reachskishore wrote:
Of the three major candidates for President in 2004, Ralph Nader, an independent who had represented the Green Party in the 2000 election, received the least media coverage and ultimately the fewest votes.
(A) received the least media coverage and ultimately the fewest votes
(B) received less media coverage and ultimately fewer votes
(C) received less media coverage and ultimately less votes
(D) received the least media coverage and ultimately less votes than did the other candidates
(E) received the smallest amount of media coverage and ultimately the smallest number of votes
OA : not known. Please help
Dear
reachskishore,
I'm happy to help.
This is not the most impressive question.
One of the ideas this questions tries to explore is the distinction of countable vs. uncountable. See
GMAT Grammar: Less vs. FewerGMAT Comparisons: More vs. Greater and Less vs. FewerMore importantly, we use
comparatives (
more, fewer, bigger, smaller) for situations with just two elements, and we use
superlatives (
most, least, biggest, smallest) for cases with 3+ elements. We are discussing three candidates, so we need superlatives.
(B) & (C) use comparatives, not superlatives. (D) says "
less votes," rather than "
fewer votes." (E) seems to be trying to win a contest for the longest and most awkward answer possible, and it definitely could be a finalist in that competition--that's how wrong it is.
(A) is flawless and correct.
The incorrect answers can be eliminated in a relatively straightforward manner. The subject is also somewhat contrived: the
2004 US Presidential Election was a contest primarily between two major candidates, who won all of the electoral votes and 99% of the popular vote between them. Nader and the others merely were rounding errors in the big picture.
Here's a much more challenging question exploring some similar themes:
Johannes Brahms livedDoes all this make sense?
Mike
_________________
Mike McGarry
Magoosh Test PrepEducation is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. — William Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939)