Bihar is India’s poorest state, with an annual per capita income of

Question

Bihar is India’s poorest state, with an annual per capita income of $111,  lower than in  the most impoverished countries of the world.

(A) lower than in
(B) lower than that of
(C) and lower than that of
(D) which is lower than in
(E) which is lower than it is in

why D is wrong here? please explain

https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/27/world/india-s-corner-of-mystery-bihar-s-poor-and-lawless.html

This is Bihar, a state of 80 million people that represents the other face of India, a country that has made overall economic gains in recent years. Desperately poor and struggling under barriers of caste, Bihar ranks at the bottom of all the country's indexes of handicaps. It is a state that cannot feed itself, with an annual per capita income of $111,  lower than in  the poorest countries of the world. Corruption and Lawlessness

SaraiYaseenGMAT · Accepted Answer

Bihar is India’s poorest state, with an annual per capita income of $111,  lower than in  the most impoverished countries of the world.
(A) lower than in
 You would only compare two prepositional phrases when you are comparing something to itself.

Correct : Sue reads more at night than in the day. (The sentence compares the two time periods.)

Incorrect : Sue reads more than at night. (There is a second time period but no first time period to complete the comparison.)

In A, there is no first prepositional phrase to complete the comparison ending with "...than in the most impoverished countries..."

(B) lower than that of
  A tip regarding comparisons!

To compare something to itself, use "it" or "they".
Ex. The legs of chair A are more wobbly than they were yesterday.

To compare one thing to another, use "that" or "those".
Ex. The legs of chair A are more wobbly than those of chair B.

Thus, in the problem above, we want to compare one per-capita income to another. Any time you want to compare one thing to another you must use 'that'/'those'.

(C) and lower than that of

Tip:       connects two independent clauses! 
 
 Ex. I eat steak   my brother eats fish.

There is no full subject+verb after the 'and' in C.
 
(D) which is lower than in
 Same problem as A.

(E) which is lower than it is in
 See B.

egmat · Answer

Hi All,

The discussion regarding the reference of “which” in answer choices D and E has prompted me to explain what “which” is modifying in these two choices. Yes, these two choices are incorrect choices, alright. But the information, I feel, is vital and can be usefully applied for GMAT problems related to “relative pronoun” clauses.

This is the sentence with answer choice D:

Bihar is India’s poorest state, with an annual per capita income of $111, which is lower than in the most impoverished countries of the world.

According to the  general rule, relative pronouns modify the immediate preceding noun . However, in some cases,  these pronouns can also refer to a slightly far away noun . This modification completely depends on the context of the sentence.
In this sentence,  “which”  refers to  “annual per capita income of $111”  and not only “$111”, the immediate preceding noun. This is so because the prepositional phrase “of $111” cannot be placed anywhere else in the sentence. This phrase only makes sense after “annual per capita income”. So now, we have a big noun phrase here “annual per capita income of $111”, and hence  “which” modifies the head of this noun phrase  that is “annual per capita income”.

Same is applicable to the sentence with choice E also.

Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha

patedhav · Answer

It is B (OA), Which cannot be used here, which will allways follows what it refers to (here which does not refer to income of $111).

arunmehta89 · Answer

Will it be fine if we write the sentence in the following way :-

Annual per capita income income of Bihar,which is India's poorest state , is lower than in the most impoverished countries of the world.

egmat · Answer

Hi there,
Annual per capita income of Bihar, which is India's poorest state, is lower than in the most impoverished countries of the world.

I’m afraid this sentence is not correct. It has the same error as in the original sentence. The comparison is not clear here. This sentence fails to convey what we are comparing the annual per capita income of Bihar with. After “lower than” we have “in the most impoverished countries” but what in these impoverished countries are we comparing the per capita income of Bihar with? This is not mentioned in the sentence.

The correct version of the sentence will be:

Annual per capita income of Bihar, which is India's poorest state, is lower than that of the most impoverished countries of the world.

We can also write the sentence by replacing “that of” with the “annual per capita income”.

Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha

thangvietnam · Answer

look at choice A. understanding why choice A is wrong is basic point inhere.

choice A means
annual per capital income of 111, lower that this capital income in the most impoverished countries.
so, it is not logic

a pattern similar to that of choice A but correct is

the capital income is higher in vietnam than in any other countries. 
this is correct. if you want to use "in other countries" we have to have element parallel to this phrase, such as "in my country". in comparison and elipsis pattern, the key is to find out a parallel pattern

once you realize the parallel pattern, you realize the elements compared and realize the illogic point.

once again. the key is to find out paralel pattern.

thangvietnam · Answer

in elipsis and comparision problem, the key is to find out the parallel pattern.
in elipsis and comparision problem, there are 2 cases, the 2 elements are compared or 2 contexts which are represented by prepositional phrase are compared.
I learn gmat better than my friends
the capital income in this country is higher than in other contries.
we need to find out 2 elements or 2 contexts.

to find out paralel pattern to find out 2 element or 2 contexts is key to success inhere.

yes.
try to find out paralel pattern to find out 2 element or 2 contexts.

neptune28 · Answer

I think this question is actually quite flawed, for several reasons:

1) If you just tack the phrase "lower than that of . . ." on the end, it's ambiguous. Exactly what is "lower" modifying? It could even be modifying "Bihar" or "state," I believe.

2) Besides the need to resolve the ambiguity, it seems to me that you need something connecting that final phrase to the rest of the sentence. It's kind of like writing one of these sentences:

Last night I saw a popular movie, very funny.
Last night I saw a popular movie, not as funny as others I've seen.

That just doesn't sound like literate English—probably because it isn't.

3) If you write "lower than that of the most impoverished countries of the world," then you're basically stating that the most impoverished countries of the world all have the same per capita income, which is false.

I think all the answers here are poor. Sometimes these questions make you wonder what kind of grades these test-writers got in English when they were in school.

3) If you write "lower than that of the most impoverished countries of the world," then you're basically stating that the most impoverished countries of the world all have the same per capita income, which is false. I think all the answers here are poor. Sometimes these questions make you wonder what kind of grades these test-writers got in English when they were in school.

Pawan0802 · Answer

Thank you for posting the solutions. These are very helpful indeed.

dontmesswithme · Answer

Hello experts,
Can you please with an elaborate explanation on why are we eliminating option D 
& E because pronouns is a slightly weaker section of mine and the answer provided by @e-gmat experts just left me slightly more confused?

svasan05 · Answer

Hi

Allow me to address your query. Let us examine the original sentence:

Bihar is India’s poorest state, with an annual per capita income of $111,  lower than in  the most impoverished countries of the world.

Here, it is obvious that we need to compare the "annual per capita income" of Bihar with a similar quantity of the most impoverished countries of the world ie; annual per capita incomes of those countries. Now, let us plug in answer option (D) into the sentence:

(D) Bihar is India’s poorest state, with an annual per capita income of $111,  which is lower than in  the most impoverished countries of the world.

Here, it is not clear what is being compared with the annual per capita income of Bihar. The problem is with the phrase "lower than in" - it has to be lower than  something  in these countries. What that "something" is is not made clear. Now let us do the same with option (E):

(E) Bihar is India’s poorest state, with an annual per capita income of $111,  which is lower than it is in  the most impoverished countries of the world.

This is not much better than option (D). Admittedly, we do have an "it" here, but what that "it" refers to is not made clear. Again, the compared quantity is ambiguous, and hence this is an incorrect sentence.

Hope this clarifies.

rheam25 · Answer

Hi, I have a doubt with the answer choice B. 
Since the answer choice has a sentence between two commas isn't that statement supposed to be non essential ? And arent the first sentence and last sentence supposed to have an independent complete thought. 
I'm sure I'm mixing up a few rules here but I'm confused.

And how is "lower than" modifying the preceding sentence?

TheUltimateWinner · Answer

Hi Experts,
 MartyTargetTestPrep ,  GMATNinja ,  GMATGuruNY ,  AjiteshArun ,  AndrewN 
 VeritasPrepHailey 
In B, it seems that the pronoun 'that' refers back to 'annual per capita income'. The 'that' is the part of  core  sentence. The  highlighted  part is the non-essential modifier, right? So why do we compare the essential part 'that of' with the non-essential part 'annual per capita income'?
Thanks__

AndrewN · Answer

Good question,  TheUltimateWinner , and you have identified all the grammatical elements correctly. The comma before  with  is non-essential itself—the sentence could function just as well without it. The comparison has to be clearcut, though, or else the GMAT™ police will get you. Notice that the clause has fully resolved by the time we hit that first comma. We can thus view the sentence through a different lens:

+   +

There is no rule that says you cannot stack modifying phrases, that the latter, in this case, may not refer to some element contained only within the first modifying phrase. In other words, that apparently self-contained part in the middle is not interrupting the main clause, but is an extension of it, and the phrase that follows at the end draws out the idea that much more by way of a comparison.

