clearly to a particular type of grammar rule. The underline does start just after a comma, so perhaps there is a meaning or modifier issue that dictates what noun should appear after the comma. (Note: it turns out that there are no modifier issues. Sometimes, the first glance doesn’t provide a great starting point, as is the case on this problem.) Issues (1) Pronoun: they; their The original sentence uses a pronoun: a fat they think is good for cardiac health . Who are they ? The only plural nouns in the sentence are studies and animals . The studies can’t think anything, and it’s illogical to say the animals think the fat is good for cardiac health. Eliminate (A) because there is no referent for the pronoun they . Answers (D) and (E) contain the same error (no referent for they ). Answer (E) uses their to refer to a type of animal, but is it referring to the wild animals or the domesticated animals ? Eliminate (D) and (E) for pronoun problems. (2) Comparison: X less than Y The sentence makes a double comparison: Wild animals have less total fat than livestock have. In addition, wild animals have more of a “good” fat than livestock have. (Note: the word livestock can be singular or plural.) Answers (A) and (B) make a correct comparison (though they use slightly different forms to do so). Answers (C), (D), and (E), however, have issues. Answers (C) and (E) compare wild animals with that of livestock . What does the pronoun that refer to? It appears to refer to fat so try replacing that with fat : wild animals have less total fat than the fat of livestock fed on grain . If something seems off, you’re right! In this construction, the word fat is part of the core comparison idiom: one type of animal has less total fat than another type of animal. The comparison should be between the two types of animal: wild animals and livestock . Eliminate answers (C) and (E). Answer (D) changes the comparison: total fat (of wild animals) and livestock fed on grain . The choice should compare the total fat of one type of animal to the total fat of another type of animal; instead, it compares the total fat of one type of animal to another type of animal. Eliminate choice (D). The Correct Answer Correct answer (B) removes the faulty pronoun entirely while still making a correct comparison: wild animals have less total fat than livestock fed on grain . The sentence still does not say who thinks this fat is good for cardiac health, but that’s okay; the sentence isn’t required to do so, since there is no pronoun that needs a referent.

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According to recent studies comparing the nutritional value of meat from wild animals and meat from domesticated animals, wild animals have less total fat than do livestock fed on grain and more of a kind of fat they think is good for cardiac health.

(A) wild animals have less total fat than do livestock fed on grain and more of a kind of fat they think is "do" while comparing is unnecessary. The antecedent of "they" is ambiguous. Eliminate.

(B) wild animals have less total fat than livestock fed on grain and more of a kind of fat thought to be Correct answer. Both the above errors are corrected and no new errors are introduced.

(C) wild animals have less total fat than that of livestock fed on grain and have more fat of a kind thought to be "wild animals" are being compared to a possession of livestock ("that of livestock"). Eliminate.

(D) total fat of wild animals is less than livestock fed on grain and they have more fat of a kind thought to be "fat of wild animals" is being compared to "livestock". Eliminate.

(E) total fat is less in wild animals than that of livestock fed on grain and more of their fat is of a kind they think is Antecedent of "their" is ambiguous. Also, "wild animals" are being compared to a possession of livestock ("that of livestock"). Eliminate.

Hope this helps.

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27 Nov 2020, 07:08

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C. wild animals have less total fat than that of livestock fed on grain and have more fat of a kind thought to be

As described in our rambling guide to the word “that”, “that” is a singular pronoun in this type of situation. In (C), I guess it has to refer to “total fat,” but that doesn’t really make sense: “wild animals have less total fat than the total fat of livestock fed on grain…”

That’s kind of a mess. Wild animals have less fat than livestock, but it wouldn’t make sense to say that “wild animals have less total fat.. than the total fat…” That comparison is thoroughly wrong. (C) is out.

I fail to understand why option C is incorrect. Is it because the quantities (of total fat) are compared instead of the percentages ? Also, what thoughts do you have on second part of comparison "more fat thought to be of a kind..." . Request your help on this one.

