NEW HERE? LEARN MORE
closeclose
Last visit was: 26 Apr 2024, 04:58 It is currently 26 Apr 2024, 04:58
Decision Tracker
My Rewards
New posts
New comers' posts

Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel

Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citize

SORT BY:
Date
Kudos
Tags:
Find Similar Topics 
Show Tags
Hide Tags
User avatar
L
generis
Senior SC Moderator
Joined: 22 May 2016
Posts: 5330
Own Kudos [?]: 35495 [5]
Given Kudos: 9464
Send PM
CAT Tests
Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citize [#permalink] New post   16 Oct 2020, 00:00
1
Kudos
4
Bookmarks
Expert Reply
00:00
A
B
C
D
E

Difficulty:

5% (low)

Question Stats:

83% (00:54) correct 17% (00:58) wrong based on 274 sessions
Hide Show timer Statistics

Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC1)


For SC butler Questions Click Here



Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same as in 2010.

A) a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same as in 2010.

B) a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010.

C) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same than in 2010.

D) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same than in 2010.

E) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010.
ShowHide Answer
Official Answer
E
Most Helpful Reply
User avatar
L
generis
Senior SC Moderator
Joined: 22 May 2016
Posts: 5330
Own Kudos [?]: 35495 [8]
Given Kudos: 9464
Send PM
CAT Tests
Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citize [#permalink] New post   16 Oct 2020, 00:09
5
Kudos
3
Bookmarks
Expert Reply
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC1)




Quote:
Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same as in 2010.

A) a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same as in 2010.

B) a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010.

C) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same than in 2010.

D) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same than in 2010.

E) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010.


• Concepts tested

(1) A number of / THE number of
→ a number of takes a plural verb.
A number of means several or some. The phrase is always paired with a plural count noun.

→ the number of takes a singular verb.
The number of is also always paired with a plural count noun and means "this specific statistic" or "this quantity" or "this particular number."

(2) IDIOM
Correct: about the same AS
Wrong: about the same THAN

• Split #1: logical meaning

Options A and B use the phrase "a number of."

The phrase a number of is illogical in this sentence.
A number of means some, several, or many.

Insert "some" for "a number of":
Figures from 2011 indicate that some unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same as in 2010.
→ Some unemployed Americans with a disability were about the same as in 2010?
I suppose you could argue that "were about the same" referred to a state of being, but the word "figures" indicates that we are talking about a quantity.

This sentence is illogical: A number of unemployed Americans with a disability were about the same as in 2010.

Eliminate A and B

• Split #2: subject/verb agreement

Option B incorrectly pairs a number of with the singular verb was.
Option D incorrectly pairs the number of with the plural verb were.

Eliminate D (option B is already gone)

• Split #3: Idiom

Options C and D incorrectly state about the same than.
The correct idiom is about the same as.

Alternatively, if ever you see the word than when two quantities are being compared, it must be coupled with greater / more or less / fewer.
The phrases same than or equal than are nonsensical.
Correct: greater than, more than, less than, fewer than
Wrong: same than, equal than

Eliminate C (option D is already gone)

The correct answer is E.

COMMENTS

ramlala , GyanaDash , KrissyB , and manvig , welcome to SC Butler. :)

I am always happy to see new people decide to post, and happy as well to see posts from my cherished frequent fliers and occasional visitors.

These explanations are outstanding.
Approaches vary and some posts contain lively prose; readers who follow will be lucky to have this thread.
Kudos to all.
General Discussion
User avatar
P
ramlala
Senior Manager
Senior Manager
Joined: 22 Aug 2020
Posts: 475
Own Kudos [?]: 352 [1]
Given Kudos: 30
Location: India
Concentration: International Business, Finance
Schools: IIMA PGPX'23 INSEAD Jan'23 intake Sloan (MIT) ISB HEC Oxford Said
GPA: 4
WE:Project Management (Energy and Utilities)
Send PM
Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citize [#permalink] New post   Updated on: 16 Oct 2020, 10:29
1
Kudos
Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same as in 2010.

A) a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same as in 2010.: subject a number is not relevant

B) a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010.: subject a number is not relevant

C) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same than in 2010. than is not required

D) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same than in 2010. Introduces subject verb erro, than is not requiredr

E) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010. correct

Ans E

Originally posted by ramlala on 16 Oct 2020, 00:17.
Last edited by ramlala on 16 Oct 2020, 10:29, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
S
AstroNut
Intern
Intern
Joined: 22 Oct 2019
Posts: 36
Own Kudos [?]: 51 [2]
Given Kudos: 13
Location: United States (TX)
Schools: Johnson (Cornell) (A)
GMAT 1: 710 Q48 V39
GMAT 2: 750 Q49 V42
GPA: 2.4
WE:Supply Chain Management (Transportation)
Send PM
Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citize [#permalink] New post   16 Oct 2020, 03:11
2
Kudos
Given that all options are pretty close to each other, at least when you scan the options, it is necessary that we look at some way of eliminating a couple of options.

