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CrushTHYGMAT
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In the six-month period that ended on September 30, the average num 15 May 2022, 23:27
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Hi Marty, thank you for your prompt response.

From your explanation, I understand that when we see 'the number', the sentence is about the number itself, and when we see 'a number', we have to see what a number refers to before we decide if we have a countable or an uncountable noun entity in question.

Thank you. Hope you have a great day!
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In the six-month period that ended on September 30, the average num 06 Jun 2022, 05:43
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MartyTargetTestPrep ,

In option D can't we interpret it as follows with ellipses at play ? -
the company averaged sales of 81,000 fewer Sunday papers than what it did (average) in
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In the six-month period that ended on September 30, the average num 06 Jun 2022, 14:49
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Taulark1
MartyTargetTestPrep ,

In option D can't we interpret it as follows with ellipses at play ? -
the company averaged sales of 81,000 fewer Sunday papers than what it did (average) in
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This sentence could be understood to be using the substitute verb "did" for "averaged." So, what you're saying is not entirely incorrect. In fact, choice (D) can be understood to mean the following:

the company averaged sales of 81,000 fewer Sunday papers than what it averaged in

The issue is that, even though "did" means "averaged," the (D) version still conveys the meaning that the company averaged sales of 81,000 FEWER PAPERS than WHAT it averaged, which involves an illogical comparison of a number of papers with a thing, "what" it averaged.

Also, "averaged sales of 81,000 fewer papers" isn't logical either. Notice that the (D) version doesn't clearly say "the company sold 81,000 papers on average." Rather it says something convoluted, that the company "averaged sales," and that the sales were "of 81,000 fewer papers." That wording isn't an effective way to express the meaning.
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In the six-month period that ended on September 30, the average num 16 Jul 2022, 00:28
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In the six-month period that ended on September 30, the average number of Sunday papers sold by the company was 81,000 less than the comparable period a year ago.

A) the average number of Sunday papers sold by the company was 81,000 less than - less does not work with countable nouns. we must use fewer. further, there is an illogical comparison between avg no of papers sold and the comparable period a year ago.

B) on average, the number of Sunday papers sold by the company was 81,000 less than it was - less shouldnt be used for countable nouns

C) the company sold an average of 81,000 fewer Sunday papers than in - looks good. appropriate comparison.

D) the company averaged sales of 81,000 fewer Sunday papers than what it did in - quite ambiguous

E) the average sale of Sunday papers for the company was 81,000 less than what they were in - less is wrong
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In the six-month period that ended on September 30, the average num 16 Jul 2022, 02:13
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In the six-month period that ended on September 30, the average number of Sunday papers sold by the company was 81,000 less than the comparable period a year ago.

Test: comparison, parallelism
A) the average number of Sunday papers sold by the company was 81,000 less than
- not comparable

B) on average, the number of Sunday papers sold by the company was 81,000 less than it was
- lacking of preposition "in"
C) the company sold an average of 81,000 fewer Sunday papers than in
- Correct!
D) the company averaged sales of 81,000 fewer Sunday papers than what it did in
- awkward and redundant
E) the average sale of Sunday papers for the company was 81,000 less than what they were in
- SV disagreement

SC07530.02[/quote]
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In the six-month period that ended on September 30, the average num 23 Oct 2022, 07:07
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MartyTargetTestPrep
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egmat, MartyTargetTestPrep, GMATNinja, can you please shed light on the usage of less and fewer here. I understand that since in choice C, the focus is on the papers and not the number itself, and that papers are a countable noun, we have to use fewer and not less.

Thank you!
Let's see what's going on with the use of "less" or "fewer" in each choice.

(A) the average number of Sunday papers sold by the company was 81,000 less than

This version is about "the average number." When we compare two numbers we say that one number is "less" than the other. So, the use of "less" is correct. The problem with this version is that it expresses an illogical comparison between "the average number" and "the comparable period."

(B) on average, the number of Sunday papers sold by the company was 81,000 less than it was

This version is about "the number." When we compare two numbers we say that one number is "less" than the other. So, the use of "less" is correct. The problem with this version is that it expresses an illogical comparison between "the number" and "it," which is the same number. In other words, this version illogically compares a number with itself rather than with a different number.

(C) the company sold an average of 81,000 fewer Sunday papers than in

This version correctly uses "fewer" with the countable "Sunday papers" to express a logical comparison.

(D) the company averaged sales of 81,000 fewer Sunday papers than what it did in

This version correctly uses "fewer" with the countable "Sunday papers" but expresses a illogical comparison between "Sunday papers" and "what it did."

(E) the average sale of Sunday papers for the company was 81,000 less than what they were in

This version uses "less" with "sale." If we consider "sale" a proxy for the word "number," then "less" is correctly used with "sale," because when we compare numbers, we say that one number is less than the other. That said, whether it makes sense to use "sale" to mean "number" is debatable. So, we could also say that it's illogical to use "sale" or to use "less" to compare a "sale of Sunday papers" with another "sale."

We don't have to worry about any of those possible issues anyway, because this version goes off the rails when it compares "the average sale of Sunday papers" with "what they were."
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In option D we are comparing "Sunday papers" and "what it did". Similarly, in option C we are comparing "Sunday papers" and "in the comparable period". Could you please explain how this comparison is correct?
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In the six-month period that ended on September 30, the average num 23 Oct 2022, 08:07
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PranjalJ
In option D we are comparing "Sunday papers" and "what it did". Similarly, in option C we are comparing "Sunday papers" and "in the comparable period". Could you please explain how this comparison is correct?
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Here's the complete (C) version:

In the six-month period that ended on September 30, the company sold an average of 81,000 fewer Sunday papers than in the comparable period a year ago.

The way this version works is that it's understood to mean "the company sold an average of 81,000 fewer Sunday papers than (the company sold) in the comparable period a year ago."

"The company sold" is elided (omitted but understood) in the second part of the comparison, but since it's clear what's compared without that part repeated AND since the sentence doesn't clearly convey another meaning that doesn't make sense, this version is OK, though, like many "correct" versions of comparisons in SC questions, it's not written in an ideal way.
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In the six-month period that ended on September 30, the average num 06 Nov 2022, 10:13
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Dear Experts

Can you please tell me whether the below sentences are correct ?

1. the number in 2018 was higher than in 2019
2. the number in 2018 was higher than the number in 2019
3. the number in 2018 was higher than the number was in 2019
4. the number in 2018 was higher than what the number was in 2019
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In the six-month period that ended on September 30, the average num 07 Nov 2022, 05:47
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Anant87
Dear Experts

Can you please tell me whether the below sentences are correct ?

1. the number in 2018 was higher than in 2019
2. the number in 2018 was higher than the number in 2019
3. the number in 2018 was higher than the number was in 2019
4. the number in 2018 was higher than what the number was in 2019
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Hello Anant87,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query,

1. Incorrect - this sentence incorrectly compares the noun phrase "the number in 2018" to the prepositional phrase "in 2019".
2. Correct - this sentence correctly compares the two noun phrases "the number in 2018" and "the number in 2019".
3. Correct - this sentence correctly compares the clauses "the number in 2018 was" and "the number was in 2019".
4. Correct. - this sentence correctly compares the noun phrase ""the number in 2018" with the pronoun phrase "what the number was in 2019".

We hope this helps.
All the best!
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In the six-month period that ended on September 30, the average num 13 May 2023, 09:07
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GMATGuruNY @ronpuruwel cn you pls elaborate on the issue in D with regard to comparison ? It seems to correctly coapre the sales. Not sure what the issue is
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