Last visit was: 19 Nov 2025, 06:09 It is currently 19 Nov 2025, 06:09
Home
GMAT
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Rewards
Chat
My Profile
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Back to Forum
Create Topic
705-805 Level|   Comparisons|      
User avatar
zuperman
User avatar
Joined: 04 Apr 2009
Last visit: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 38
Own Kudos:
125
 [15]
Given Kudos: 6
Location: United Kingdom
Concentration: General Management
Schools:Cornell
Posts: 38
Kudos: 125
 [15]
Not many of us realize that the chance of mishaps may be as Updated on: 29 Aug 2018, 20:39
Originally posted by zuperman on 06 Mar 2011, 17:37.
Last edited by Bunuel on 29 Aug 2018, 20:39, edited 2 times in total.
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
14
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
00:00
Start Timer
Pause Timer
Resume Timer
Show Answer
Hide
Show
History
E
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!

Difficulty:

85% (hard)

Question Stats:

40% (01:32) correct 60% (01:26) wrong based on 914 sessions

History

Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Not many of us realize that the chance of mishaps may be as great, if not greater, while walking on the road than driving a car in a car race.


A. may be as great, if not greater, while walking on the road than
B. may be as great, if not greater, while walking on the road as
C. may be greater while walking on the road, than
D. are at least as great while walking on the road as
E. may be at least as great while walking on the road as
ShowHide Answer
Official Answer
E
User avatar
metallicafan
User avatar
Retired Moderator
Joined: 04 Oct 2009
Last visit: 26 Aug 2020
Posts: 759
Own Kudos:
4,406
 [3]
Given Kudos: 109
Status:2000 posts! I don't know whether I should feel great or sad about it! LOL
Location: Peru
Concentration: Finance, SMEs, Developing countries, Public sector and non profit organizations
Schools:Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, MIT & HKS (Government)
GPA: 4.0
WE 1: Economic research
WE 2: Banking
WE 3: Government: Foreign Trade and SMEs
Posts: 759
Kudos: 4,406
 [3]
Not many of us realize that the chance of mishaps may be as 06 Mar 2011, 18:03
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
IMO, E.

A - The sentence lacks of an "as". The idiom is "as adj. as".
B - Usually, a comparative (greater )requires a "than" in GMAT.
C- Changes the meaning.
D- Changes the meaning. In this case, the writer is sure of his claim.: "are at least".
E - Correct.
User avatar
zuperman
User avatar
Joined: 04 Apr 2009
Last visit: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 38
Own Kudos:
125
Given Kudos: 6
Location: United Kingdom
Concentration: General Management
Schools:Cornell
Posts: 38
Kudos: 125
Not many of us realize that the chance of mishaps may be as 07 Mar 2011, 14:53
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
E is the answer. The official explanation goes as: Choice (A) is wrong. ‘As great’ must be completed with an ‘as’, the correct usage is as great as. Choice (B) is wrong ‘as greater’ is a comparative adjective and takes ‘than’ to complete. Choice (C) is wrong as it implies that chances of mishaps on roads may always be greater than chances of mishaps while driving a car in a race. Choice (D) corrects this mistake but by using ‘are’ wrongly implies a certainty of chances of mishaps while walking on a road being at least as high as while participating in a car race. Choice (E) is the best option. Here, the notion of greater is also included in at least as great as.
User avatar
jlgdr
User avatar
Joined: 06 Sep 2013
Last visit: 24 Jul 2015
Posts: 1,311
Own Kudos:
2,863
Given Kudos: 355
Concentration: Finance
Schools: Wharton '17 (A) HBS '17 (WA$)
Schools: Wharton '17 (A) HBS '17 (WA$)
Posts: 1,311
Kudos: 2,863
Not many of us realize that the chance of mishaps may be as 06 Jan 2014, 13:16
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
zuperman
Not many of us realize that the chance of mishaps may be as great, if not greater, while walking on the road than driving a car in a car race.
• may be as great, if not greater, while walking on the road than
• may be as great, if not greater, while walking on the road as
• may be greater while walking on the road, than
• are at least as great while walking on the road as
• may be at least as great while walking on the road as
Show more

