As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children breathe twice a

Question

As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children  breathe twice as much air, drink two and a half times as much water, eat three to four times as much food, and have more skin surface area.

A) As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children

B) Compared pound for pound with adults, children

C) Unlike an adult, pound for pound, children

D) Pound for pound, a child, unlike an adult, will

E) Pound for pound, children compared to adults will

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sauravleo123 · Accepted Answer

As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children breathe twice as much air, drink two and a half times as much water, eat three to four times as much food, and have more skin surface area.

A) As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children

B) Compared pound for pound with adults, children

C) Unlike an adult, pound for pound, children

D) Pound for pound, a child, unlike an adult, will

E) Pound for pound, children compared to adults will

A. pound for pound enclosed in commas makes it non essential, but it is essential for the conveyed intent of the sentence.
B. Looks correct. Compared with is correctly used to compare children with adults pound for pound.
C. Same as A
D. The non underlined portion has "have". So the subject has to be children.
E. Compared to is used to show similarities. Moreover pound for pound is disconnected from the comparison. Tense error is also present. Will is incorrect, as we are presenting a fact.
B looks correct.

EMPOWERgmatVerbal · Answer

Hello Everyone!

Let's tackle this question, one thing at a time, and narrow down our options quickly so we know how to answer questions like this when they pop up on the GMAT! To begin, let's take a quick look at the question and highlight any major differences between the options in  orange :

As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children  breathe twice as much air, drink two and a half times as much water, eat three to four times as much food, and have more skin surface area.

A)  As opposed to adults , pound for pound, children

B)  Compared  pound for pound  with adults , children

C)  Unlike an adult , pound for pound, children

D) Pound for pound, a child,  unlike an adult ,  will

E) Pound for pound, children  compared to adults will

After a quick glance over the options, there are a few key differences we can focus on to narrow down our options:

1. As opposed to / compared with / unlike / compared to (Logic & Comparisons) 
2. a child/an adult; children/adults (Parallelism)
3. breathe vs. will breathe (Logical Meaning)

Since #3 on our list is an “either/or” split, let’s start there.  No matter which direction we go, we’ll eliminate 2-3 options rather quickly. To determine which way to go, let’s ask ourselves what this verb is trying to convey: a fact or a future action? A fact! When we state facts, it’s best to use present tense. Let’s eliminate any that use future tense. (To make problems easier to spot, we’ve added in the verb “breathe.”)

A) As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children  breathe

B) Compared pound for pound with adults, children  breathe

C) Unlike an adult, pound for pound, children  breathe

D) Pound for pound, a child, unlike an adult,  will breathe

E) Pound for pound, children compared to adults  will breathe

We can eliminate options D & E because they use future tense to discuss facts, which is inaccurate and misleading.  Now that we have it narrowed down a bit, let’s tackle #1 & #2 on our list:

A)  As opposed to  adults , pound for pound,  children 
This is  INCORRECT  for a couple reasons. First, saying “as opposed to” here isn’t accurately conveying the intended meaning. We’re comparing two groups, not contrasting them. Also, by bookending the phrase “pound for pound” with commas, this sentence is saying that phrase is non-essential information, which is also not accurate. We need to keep that information intact to have a clear, logical meaning.

B)  Compared pound for pound with  adults, children 
This is  CORRECT ! It keeps “pound for pound” as an important distinction of the comparison, and the phrase “compared with” is much clearer for readers.

C) Unlike  an adult ,  pound for pound ,  children  
This is  INCORRECT  because it isn’t a parallel comparison: it compares one adult to all children in general. Also, it has the same issue as option A in regards to how it handles the phrase “pound for pound.”

There you have it - option B is our winner!

Don’t study for the GMAT. Train for it.

AndrewN · Answer

Hello again,  adkikani . To start from the bottom first, you can eliminate (C) because it is comparing  an adult  (singular) to  children  (plural). The comparison is therefore skewed. Between  like  or  unlike , you have to consider the nature of the comparison. If you mean to highlight the similarity between two entities, then go with  like ; if you mean to point out a contrast instead, use  unlike . Between  unlike  and  as opposed to , the two are often used synonymously. There is no clearcut rule that I know of that delineates when to use which one,  as opposed to  the  like  versus  as  split in comparisons. In fact, sometimes you can find both usages in the same sentence. Finally, to answer your question about  pound for pound , yes, it is like saying that for each pound, the above comparison holds true between adults and children. You hear this phrase from time to time attributed to a diminutive specimen that achieves some feat of strength unexpected for its size, as in,

The ant, pound for pound, is one of the strongest organisms on the planet, able to carry an object in excess of 100 times its own body mass, using nothing more than its powerful mandibles.