After reading the sentence we can be sure that we are talking about a particular number. For example the number of unemployed Americans with disability in 2010 was 1000. Then in 2011 the number was pretty much same, so maybe within a range of 980-1020.

Given that its a particular number we are talking about, we need to use "the". In the original sentence "a number of" changes the meaning, it looks like we are only talking about a majority of the unemployed Americans with disability. For example A number of unemployed Americans with disability started their own business. Here "a number" fits well, but not in the case of our SC question.

If we go with this logic, option A and option B can be eliminated as they both start with "a number".

Now we need to look at the remaining 3 options. Lets have a look!

C) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same than in 2010. - Here although use of "the" is correct, the use of "than" is not correct. We are not comparing, we simply want to say that numbers in both 2010 and 2011 are pretty much same.Had the number in 2011 was higher as compared to the number in 2010, we could have said "In 2011, the number of unemployed people is higher than it was in 2010", but thats not the case here. Deselect

D) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same than in 2010. - It has the same issue as in Option C, use of "than" is not correct. Deselect

E) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010. - The use of "the" is correct. Use of "as in" implies that we are not comparing but showing similarity between the two years. Sounds correct. Keep

IMO Answer E
User avatar
L
rajatchopra1994
VP
VP
Joined: 16 Feb 2015
Posts: 1080
Own Kudos [?]: 1025 [1]
Given Kudos: 30
Location: United States
Send PM
Re: Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citize [#permalink] New post   16 Oct 2020, 03:54
1
Kudos
Explanation:

IMO-E

A Number of vs The Number of: the number is followed by a singular verb while the expression a number is followed by a plural verb.

Between A & E Option E looks better. No idea why A is wrong

A) a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same as in 2010. Incorrect

B) a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010. Incorrect as reason stated above

C) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same than in 2010. Usage of than is wrong, when comparing as is suitable, also than uses more, less.

D) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same than in 2010. Incorrect as reason stated above

E) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010. Correct
User avatar
B
GyanaDash
Intern
Intern
Joined: 29 Jun 2020
Posts: 48
Own Kudos [?]: 8 [2]
Given Kudos: 72
Location: India
GPA: 3.29
WE:Project Management (Energy and Utilities)
Send PM
Re: Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citize [#permalink] New post   16 Oct 2020, 04:06
2
Kudos
Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same as in 2010.

A) a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same as in 2010.
Wrong The argument talks about a specific number which is same, hence definite article should be used.

B) a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010.
Wrong Same as above.

C) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same than in 2010.
Wrong Same than is wrongly used. Than is used to show contrast, not similarity.

D) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same than in 2010.
Wrong Same as above. Additionally, the use of “were” is wrong, as number is singular.

E) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010.
Correct Definite participle is used, and “was” agrees with “number”.


Thank you.
User avatar
G
Biswadip
Intern
Intern
Joined: 04 Feb 2020
Posts: 22
Own Kudos [?]: 83 [1]
Given Kudos: 295
Location: India
Concentration: Finance, General Management
WE:Operations (Energy and Utilities)
Send PM
GMAT ToolKit User
Re: Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citize [#permalink] New post   16 Oct 2020, 07:22
1
Kudos
Split is between "a number" and "the number".
Its pathetic to use "a number" here when the whole concentration is on number. Thus A, B are eliminated.
In C and D "than" is used. Than brings a comparison in this sentence where there is no such comparison. Thus C and D are out.
E must be the OA.
User avatar
P
AntrikshR
Manager
Manager
Joined: 26 Jan 2019
Posts: 122
Own Kudos [?]: 191 [1]
Given Kudos: 334
Location: India
Concentration: Finance, Technology
GMAT 1: 500 Q42 V17
GMAT 2: 590 Q47 V26
Send PM
Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citize [#permalink] New post   16 Oct 2020, 10:05
1
Kudos
"a number of" is always followed by plural verb and "the number of" is always followed by singular verb.
Therefore, B and D are out.
C is out as it says the number of X was same than in 2010!--Wrong idiom.
Option A says: As per 2011 figures, Several unemployed American citizens who were disabled were quite same as they were in 2010!

Figures of 2011 are mentioned in the sentence, so we must expect some numbers and not citizens in general!

Whereas E says: In 2011, the number (count) of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as (the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability) in 2010.

Clear comparison of numbers of unemployed American citizens with a disability in 2011 vs no. of unemployed American citizens with a disability in 2010.

IMO E
User avatar
S
carrotcake
Intern
Intern
Joined: 16 Aug 2020
Posts: 22
Own Kudos [?]: 60 [1]
Given Kudos: 139
Location: United Kingdom
Concentration: Marketing, Technology
WE:Marketing (Advertising and PR)
Send PM
Re: Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citize [#permalink] New post   16 Oct 2020, 10:20
1
Kudos
Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same as in 2010.


#1 - eliminate 'a number' as we're talking about the specific number that's also present in 2010 figures.