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28 Nov 2020, 01:02

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C. wild animals have less total fat than that of livestock fed on grain and have more fat of a kind thought to be

Hey it might help to take a much simpler example in your head while deciding between these 2 options. Consider this - I have more money than my brother vs I have more money than that of my brother. Here, the 2nd option is literally saying that "you" have more money than "your brother's money", which doesnt make sense. How can you have more money than money? I thought of this while deciding between these 2 so thought I'd share. The 2nd comparison doesn't seem bad to me.

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28 Nov 2020, 06:34

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"I have more money than my brother." Isn't it an incorrect comparison wherein money is compared with brother? Or may be the better way to communicate the intended meaning would be - " I have more money than my brother has."

Also quoting @daagh's explanation here:-

B looks apparently better than others, because, in gist, it maintains the comparison between wild animals and domestic animals, although it is also meaning to say that wild animals have less total fat than they have livestock, which is indeed absurd

C compares the total fat of these two kinds of animals rather than comparing the animals themselves.

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"I have more money than my brother." Isn't it an incorrect comparison wherein money is compared with brother?

Hi BhaveshGMAT, technically speaking, there are two ways to interpret the above sentence:

(i) I have more money than my brother (has).

(ii) I have more money than (I have) my brother.

Since interpretation (ii) is completely non-sensical, the only logical interpretation of the sentence I have more money than my brother is I have more money than my brother (has). Hence, the sentence I have more money than my brother is correct.

Bottom-line: When the the comparison does not have any ambiguity, GMAT may choose to not explicitly mention the verb (has in the above case) after than.

There are numerous such official examples. In the examples below, I have mentioned in bold, the implied verb.

In 1982 the median income for married-couple families with a wage-earning wife was $9,000 more than that for families in which only the husband was employed.

This is equivalent to:

In 1982 the median income for married-couple families with a wage-earning wife was $9,000 more than that (median income) (was) for families in which only the husband was employed.

Plants are more efficient than fungi at acquiring carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide, and converting it to energy-rich sugars.

This is equivalent to:

Plants are more efficient than fungi (are) at acquiring carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide, and converting it to energy-rich sugars.

Ranked as one of the most important of Europe's young playwrights, Franz Xaver Kroetz has written 40 plays; his works—translated into more than 30 languages—are produced more often than those of any other contemporary German dramatist.

This is equivalent to:

Ranked as one of the most important of Europe's young playwrights, Franz Xaver Kroetz has written 40 plays; his works—translated into more than 30 languages—are produced more often than those (works) of any other contemporary German dramatist (are produced).

Quote:

Or may be the better way to communicate the intended meaning would be - " I have more money than my brother has."

This would be completely fine as well.

p.s. Our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses Comparison ambiguity, its application and examples in significant detail. If you or someone is interested, PM me your email-id; I can mail the corresponding section.

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28 Nov 2020, 07:56

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"I have more money than my brother." Isn't it an incorrect comparison wherein money is compared with brother?

Quote:

Or may be the better way to communicate the intended meaning would be - " I have more money than my brother has."

Thanks for the detailed post. I am stuck between option B and C. May I request you to throw some light on these two answer options and why is B the correct choice?

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Thanks for the detailed post. I am stuck between option B and C. May I request you to throw some light on these two answer options and why is B the correct choice?

Hi BhaveshGMAT, C states:

...wild animals have less total fat than that of livestock fed on grain...

This is equivalent to:

...wild animals have less total fat than that (fat) of livestock fed on grain...

Since there is no verb explicitly mentioned after than, the verb (has) is implied. So, the above sentence is equivalent to:

...wild animals have less total fat than that (fat) of livestock fed on grain (has total fat)...

As is very evident, this does not make sense.