I hope that helps. Thank you for tagging me, and good luck with your studies.

- Andrew

KarishmaB · Answer

Does it make sense to say " children eat twice as much .. have more skin surface area.. " etc? No. We know it is not so. The comparison is being made "pound for pound" i.e. for every 1 pound weight of an adult vs every 1 pound weight of a child.

Say an adult consumes 10 gms of food everyday for every 1 pound weight so if an adult has a weight of 120 pounds, he consumes 1200 gms of food in a day. 
But a child consumes 15 gms of food everyday for every 1 pound weight so if a child weighs 50 pounds, he consumes 750 gms of food in a day.

Though the child consumes less food, pound for pound, he consumes more (15 gms vs 10 gms).
This is the meaning of "pound for pound" and it is an essential modifier for "compared" so it should be close to it.

How is the comparison done? pound for pound

No like/unlike needed here.

Option (B) does this - Compared pound for pound with adults, children ...

itspC · Answer

AAh I don't see logic in your explanation with D a child will.. breathe.. drink..eat... and have is not wrong as far as I know. i don't think it makes sense if it was: a child will..( breathe.. drink..eat... and )has.? since will always need a have indefinetely.

itspC · Answer

.
. THUS B is the best choice

HOPE THIS CLEARS your doubts .

TrevorKleeTutor · Answer

As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children  breathe twice as much air, drink two and a half times as much water, eat three to four times as much food, and have more skin surface area.

A) As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children

B) Compared pound for pound with adults, children

C) Unlike an adult, pound for pound, children

D) Pound for pound, a child, unlike an adult, will

E) Pound for pound, children compared to adults will

Let's start with meaning.
This is a comparison. We're trying to compare adults and children, pound for pound. However, this comparison is confusing because "pound for pound" gets in the middle of our comparison. Let's make that comparison more clear.

To go onto grammar, the original is fine. I might mention our verbs here are appropriate: at the end we have "have more skin surface area", which means the subject of that verb has to be plural.

So the only one with a clear comparison is B: it's a pound for pound comparison of adults to children. Note that it's not E: pound for pound should not describe children.

GMATCoachBen · Answer

As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children breathe twice as much air, drink two and a half times as much water, eat three to four times as much food, and have more skin surface area.

A) As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children

B) Compared pound for pound with adults, children

C) Unlike an adult, pound for pound, children

D) Pound for pound, a child, unlike an adult, will

E) Pound for pound, children compared to adults will

sauravleo123 , you are correct, the "will" applies to all 4 verbs in the parallel list, so we don't have a Subject-Verb Agreement issue in D. "A child will have" is correct.

The issue with D is Meaning/Comparison.

D simplifies to: "Unlike an adult, a child will breathe twice as much air." (it's helpful to remove the modifier "pound for pound", to understand the core comparison). "Unlike X, Y" is one of the most common SC patterns, and it creates a comparison between  polar opposites : for example, "Unlike X's weak economy, that of Y is strong", or "Unlike the honeybee, the yellow jacket can sting repeatedly". In D, this structure implies that an adult does NOT breathe twice as much air (incorrect meaning, and it also doesn't finish the 2nd part of the "as X as Y" comparison -- twice as much air as what?). The intended meaning is to compare the amounts numerically, for adults versus children. In B, "Compared with adults, children breathe twice as much air" gives the correct meaning.

NimishaKrishna · Answer

As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children breathe twice as much air, drink two and a half times as much water, eat three to four times as much food, and have more skin surface area.

A) As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children

B) Compared pound for pound with adults, children

C) Unlike an adult, pound for pound, children

D) Pound for pound, a child, unlike an adult, will

E) Pound for pound, children compared to adults will

This question can be solved using the Process of elimination.

-->The Sentence says a fact.So Future tense is inappropriate.We can eliminate D and E
-->In C we are comparing an adult with children(can be adults and children or an adult and a child).So C can be eliminated.
-->Now between A and B
If we see the sentence it is basically comparison between children and adults
As opposed to - gives the sentence the below meaning
children have so and so features in contrast/opposite to adults.So A can be eliminated
B is the Answer

auradediligodo · Answer

As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children  breathe twice as much air, drink two and a half times as much water, eat three to four times as much food, and have more skin surface area.

The terms  highlighted  are the terms compared.