A) a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same as in 2010.

B) a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010.

#2 - eliminate plural 'were' as "the number" is singular

D) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same than in 2010.

#3 - "than" doesn't have the comparison, correct: "same .... as"

C) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same than in 2010.

E) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010.

The winner: E
User avatar
L
winterschool
Verbal Chat Moderator
Joined: 20 Mar 2018
Posts: 2000
Own Kudos [?]: 1612 [1]
Given Kudos: 1679
Send PM
Re: Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citize [#permalink] New post   16 Oct 2020, 23:30
1
Kudos
Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same as in 2010.

A) a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same as in 2010. Incorrect

a number - plural,

plural number with a disability - sounds bad

B) a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010. Incorrect

SV error - a number - plural, was - singular

C) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same than in 2010. Incorrect

than uses wrong, as required

D) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same than in 2010. Incorrect

SV error- the number - singular, were - plural; than uses wrong, as required

E) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010. Correct
avatar
G
alwaysHP
Current Student
Joined: 16 Aug 2018
Posts: 90
Own Kudos [?]: 92 [1]
Given Kudos: 503
Location: India
Schools: Carlson '23 (S) Goizueta "23 (S) McDonough'23 (S) Tepper '23 (WL) Marshall'23 (I)
GMAT 1: 600 Q44 V31
GMAT 2: 710 Q49 V38
GRE 1: Q162 V150
GPA: 3.33
Send PM
Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citize [#permalink] New post   17 Oct 2020, 12:04
1
Kudos
Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same as in 2010.
a number - were -correct
the number - was correct


A) a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same as in 2010.
A number - This means more generic way of saying a number
B) a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010.

C) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same than in 2010.
was about the same than - incorrect; As makes sense instead of than
D) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same than in 2010.

E) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010.
The number is a definite article used for a specific number like 1000... compared to 1000 in 2010
User avatar
G
Neha2404
Manager
Manager
Joined: 07 Mar 2020
Posts: 127
Own Kudos [?]: 47 [1]
Given Kudos: 78
Location: India
Concentration: Finance, Accounting
Schools: IIMA PGPX'22 ISB'22 IIMB EPGP'22 Kellogg '22
Send PM
GMAT ToolKit User
Re: Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citize [#permalink] New post   17 Oct 2020, 18:59
1
Kudos
IMO-E
Figures from 2011 indicates particular number...use of the number is more appropriate..

Subject verb agreement
A number..plural. Use plural form of verb
The Number ....singular...use singular form of the verb
Correct idiom is ...same ..as

Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same as in 2010.

A) a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same as in 2010...... ..Use of A number is wrong ...

B) a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010.: use of A number is incorrect

C) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same than in 2010. .......correct idiom is Same .as

D) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same than in 2010. subject verb error ..and use of were is incorrect

E) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010. correct

Posted from my mobile device
User avatar
L
generis
Senior SC Moderator
Joined: 22 May 2016
Posts: 5330
Own Kudos [?]: 35495 [0]
Given Kudos: 9464
Send PM
CAT Tests
Re: Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citize [#permalink] New post   18 Oct 2020, 00:49
Expert Reply
The official explanation is here.
User avatar
G
chillbrorelax
Manager
Manager
Joined: 13 Aug 2018
Posts: 77
Own Kudos [?]: 185 [0]
Given Kudos: 68
Send PM
Re: Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citize [#permalink] New post   18 Oct 2020, 03:20
Thanks for the explanation.

I knew the rule that "a number" takes plural verb form, but I did not know the meaning.

Takeaway: a number means several, or some. The number means a quantitative figure.
User avatar
P
100mitra
Director
Director
Joined: 29 Apr 2019
Status:Learning
Posts: 751
Own Kudos [?]: 583 [0]
Given Kudos: 49
Send PM
Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citize [#permalink] New post   19 Sep 2021, 04:14
Correct option E

Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same as in 2010.

A) a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same as in 2010.
B) a number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010.
C) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same than in 2010.
D) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability were about the same than in 2010.
E) the number of unemployed American citizens with a disability was about the same as in 2010.


B, and D - Eliminated - SV agreement error
a number of - Plural and Was - Singular
the number of - Singular and Were - Plural

C, and D - Eliminated - Wrong Idioms - Same than
Between (A, and E)
The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns, which is refered - Figure, Number etc, when meaning is specific.
A/An is used to modify non-specific or non-particular nouns, singular count noun when you mean "one of many"
Eliminates A, and E is the Correct option
GMAT Club Bot
gmatclubot
Figures from 2011 indicate that a number of unemployed American citize [#permalink]
19 Sep 2021, 04:14
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
6921 posts
GMATNinjaTwo
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
238 posts

Powered by phpBB © phpBB Group | Emoji artwork provided by EmojiOne
Main navigation
GMAT Resources
Partners
MBA Resources
www.gmac.com|www.mba.com | | GMAT Club Rules | Terms and Conditions