At least as great. GMAC's favorite

Hence E is the clear winner here

Cheers!
J :)
User avatar
Sidhrt
User avatar
Joined: 09 Nov 2013
Last visit: 12 Sep 2022
Posts: 48
Own Kudos:
33
Given Kudos: 32
Posts: 48
Kudos: 33
Not many of us realize that the chance of mishaps may be as 26 Jan 2014, 13:21
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I will also go for D as words such as chance,probability already demonstrate an act under uncertainty and the use of words such as "may be" is redundant.
avatar
vietmoi999
avatar
Joined: 08 Apr 2013
Last visit: 07 Dec 2014
Posts: 97
Own Kudos:
70
Given Kudos: 27
Posts: 97
Kudos: 70
Not many of us realize that the chance of mishaps may be as 19 Feb 2014, 03:33
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
very bad question

"while walking..." is a contracted subordinate clause which need an independent clause , subject of which must refer logically to "walking". "chance" can not refer to "walking".

very bad one
User avatar
PiyushK
User avatar
Joined: 22 Mar 2013
Last visit: 31 Aug 2025
Posts: 598
Own Kudos:
4,978
Given Kudos: 235
Status:Everyone is a leader. Just stop listening to others.
Location: India
GPA: 3.51
WE:Information Technology (Computer Software)
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 598
Kudos: 4,978
Not many of us realize that the chance of mishaps may be as 20 Feb 2014, 14:02
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Option E does not convey the meaning as expressed in original sentence.
chance of mishaps may be as great, if not greater basically it conveys chances of mishaps while walking on the road are equivalent to while driving the car, and it explicitly mentioning not greater.

But choice E at least as great while walking on the road as driving the car is removing the cap of not greater which is explicitly mentioned in original sentence.

Thus B looks much better choice, which preserves the meaning of original sentence.
User avatar
tanveer123
User avatar
Joined: 01 Sep 2012
Last visit: 30 May 2014
Posts: 8
Own Kudos:
5
Given Kudos: 19
Location: United States
Posts: 8
Kudos: 5
Not many of us realize that the chance of mishaps may be as 21 Feb 2014, 07:51
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Does not option E change the meaning ?
Is ' may be as great, if not greater,' equivalent to 'at least as great as ' ?

Can an expert jump in and explain please?
User avatar
PiyushK
User avatar
Joined: 22 Mar 2013
Last visit: 31 Aug 2025
Posts: 598
Own Kudos:
4,978
Given Kudos: 235
Status:Everyone is a leader. Just stop listening to others.
Location: India
GPA: 3.51
WE:Information Technology (Computer Software)
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 598
Kudos: 4,978
Not many of us realize that the chance of mishaps may be as 21 Feb 2014, 15:07
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
may be as great, if not greater -- is definitely not equivalent to at least as great as.

as great as or greater than = at least as great as
User avatar
PiyushK
User avatar
Joined: 22 Mar 2013
Last visit: 31 Aug 2025
Posts: 598
Own Kudos:
4,978
Given Kudos: 235
Status:Everyone is a leader. Just stop listening to others.
Location: India
GPA: 3.51
WE:Information Technology (Computer Software)
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 598
Kudos: 4,978
Not many of us realize that the chance of mishaps may be as 22 Feb 2014, 02:50
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/acc ... t5501.html

Above link says :
apparently we shouldn't be concerned with mathematical issues -- technically, "four times as likely as X" is 4X, while "four times MORE likely than X" is actually 5X. apparently, this is not a big deal on the verbal section.

may be as great, if not greater : I think if not greater is redundant in this sentence; here as great as is enough to suggest that chance is equivalent but not great.

Now choice E makes sense.

