Many airline carriers are attempting to increase profitability while

Many airline carriers are attempting to increase profitability while keeping overhead low by offering, in terms of flights, an equal amount as last year, doing so by using larger planes that fly more efficiently.

A. an equal amount as last year,doing so by -- usage of amount is incorrect
B. the same number offered last year -- changes meaning -- the same number offered last year using larger planes changes the meaning
C. an equal amount offered last year and -- usage of amount is incorrect
D. the same number as last year but
E. an equal number as were offered last year, - number is singular and were is plural

In OA - D , aren't we comparing the same number as last year ?
Also, for ellipsis , isn't it necessary that the elided part is present in verbatim form earlier in the sentence ?

AjiteshArun , GMATNinja , egmat , sayantanc2k , DmitryFarber , MagooshExpert , RonPurewal , mikemcgarry , daagh -- please enlighten

Isnt comma + verb-ing modifier used to modify the action in the previous sentence? In this case, in option B, "using" would modify "are attemption", which is incorrect? Option D is better because "using" becomes a verb and takes on the subject "many airline carriers".

VeritasKarishma GMATNinja chetan2u

Can you please explain as to why option B is incorrect ?

Option B is like this :-

Many airline carriers are attempting to increase profitability while keeping overhead low by offering, in terms of flights, the same number offered last year using larger planes that fly more efficiently.


Now , there is no comma between 'last year' and ' using larger planes that fly more efficiently" . When there is no comma between the comma+verb-ing modifier and the preceding noun , the modifier modifies the preceding noun. So in this case , ' using larger planes that fly more efficiently" is the modifier and it will modify the preceding noun "year". It becomes nonsensical. So option B is incorrect.

Please let me know if my reasoning is correct.

VeritasKarishma , chetan2u , GMATNinja

egmat mikemcgarry

For D to make a comparison, don't we need a clause after "as"? "as" can only be used for comparison if it is a clause.

If D is the official answer, then this is a lousy question. Whatever manner one may try to justify D as the correct choice by ellipsis or otherwise, D is unfit to be the correct answer as Argha has correctly pointed out. D is the antithesis of proper comparison by matching the number of flights as last year.
To think of ellipsis, the elided part must be present in the verbatim form in the early part. Which is the part that is being elided herein in D is unclear. D is a blatant mis-comparison because of the unnecessary intrusion of the comparator ‘as’. One more potentially dubious meaning of D’s faulty comparison is that ‘the same number’ is compared with what last year offered. In that case, we are wrongly comparing the number of what the airlines are offering with what the last year offered. This is untenable.
B must be the correct answer; it avoids the mis-comparison of using ‘as’ and rightly using a past participle. Also, it may be noted that the comma plus present participle ‘using’ in B modifies the subject of the previous clause and the subject’s action namely the ‘many airlines and their efforts to increase profitability’ and not ‘last year’.

sir i think c is correct as it follow parallelism also overhead low by something and something. please help me!

In D, as is used to compare actions, but it is not clear what action is being performed by the residents of all the other areas of the world. Eliminate D.

There WERE as many boys on the football field as on the tennis court.

This sentence above compares VERBS:
There WERE as many boys on the football field [as there WERE} on the tennis court.
The second WERE is omitted, but its presence is understood.

In D, it is not clear what VERB is attributed to the residents of all the other areas.
Eliminate D.

Your second sentence -- The BOYS are...as many as the GIRLS -- does not make sense. We could say:

There ARE as many boys as girls.
The implied meaning would be: There ARE as many boys as there ARE girls.
Again, the VERBS are being compared.

Dear GMATGuruNY,

I've read from some of your posts that AS is used to compare CLAUSE from this post :
How does the above principle apply to OA?
OA: Many airline carriers are attempting to increase profitability while keeping overhead low by offering, in terms of flights, the same number as last year but using larger planes that fly more efficiently.

What ACTION/VERB is performed by "last year"?

Dear GMATGuruNY,

I've found your explanation for choice E.
Why can't "flightS" be a plural subject for "WERE offered"?

Choice E: Many airline carriers are attempting to increase profitability while keeping overhead low by offering, in terms of flightS, an equal number as WERE offered last year, using larger planes that fly more efficiently.

Moreover, compared to OA, choice E. contains ACTION/VERB, fitting perfectly with your explanation in the above post.

Many carriers are attempting to increase profitability by offering the same number [as they were offering] last year.

In choice E, if we change it to be "an equal number as WAS offered last year":

1- Will it be correct? I understand it like follows: "an equal number as number WAS offered last year"
2- Does 'equal number' have same meaning as ' same number'? if not what is difference?

Thanks in advance