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It will not be possible to implicate melting sea ice in the coastal 01 Jun 2020, 04:57
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TeHCM
It will not be possible to implicate melting sea ice in the coastal flooding that many global warming models have projected: just like a glass of water that will not overflow due to melting ice cubes, so melting sea ice does not increase oceanic volume.

(A) like a glass of water that will not overflow due to melting ice cubes,
(B) like melting ice cubes that do not cause a glass of water to overflow,
(C) a glass of water will not overflow because of melting ice cubes,
(D) as melting ice cubes that do not cause a glass of water to overflow,
(E) as melting ice cubes do not cause a glass of water to overflow,

Official Guide 12 Question

GMAT Official Guide 12

Question: 52
Page: 44
Difficulty: 600

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https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/25/science/earth/antarctica-warming-looks-ever-more-vulnerable.html

Glaciologists also know that by itself, free-floating sea ice does not raise the level of the sea, just as an ice cube in a glass of water does not cause an overflow as it melts. But glaciers are different because they rest on land, and if that vast volume of ice slides into the sea at a high rate, this adds mass to the ocean, which in turn can raise the global sea level.
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(A) like a glass of water that will not overflow due to melting ice cubes, - Wrong: 1) 2 Idioms 2) Structure
(B) like melting ice cubes that do not cause a glass of water to overflow, - Wrong: 1) Idiom 2) Structure
(C) a glass of water will not overflow because of melting ice cubes, - Wrong: 1) Idiom
(D) as melting ice cubes that do not cause a glass of water to overflow, - Wrong: 1) Structure
(E) as melting ice cubes do not cause a glass of water to overflow, - Correct
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It will not be possible to implicate melting sea ice in the coastal 06 Feb 2021, 22:17
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It will not be possible to implicate melting sea ice in the coastal 14 Feb 2021, 17:11
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It will not be possible to implicate melting sea ice in the coastal flooding that many global warming models have projected: just like a glass of water that will not overflow due to melting ice cubes, so melting sea ice does not increase oceanic volume.

(A) like a glass of water that will not overflow due to melting ice cubes, X
(B) like melting ice cubes that do not cause a glass of water to overflow, X
(C) a glass of water will not overflow because of melting ice cubes, X
(D) as melting ice cubes that do not cause a glass of water to overflow, X
(E) as melting ice cubes do not cause a glass of water to overflow, CORRECT
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It will not be possible to implicate melting sea ice in the coastal 14 Oct 2023, 03:42
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Quote:
(B) like melting ice cubes that do not cause a glass of water to overflow,
Initially, the comparison seems better in (B): melting ice cubes are compared to melting sea ice.

But when we take a closer look, the underlined portion describes “melting ice cubes that do not cause a glass of water to overflow.” The “that” makes this part of the comparison essentially a noun (with a modifier). This is problematic because the noun (+ modifier) is then compared to a clause (“melting sea ice does not increase oceanic volume”).

We cannot compare a noun to a clause here, so we can eliminate (B).
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GMATNinja, KarishmaB, Any other experts

How do we figure that the noun phrase "melting ice cubes..." is compared to the clause "melting sea ice does.." and not just "melting sea ice"?

As per my understanding, "Like" allows for comparisions between nouns, be it noun phrase (noun + modifiers) or noun word.

If the B were "like melting ice cubes" (without the modifier), would the sentence be correct?
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It will not be possible to implicate melting sea ice in the coastal 14 Oct 2023, 20:37
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SlowTortoise
GMATNinja, KarishmaB, Any other experts

How do we figure that the noun phrase "melting ice cubes..." is compared to the clause "melting sea ice does.." and not just "melting sea ice"?

As per my understanding, "Like" allows for comparisions between nouns, be it noun phrase (noun + modifiers) or noun word.

If the B were "like melting ice cubes" (without the modifier), would the sentence be correct?
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Hi SlowTortoise,

Your understanding is correct. The problem with option B is that it is unidiomatic. It also gives us the wrong meaning.

TeHCM
just like melting ice cubes that do not cause a glass of water to overflow, so melting sea ice does not increase oceanic volume.
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1. Just like... so is not expected to be correct on the GMAT.

2. We want to talk about ice cubes in general, not specific ice cubes. Because it uses a restrictive modifier (that do not cause), option B seems to be saying that there are specific types of ice cubes that don't cause a glass of water to overflow. Here's another example:

2a. Just like {people who have brains}, {dogs} have noses.

What we (probably) want to say is:

2b. Just as {people} have brains, {dogs} have noses.

But what (2a) actually says is:

2c. Just like {people who have brains} have noses, {dogs} have noses.
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