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

- Andrew

Romil042 · Answer

Bihar is India’s poorest state, with an annual per capita income of $111,  lower than in  the most impoverished countries of the world.

I think a detailed analysis has already been discussed but still the core part is missing for members who touched most part of que but were not able to find the correct ans.

firstly, the essential prepo phase not $111. Without $111 sentence will still make sense

...$111 lower than in XYZ...
wrong comparison
A is out

...$111 lower than that (an annual per capita income) of XYZ...
yes, we have to use an annual per capita income because $111 is nonessential.

"and" distorts the sentence. Firstly there is no such parallel action. Secondly, there is ID missing after and
C is out

which refers to an essential noun. it is correct RPM but the same problem as with A
D is out

it is ambiguous 
E is out.

B is a clear win

Thelegend2631 · Answer

I was just stunned to see how low the figure is. The latest figure is right 500 USD. That's what you pay for a fancy meal in USA. Isn't it ?

Trivia: Bihar has the highest proportion of rankers in public service exams in India.

Posted from my mobile device

Pranjal3107 · Answer

Can someone explain why the use of "which" is incorrect ? 
I spent a lot of time thinking and got it incorrect.

Thelegend2631 · Answer

E-GMAT EXPLANATION 
According to the general rule, relative pronouns modify the immediate preceding noun. However, in some cases, these pronouns can also refer to a slightly far away noun. This modification completely depends on the context of the sentence.
In this sentence, “which” refers to “annual per capita income of $111” and not only “$111”, the immediate preceding noun. This is so because the prepositional phrase “of $111” cannot be placed anywhere else in the sentence. This phrase only makes sense after “annual per capita income”. So now, we have a big noun phrase here “annual per capita income of $111”, and hence “which” modifies the head of this noun phrase that is “annual per capita income”.

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

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 the crucial part of this sentence is that Bihar has an annual per capita income of $111, and this amount is lower than the annual per capita income of the most impoverished countries of the world.

Concepts tested here: Meaning + Comparisons + Awkwardness/Redundancy

• Comparisons must always be made between similar things.

A: 
1/ This answer choice incorrectly compares the noun phrase "an annual per capita income of $111" to the prepositional phrase "in the most impoverished countries of the world"; remember, comparisons must always be made between similar things.

B:   Correct. 
1/ This answer choice uses the phrase "lower than that of" to modify "annual per capita income of $111", conveying the intended meaning - that   Bihar's annual per capita income   of $111 is lower than   the annual per capita income   of the most impoverished countries of the world.
2/ Option B correctly compares the noun phrase "an annual per capita income of $111" to the pronoun "that (annual per capita income)". 
3/ Option B is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.

C: 
1/ This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "and lower than"; the construction of this phrase illogically implies that   Bihar   is lower than the annual per capita income of the most impoverished countries of the world; the intended meaning is that   an annual per capita income of $111   is lower than the annual per capita income of the most impoverished countries of the world.

D: 
1/ This answer choice incorrectly compares the noun phrase "an annual per capita income of $111" to the prepositional phrase "in the most impoverished countries of the world"; remember, comparisons must always be made between similar things. 
2/ Option D uses the needlessly wordy phrase "which is lower than", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.

E: 
1/ This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "lower than it is in"; the construction of this phrase illogically implies that an annual per capita income of $111 is lower in Bihar than   the same amount   is in the most impoverished countries of the world; the intended meaning is that Bihar's annual per capita income of $111 is lower than   the annual per capita income   of the most impoverished countries of the world.
2/ Option E uses the needlessly wordy phrase "which is lower than", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.

Hence, B is the best answer choice.

All the best!
Experts' Global Team

Bihar is India’s poorest state, with an annual per capita income of

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Bihar is India’s poorest state, with an annual per capita income of

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