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08 Dec 2020, 19:26

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Quote:

E. total fat is less in wild animals than that of livestock fed on grain and more of their fat is of a kind they think is

There’s a lot of clunkiness here, but the biggest issue is the word “they”: the only possible referents are “wild animals”, “livestock”, or “studies.” And none of those are likely to “think [that fat] is good for cardiac health.” (E) is gone, and (B) is the best answer.

GMATNinja I have a rather basic question. Is Livestock singular or plural? How do we find out if Livestock mentioned in this question be considered as a singular or plural noun?

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28 Dec 2020, 18:41

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I was looking for than after more

Can I read B sentence as:

According to recent studies comparing the nutritional value of meat from wild animals and meat from domesticated animals, wild animals have less total fat and more of a kind of fat thought to be good for cardiac health than livestock fed on grain

please suggest AndrewN .

(A) wild animals have less total fat than do livestock fed on grain and more of a kind of fat they think is

(B) wild animals have less total fat than livestock fed on grain and more of a kind of fat thought to be

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Hello, imSKR. Remember, either less or more can be separated from than by one or several words, but the comparative elements must be present to draw, well, a comparison, and the more words that fall between, the harder the sentence will be to follow. That is why in the correct answer, than is close to less, and once that comparative relationship has been established, the more part is just an extension. Yes, your proposed reading of (B) works, but by delaying the reveal of what is being compared to what, the comparison (and, by extension, the sentence) is harder to follow. That is why (B) is better kept as is.

I hope that helps. Thank you for thinking to ask me.

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Quote:

E. total fat is less in wild animals than that of livestock fed on grain and more of their fat is of a kind they think is

The GMAT does like to test nouns that are a bit tricky to classify as singular or plural, but they'll usually throw in some hints that can point you in the right direction.

From a grammatical standpoint, "livestock" can either be singular or plural, depending on the context of the sentence. You would say that "the largest export of Transylvania IS livestock," but you would also say "the livestock in my yard ARE growing restless and will attack at any moment." In the first case, we're treating "livestock" as a singular, monolithic thing. In the second case, we're treating "livestock" as a bunch of (homicidal) individuals, and so use the plural form of the verb.

So, which one is used in this example?

The biggest hint is in the comparison, which is between the fat in wild animals and the fat of livestock. Because the first piece of the comparison is plural, it would make more sense to close out the comparison with another plural noun. From this, we can conclude that "livestock" is plural in this sentence.

I hope that helps!

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Would like to draw your attention to a similar post

Quote:

The finance department took into account a broader set of expenses than those used by the marketing department when each group determined a return-on-investment ratio.

A) department took into account a broader set of expenses than those used by the marketing department when each group determined a

B) department took into account a broader set of expenses than those used by the marketing department when each group determines a

C) department took into account a broader set of expenses than the marketing department when each group determined a different

D) department took into account a broader set of expenses than that used by the marketing department when each group determined a

E) department, taking into account a broader set of expenses than that used by the marketing department, so each group determined a
Hide Answer
D

The explanation for this to eliminate C - We can not compare set of Expenses to Marketing Dept

My confusion is why here can we not using the knowledge of previous question use

C) department took into account a broader set of expenses than the marketing department(Took) when each group determined a different

Would request your help in this I am losing my mind over this

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shauryahanda

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Quote:

shauryahanda

A is taller than B.
A has more fat than B.
We are comparing characteristics of A and B. Fine. We can do without adding a placeholder verb. A and B are the ones who are taller/shorter and have less fat/more fat.

Tree A bears sweeter apples than tree B.
Are we comparing characteristics of tree A and tree B? No. We are comparing a characteristic of their apples. Then, using just 'tree B' does not make sense. It seems we are saying that tree A's apples are sweeter than tree B.

Look at the two sentences we are discussing:

... wild animals have less total fat than livestock fed on grain...
Comparing a characteristic of wild animals and livestock.

... finance department took into account a broader set of expenses than the marketing department...
Comparing a characteristic of the set of expenses. So this is not correct.

You should instead write:
... finance department took into account a broader set of expenses than that used by the marketing department ...