A) As opposed to  adults ,  pound for pound , children  Incorrect comparison

B)   Compared pound for pound with  adults ,  children   correct

C) Unlike an  adult ,  pound for pound , children  incorrect comparison

D) Pound for pound, a  child , unlike an  adult ,  will   verb tense is incorrect. We need the present to describe a universal fact

E) Pound for pound,  children  compared to  adults   will   Same as for D

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aniket2045 · Answer

GMATCoachBen

Can you please tell me how option A is wrong?

Thanks,
Aniket Yalkar

GMATCoachBen · Answer

aniket2045 , good question. A is wrong for the same reason as D (described above). "As opposed to" has the same meaning as "unlike" -- both of these are used to compare  opposites . The word "opposed" is similar to "opposite". However, the intended meaning is to compare the numbers for adults and children, in terms of degree (not opposites).

adkikani · Answer

VeritasKarishma   AjiteshArun   MentorTutoring

Can you suggest what is difference between like/ unlike , contrast and as opposed to?
The heart of comparison is between adult and children.
The sentence says children do/exhibit below activities more than adults:
  breathe twice as much air,  
 drink two and a half times as much water,  
 eat three to four times as much food, and  
 have more skin surface area.  
What is significance of phrase: pound by pound? Are we assuming that for each pound above characteristics hold true?

What is correct way to eliminate C?

Can we not ignore the phrase between two coma and compare children and adults?

yatindra20 · Answer

LIBERTYRodP · Answer

COMPARISONS, MODIFIERS

As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children  breathe twice as much air, drink two and a half times as much water, eat three to four times as much food, and have more skin surface area.

A) As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children ----   WRONG MODIFIER PLACEMENT. "As apposed to adults" needs to be next to "children", so in this case "pound for pound" is interrupting the whole structure.

B) Compared pound for pound with adults, children   ------ CORRECT.

C) Unlike an adult, pound for pound, children    --------- WRONG MODIFIER PLACEMENT. "unlike an adult" needs to be next to "children", so in this case "pound for pound" is interrupting the whole structure.

D) Pound for pound, a child, unlike an adult, will   -------- WRONG VERB TENSE "Will"

E) Pound for pound, children compared to adults will   -------- WRONG VERB TENSE "Will". Besides, "Compared to adults" needs to be non-essential and thus isolated with a comma.

mba757 · Answer

Aside from the tense error, within answer choice E, is "pound for pound" a nonessential modifier that should not be nonessential? If so, as it is within E, are we illogically comparing children (not pound for pound) to adults (not pound for pound), resulting in a similar modifier error as in A and C?

GMATNinja · Answer

You're exactly right that a big problem with (E) is the placement of the modifier "pound for pound." In (B), "pound for pound" modifies "compared." This makes sense - we don't have a direct comparison between adults and children, but rather a comparison that takes their respective sizes into account. (Kids don't actually eat 3-4 times as much as adults. They eat that much more,  proportionally .)

In (E), it's not clear what "pound for pound" is doing. It doesn't make any sense for it to describe the children themselves. Worse, it sounds as though the phrase "children compared to adults" is telling us which children we're discussing - we're not discussing the children compared to robots or the children compared to forest nymphs, but rather, specifically the children compared to adults. That makes no sense. Any one of these logical problems is enough to justify getting rid of (E).

Nice work!

FazliddinKD · Answer

As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children  breathe twice as much air, drink two and a half times as much water, eat three to four times as much food, and have more skin surface area.

A) As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children -  essentical modifier "pound for pound" separated with comma

B) Compared pound for pound with adults, children -    Correct comparison "compared with"

C) Unlike  an adult , pound for pound, children - Subject verb agree. error  an adult  compared with  childern

D) Pound for pound,  a child , unlike  an adult ,  will  - Subject verb agree. error  a child  breathe, drink, eat...

E) Pound for pound, children compared to adults  will  - future simple " will " incorrect used

Crytiocanalyst · Answer

A) As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children
as oppposed isn't the perfect choice of words and the comparison between the adults too isn't crystal

B) Compared pound for pound with adults, children
The comparison and meaning is spot on therefore let us hang on to it

C) Unlike an adult, pound for pound, children
The comparison and meaning is off therefore out

D) Pound for pound, a child, unlike an adult, will
will addition is unnecssary , inappropriate , comparison is off therefore out

E) Pound for pound, children compared to adults will
similar reasoning as D

Therefore IMO B

As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children breathe twice a

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GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

As opposed to adults, pound for pound, children breathe twice a

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