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Can someone please focus on the usage of : is , 'to be' and explain whether they mean same in this context.

Generally, "believed to be" is considered a wrong idiom in GMAT.
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This is a question of comparisons. All except C compare the social structure of the bee colonies to human beings. This is incorrect. The correct comparison is b/w the social structure of the bee colonies and that (social structure) of human beings
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Here's the official explanation provided by the GMAC for this question:

This sentence compares bees' social structure to human social structures and to other social structures in the animal kingdom. The wording must clearly and concisely compare the bees' social structure only to other social structures, while indicating that the comparison as a whole involves all the social structures in the animal kingdom.

Option A: This absurdly compares the bees' social structure to human beings in the animal kingdom, rather than to all the animal kingdom's social structures.

Option B: This absurdly compares the bees' social structure and other social structures in the animal kingdom to human beings themselves. Moreover, the use of after does not adequately convey what is intended: that bees’ social structure is second in complexity only to humans’ social structures.

Option C: Correct. This clearly and concisely expresses the intended meaning that bees' social structure is the second-most elaborate in the animal kingdom. The pronoun that refers back to social structure.

Option D: This absurdly compares the bees' social structure and other social structures in the animal kingdom to human beings themselves, rather than to human beings' social structures.

Option E: The phrase disregarding that of is an unnecessarily wordy and unclear substitute for next to. It confusingly suggests that the bees' social structure itself is disregarding humans' social structure. Furthermore, in the animal kingdom may be misread as modifying either human beings or that of human beings, rather than social structure.

The correct answer is C.

Please note that I'm not the author of this explanation. I'm just posting it here since I believe it can help the community.
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ArunSharma12

C. is the most elaborate social structure in the animal kingdom next to that of human beings; this compares two structures
So the human being are part of animal kingdom?
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ArunSharma12

C. is the most elaborate social structure in the animal kingdom next to that of human beings; this compares two structures
So the human being are part of animal kingdom?

Hello Paagrio,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, yes; humans are scientifically classified as animals, as opposed to say plants or fungus.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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Bunuel
The latest studies of bee colonies, which can include up to 80,000 individuals, shed new light on what some scientists believe is the most elaborate social structure next to human beings in the animal kingdom.


A. is the most elaborate social structure next to human beings in the animal kingdom

B. to be the animal kingdom's most elaborate social structure after human beings

C. is the most elaborate social structure in the animal kingdom next to that of human beings

D. to be the most elaborate social structure in the animal kingdom next to human beings

E. is the most elaborate social structure disregarding that of human beings in the animal kingdom


SC16823

https://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/11/science/multitude-of-jobs-establish-bee-as-the-master-of-complexity.html

The latest studies of bee colonies, each of which can number up to 80,000 individuals, shed new light on what some scientists believe is the most elaborate social structure next to humans in the animal kingdom, and indicate that the communal organization of a bee colony is far more complex than previously thought. Ants and termites are the only other animals known to have societies almost as intricate as that of bees.


The Spoiler in the question shows A, so according to the NYTimes Article is A correct or C as per GMAT/People's Answer/Explanation?
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