Also note that you need to take into account the other options available. In option (C), the use of "different" doesn't work. What the sentence wants to say is that they were calculating the same ratios but they gave different inputs. (C) implies that they were calculating different ratios.

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Thank you VeritasKarishma and other moderators

I think i am clear with the concept now(after reading your explanations and i Really can't thank you enough for it)

In order to solidify my concept just help me with this

A has more cars than B -> A and B are getting compared -> and this is correct
A has sweeter apples than B's -> A's apples and B's apples compared -> and this is correct
A has sweeter apples than B -> A's apples and B compared -> and this is wrong

AM I Correct ?

VeritasKarishma

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We need to take into account exactly which two things we are comparing and whether it is obvious. Else, we would prefer to clear the ambiguity.

A has more cars than B -> A and B are getting compared -> and this is correct

I would prefer to use "A has more cars than B does" but I wouldn't mind "A has more cars than B" much either. Number of cars they have seems to be the characteristic of the people. Number of cars cannot be compared with number of Bs.

A has sweeter apples than B's -> A's apples and B's apples compared -> and this is correct

A's apples are sweeter than B's apples. - This is correct.
A has sweeter apples than does B. - This is correct.
A has sweeter apples than B. - No. Are A's apples sweeter than B?

A has sweeter apples than B -> A's apples and B compared -> and this is wrong
Yes, this is wrong.

The distinction can get a bit convoluted with "has" verb because it could specify a characteristic of the person but with other verbs, it is often quite clear.

A likes this car more than B. - No. We are not comparing how much A likes this car vs how much he likes B.
If the intent is to say that we need to compare how much A likes this car with how much B likes this car, we need to say: "A likes this car more than B does."

When there could be ambiguity in meaning, it is best to clarify. At the end of the day, it will depend on what other options are. Don't try to learn "rules". Try to understand what works best in the context. That is what your high level SC questions will test.

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A few of my best students have gotten their asses thoroughly kicked by this one, so please don’t feel badly if you struggled with it. (And most of the early responses look great!) Success on this question is mostly about your ability to be incredibly literal with the meaning, particularly as it relates to the pronouns in the sentence. (For more on pronouns, check out our good old YouTube webinar on the topic.)

Quote:

A. wild animals have less total fat than do livestock fed on grain and more of a kind of fat they think is

“They” has to refer back to a plural noun, but our only options are “studies” (which makes no sense, because studies can’t think) or “wild animals” (which also makes no sense, unless you think wild animals moonlight as nutritionists. (A) is out.

Quote:

B. wild animals have less total fat than livestock fed on grain and more of a kind of fat thought to be

There’s no pronoun here, so that’s cool. And I think the meaning works: “wild animals have less total fat than livestock fed on grain” is fine. The second part seems fine, too: “wild animals have… more of a kind of fat thought to be good for cardiac health.”

I don’t see any huge issues, so let’s keep (B).

Quote:

C. wild animals have less total fat than that of livestock fed on grain and have more fat of a kind thought to be

Quote:

D. total fat of wild animals is less than livestock fed on grain and they have more fat of a kind thought to be

This comparison is very clearly wrong: “total fat… is less than livestock.” You could, I suppose, also argue that the “they” isn’t 100% clear – but the illogical comparison is the most straightforward issue. (D) is out, too.

Quote:

E. total fat is less in wild animals than that of livestock fed on grain and more of their fat is of a kind they think is

How can we say that in B, even though given as the right answer, clearly compare the total fat of wild animals with the fat of livestock?
In many cases, such statements are considered as wrong comparisons?

Furthermore, what is wrong with statement C and why here 'that of' is awkward? Is it because C is not the answer and B is?

PS: Kindly explain it in simple words. I am not looking for grammar jargon. Thank you.

