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ameyaprabhu
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help with cracking comparisons 12 Jul 2017, 02:31
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I am in the last leg of my preparation and understanding comparisons on difficult and medium difficulty questions (such as these https://gmatclub.com/forum/during-an-ice-age-the-buildup-of-ice-at-the-poles-and-the-144953.html) always confuse me, especially on as vs like questions.

Can someone please share a strategy for better deciphering comparisons, or at least some tips on how to improve this lacuna

Thanks in advance :-D
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broall
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help with cracking comparisons 12 Jul 2017, 02:41
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ameyaprabhu
I am in the last leg of my preparation and understanding comparisons on difficult and medium difficulty questions (such as these https://gmatclub.com/forum/during-an-ice-age-the-buildup-of-ice-at-the-poles-and-the-144953.html) always confuse me, especially on as vs like questions.

Can someone please share a strategy for better deciphering comparisons, or at least some tips on how to improve this lacuna

Thanks in advance :-D

Did you try Manhattan Guide Set, especially SC Guide?
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ameyaprabhu
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help with cracking comparisons 12 Jul 2017, 03:05
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Yes Manhattan has helped me understand the rules but my problem is with identifying what is being compared, especially on as/like questions.
eg. in this question https://gmatclub.com/forum/during-an-ice-age-the-buildup-of-ice-at-the-poles-and-the-144953.html
I got confused with whether Earth is being compared with a figure skater or whether the Earth rotation is being compared with the figure skater's rotation. And this is the main reason why I end up goofing up on even simple questions.


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ameyaprabhu
I am in the last leg of my preparation and understanding comparisons on difficult and medium difficulty questions (such as these https://gmatclub.com/forum/during-an-ice-age-the-buildup-of-ice-at-the-poles-and-the-144953.html) always confuse me, especially on as vs like questions.

Can someone please share a strategy for better deciphering comparisons, or at least some tips on how to improve this lacuna

Thanks in advance :-D

Did you try Manhattan Guide Set, especially SC Guide?
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help with cracking comparisons 12 Jul 2017, 03:21
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I quote the question here

Quote:
During an ice age, the buildup of ice at the poles and the drop in water levels near the equator speed up the Earth’s rotation, like a spinning figure skater whose speed increases when her arms are drawn in.

(A) like a spinning figure skater whose speed increases when her arms are drawn in
(B) like the increased speed of a figure skater when her arms are drawn in
(C) like a figure skater who increases speed while spinning with her arms drawn in
(D) just as a spinning figure skater who increases speed by drawing in her arms
(E) just as a spinning figure skater increases speed by drawing in her arms

Besides the grammar, you also need to understand the meaning of that question.

The comparison is made between two facts: [the buildup of ice at the poles and the drop in water levels near the equator] speed up [the Earth’s rotation], and [a spinning figure skater] increases speed [by drawing in her arms].

Two action are compared here, so must use 'as', not 'like'.
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help with cracking comparisons Updated on: 12 Jul 2017, 05:06
Originally posted by SISDIT on 12 Jul 2017, 03:49.
Last edited by SISDIT on 12 Jul 2017, 05:06, edited 1 time in total.
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ameyaprabhu
I am in the last leg of my preparation and understanding comparisons on difficult and medium difficulty questions (such as these https://gmatclub.com/forum/during-an-ice-age-the-buildup-of-ice-at-the-poles-and-the-144953.html) always confuse me, especially on as vs like questions.

Can someone please share a strategy for better deciphering comparisons, or at least some tips on how to improve this lacuna

Thanks in advance :-D
Hi ameyprabhu,

I am not a GMAT expert. I just wanna share my experience :)

- General rule: compare APPLES to APPLES [people vs people, thing vs thing, etc.]. To properly compare, we also need PARALLELISM structure [noun vs noun, clause vs clause, phrase vs phrase, etc.]

-Short rule: Like vs As

+ "As" used to compare clauses.

+ "Like" used to compare nouns.

- Comparison and Reverse construction: check out the link below:
https://gmatclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=219824

- Last but not least, always try to understand the intended meaning of the sentence.

Hope this helps :)

Happy learning :)


Sent from my SM-T116NU using GMAT Club Forum mobile app
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help with cracking comparisons 12 Jul 2017, 04:44
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ameyaprabhu
I am in the last leg of my preparation and understanding comparisons on difficult and medium difficulty questions (such as these https://gmatclub.com/forum/during-an-ice-age-the-buildup-of-ice-at-the-poles-and-the-144953.html) always confuse me, especially on as vs like questions.
Hi ameyaprabhu, thought I would highlight that our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses As vs Like, its application and examples in significant detail. If someone is interested, PM me your email-id; I can mail the corresponding section.