In the 1980's the rate of increase of the minority population of the

Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-



Choice A: In Option A, the term "fast" is used to refer to a rate of increase; as the rate at which something increases is not defined by speed, the usage of "fast" is unidiomatic. Moreover, this option compares the rate of increase in the 1980s to “the 1970s”, rather than the corresponding rate of increase in that decade. Thus, Option A is incorrect.

Choice B: Option B repeats the same error found in Option A, regarding the use of the word "fast". Thus, Option B is incorrect.

Choice C: Option C maintains proper idiom use throughout the sentence and conveys the intended meaning of the sentence. Thus, Option C is correct.

Choice D: Option D repeats the same error found in Options A and B, regarding the use of the word "fast". Thus, Option D is incorrect.

Choice E: Option E compares the rate of increase in the 1980s to “the 1970s”, rather than the corresponding rate of increase in that decade. Thus, Option E is incorrect.

Hence, C is the best answer choice.

All the best!
Experts' Global Team

the usage of "rate of increase" with fast is redundant. Hence C is the best choice

A IMO
Just replace 1970's with "the rate of 1970" and you will get the answer as A.

RATE OF INCREASE has to be GRETER/LESSER/TWICE/THRICE...
IT CANNOT BE FASTER
SIMILARLY..RATE OF ASCENT HAS TO BE FASTER AND CANNOT BE GREATER...
SO ONLY C AND E QUALIFY AND SINCE E IS MISSING A PRONOUN PHRASE "THAT OF
" C WINS

A. Rate cannot be fast/faster.
B. Rate cannot be fast/faster.

C. Rate can be twice or 1/2 or 1/3...................Correct.

D. Rate can not be two times fast/faster.
E. Rate can not be great/greater.

Thought I did it earlier - not sure.

In the 1980's the rate of increase of the minority population of the United States was nearly twice as fast as the 1970's.
(A) twice as fast as--------> compares the rate of inc to 1970(illogical and eliminated)
(B) twice as fast as it was in----->it cannot refer to rate of increase of the minority population of the United States (eliminated)
(C) twice what it was in---->keep it
(D) two times faster than that of------->rate of inc cannot be faster
(E) two times greater than---->rate of inc is compared with 1970(illogical and eliminated)

BY POE C is the best

(C) should be the correct answer because "faster rate" makes no sense, it's no car or no horse, just some number, percentage.

All answer choices except (C) and (E) use adjective "faster". In (E) "rate of increase" is compared with "the 1970's" and also makes no sense


Hence (C)

As many people correctly pointed out, B tries to modify the noun "rate" as "fast", making the sentence illogical.

In addition, B uses the pronoun "it" incorrectly. It must refer to the SAME "copy" of thing. For example:

-Mike saw a scrumptious piece of cherry pie at the shop. The temptation was too great, and he had to eat it.

Here, "it" refers to the same piece of cherry pie, Mike had seen earlier.

"it" in B refers to the same rate of increase that appears in the sentence earlier. Of course, this is incorrect, as the purpose is to compare two DIFFERENT rates.

Hope this helps!

In the 1980’s the rate of increase of the minority population of the United States was nearly twice as fast as the 1970’s.

(A) twice as fast as
--> rate is not going to be fast

(B) twice as fast as it was in
--> same as A

(C) twice what it was in
--> correct

(D) two times faster than that of
--> same as A

(E) two times greater than
-->you need to specify the items that are in comparison ;This choice leaves it ambiguous;

HTH

i would go with my layman level explanation..

is the rate of increase twice or two times..?

i went with twice because ( the rate of increase is two times faster? or two times greater..) is not grammatically correct... Hence options D & E are knocked off...

we are left with A, B & C

A: as fast as 1970s? rate is compared with 1970s...WRONG
B: rate as fast as it was in? rate is considered as speed? WRONG
C: rate is twice as it was in 1970s... CORRECT

Hence C is the answer

two times is the wrong idiom

twice is correct

In A after as fast as we nedd a subject to clarify and put clear that we talk about the rate

B and C.

C is clear and concise. B is redundant; moreover in B seems the rate si faster but indeed is only different between two years

first of all, we are comparing the rate of increase in 1980 to the rate of increase in the 1970.
since we are comparing the same thing, and since we have a preposition "in" at the beginning of the sentence, there is a high probability that the one specifying "in the 1970's" is the right answer.
moreover, A is incorrect, "as fast as" means the same, thus, it can't be twice!!! as fast.

(A) twice as fast as
twice + as fast as - is awkward and incorrect. as fast as means the same.
(B) twice as fast as it was in
same as in A. twice as fast as - incorrect. nevertheless, the it was in is ok.
(C) twice what it was in
looks good, it says that the rate in the 1980 was twice what it was in 1970.
(D) two times faster than that of
two times faster - wordy, moreover, it changes the meaning as it says the rate of 1970, not the rate of of increase of the minority population. than that - implies as smth else is compared, although the only antecedent for "that" is the rate.
(E) two times greater than
greater is used for comparing 2 different things. thus it is incorrect.

The fact that a rate is a measure that cannot be expressed in terms of fastness or slowness drives us to eliminate choices A, B and D. E can be avoided because of the faulty comparison between a rate and a year.
We are left with C, which measures the two rates in terms of quantity and maintains the prepositional ‘in’ parallelism.

We are comparing rates of increase , so we can not Fast / Great etc... for rates...

Thus option (C) is the best and the correct answer !!

What is the role played by 'what' in the OA? Is it relative pronoun here? If so, two pronouns (what and it) simultaneously to refer a single noun (the rate of increase) seems unusual.

Consider the following sentence:

What was the population in 1970?
"What" is an interrogative pronoun (referring to a value that would come as an answer.)

Now replace the population with "it".
What was it in 1970?"
"What" remains an interrogative pronoun (referring to a value that would come as an answer.)
"It" refers to population.


In the same way, in option C "what" refers to the value, and "it" refers to "population".

‘fast’ is the wrong word to use to refer to a rate of increase, it is not a speed it is a quantity.

E is nonsensical, saying that the rate of increase was ‘two times greater than’ the 1970s.



C is the right answer.