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Quote:

A. wild animals have less total fat than do livestock fed on grain and more of a kind of fat they think is

Quote:

B. wild animals have less total fat than livestock fed on grain and more of a kind of fat thought to be

Quote:

C. wild animals have less total fat than that of livestock fed on grain and have more fat of a kind thought to be

Quote:

D. total fat of wild animals is less than livestock fed on grain and they have more fat of a kind thought to be

Quote:

E. total fat is less in wild animals than that of livestock fed on grain and more of their fat is of a kind they think is

In simple words, you need to follow the meaning:
What the sentence wants to convey us?

It wants to say that: wild animals have less fat than whom?
Now before you even read further:
You need to make sure what is the meaning:
wild animals have less fat than livestock have fat-- this is what I am going to look in correct answer choice.( best choice)

So lets read further :
A. wild animals have less fat than livestocks DO _ i dont have any verb comparison.- easy reject
B. wild animals have less fat than livestock( fat can not be more than livestock) So is intended meaning wild animals have less fat than livestock have fats ? ( lets keep on hold)
C. wild animals have less fat than fat ? Now you know why it is wrong? First, I am not comparing fat of wild animals with fat of livestock. Secondly, even if I do. I will use fat as subject . Example: fat of wild animals is less than that(fat) in livestock( now here that make sense). But subject is not fat , so literal meaning of C is : wild animals have less fat than fat of xx( wrong)
E is wrong because of 2nd part .

Hence I would be left with B as the most favorable choice, not because it is best but it is best among available options.

I hope your doubts are cleared.

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25 Mar 2021, 23:49

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According to recent studies comparing the nutritional value of meat from wild animals and meat from domesticated animals, wild animals have less total fat than do livestock fed on grain and more of a kind of fat they think is good for cardiac health.

(B) wild animals have less total fat than livestock fed on grain and more of a kind of fat thought to be

(C) wild animals have less total fat than that of livestock fed on grain and have more fat of a kind thought to be

The use of "that of" is incorrect in option C.

According to recent studies comparing the nutritional value of meat from wild animals and meat from domesticated animals,

studies comparing the nutritional value of-
-meat from wild animals
-meat from domesticated animals
Maintains parallelism

What is the result of the study?
Wild animals have less total fat than? Than livestock fed on grain.

We could use “that of” if we were comparing some features of wild animals to the same features of livestock.

For ex-

The tails of wild animals are longer than those of livestock. ( A hypothetical example, of course,

)

“those of” replaces “tails”

The use of "that of" in the given sentence is wrong.

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Updated on: 30 Jun 2021, 01:53

Originally posted by Jarvis07 on 26 Jun 2021, 03:52.
Last edited by Jarvis07 on 30 Jun 2021, 01:53, edited 2 times in total.

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Hello, experts EducationAisle AjiteshArun LogicGuru1 BrentGMATPrepNow (Anyone who is available):

Have a look at option (B):

"wild animals have less total fat than livestock fed on grain and more of a kind of fat thought to be"

Here, "less total fat than livestock fed on grain" (determiner+adjective...) is not parallel with "more of a kind of fat thought to be" (determiner+preposition...). How is this option correct?

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26 Jun 2021, 20:39

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GMATNinja

Quote:

A. wild animals have less total fat than do livestock fed on grain and more of a kind of fat they think is

Quote:

B. wild animals have less total fat than livestock fed on grain and more of a kind of fat thought to be

Quote:

C. wild animals have less total fat than that of livestock fed on grain and have more fat of a kind thought to be

Quote:

D. total fat of wild animals is less than livestock fed on grain and they have more fat of a kind thought to be

Quote:

E. total fat is less in wild animals than that of livestock fed on grain and more of their fat is of a kind they think is

GMATNinja Don't you think the literal meaning of (B) is incorrect? (B) translates to: wild animals less fat than they have the livestock fed on grains. Please let me know if I am wrong.

While (C) has the error with 'that', it clearly bypasses the ambiguity (B) has. If both have flaws, why did we prefer (B) over (C)?

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