• may be as great, if not greater, while walking on the road than ( if not great is redundant + as.. than error)
• may be as great, if not greater, while walking on the road as ( if not great is redundant )
• may be greater while walking on the road, than ( the chance of mishap is as great as not greater than changing meaning )
• are at least as great while walking on the road as ( S -V error the chance is singular)
• may be at least as great while walking on the road as ( chance is equal or more looks fine)

If E had been written as "may be as great while walking on the road as" then it would have appear much convincing among other choices.
avatar
newconcept123
avatar
Joined: 28 Jun 2015
Last visit: 15 Aug 2016
Posts: 18
Own Kudos:
17
Given Kudos: 42
Location: United States
Schools: Booth PT '19 Yale '19 Erasmus '17
GMAT 1: 610 Q49 V27
GPA: 2.5
WE:Project Management (Telecommunications)
Schools: Booth PT '19 Yale '19 Erasmus '17
GMAT 1: 610 Q49 V27
Posts: 18
Kudos: 17
Not many of us realize that the chance of mishaps may be as 11 Feb 2016, 03:07
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
PiyushK
https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/according-to-a-survey-of-graduating-medical-students-conduct-t5501.html

Above link says :
apparently we shouldn't be concerned with mathematical issues -- technically, "four times as likely as X" is 4X, while "four times MORE likely than X" is actually 5X. apparently, this is not a big deal on the verbal section.

may be as great, if not greater : I think if not greater is redundant in this sentence; here as great as is enough to suggest that chance is equivalent but not great.

Now choice E makes sense.

• may be as great, if not greater, while walking on the road than ( if not great is redundant + as.. than error)
• may be as great, if not greater, while walking on the road as ( if not great is redundant )
• may be greater while walking on the road, than ( the chance of mishap is as great as not greater than changing meaning )
• are at least as great while walking on the road as ( S -V error the chance is singular)
• may be at least as great while walking on the road as ( chance is equal or more looks fine)

If E had been written as "may be as great while walking on the road as" then it would have appear much convincing among other choices.
Show more

i searched the phrase "as great, if not great" on google, and it appears that this is not commonly used.
User avatar
nrmlvrm
User avatar
Joined: 07 Apr 2012
Last visit: 14 Mar 2016
Posts: 25
Own Kudos:
20
Given Kudos: 25
Posts: 25
Kudos: 20
Not many of us realize that the chance of mishaps may be as 12 Feb 2016, 02:01
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
zuperman
Not many of us realize that the chance of mishaps may be as great, if not greater, while walking on the road than driving a car in a car race.
• may be as great, if not greater, while walking on the road than
• may be as great, if not greater, while walking on the road as
• may be greater while walking on the road, than
• are at least as great while walking on the road as
• may be at least as great while walking on the road as
Show more

took a while to select between B and E.

may be at least as great = may be as great, if not greater.

the latter is wordy opposed to the former which looks tidy.

i don't know if there is any error as such in B other than this.
User avatar
daagh
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Last visit: 16 Oct 2020
Posts: 5,264
Own Kudos:
42,418
 [1]
Given Kudos: 422
Status: enjoying
Location: India
WE:Education (Education)
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 5,264
Kudos: 42,418
 [1]
Not many of us realize that the chance of mishaps may be as 12 Feb 2016, 09:11
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
There is a more serious problem in this ill written topic. It is not clear as to who is walking on the road. It looks as though the chance of mishaps is walking on the road in all the five choices. Yet again, does the chance of mishaps want to do the walking in the role a driving a car? Very murky.
avatar
Ss6479118
avatar
Joined: 23 Oct 2018
Last visit: 17 May 2019
Posts: 31
Own Kudos:
3
Posts: 31
Kudos: 3
Not many of us realize that the chance of mishaps may be as 25 Feb 2019, 01:13
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
C changes the meaning a little, from ‘may be at least as great’ to ‘may be greater’. C is wrong. D also changes the meaning, saying that the chance of mishaps is definitely greater. B is wrong because you need a ‘than’ when using a comparative. A is wrong because the idiomatic form is ‘adjective +as’.

E is the correct choice.
User avatar
VerbalBot
User avatar
Non-Human User
Joined: 01 Oct 2013
Last visit: 04 Jan 2021
Posts: 18,832
Own Kudos:
986
Posts: 18,832
Kudos: 986
Not many of us realize that the chance of mishaps may be as 30 Oct 2023, 09:20
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7443 posts
GMATNinjaTwo
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
231 posts
miag
188 posts