LithiumIon wrote:
A long-term study of some 1,000 physicians indicates that the more coffee these doctors drank, the
more they had a likelihood of coronary disease.
(A) more they had a likelihood of coronary disease
(B) more was their likelihood of having coronary disease
(C) more they would
have a likelihood to
have coronary disease
(D) greater was their likelihood of having coronary disease
(E) greater was coronary disease
likelyYou have to know that likelihood is "
greater" or "
lesser" and not "
more" or "
less" to solve it.
For instance, we can't say "
the likelihood is more"
We have to say "
the likelihood is greater", it has to be a numerical comparison.
First glanceThe choices start with one of two options: more or greater. Both words are modifiers indicating quantity, but they are used differently. Think about the meaning of the sentence as you read it.
Issues(1) Modifier / Meaning: moreMore and
greater are both used to compare quantities. Consider these examples:
Vanessa has studied more than you. (correct)
Vanessa has studied greater than you. (
incorrect)
The more you study, the greater your chances of success on the GMAT. (correct)
The greater you study, the more your chances of success on the GMAT. (
incorrect)
Why are the incorrect options incorrect? In the first sentence (
studied more), the distinction is based on quantity; perhaps Vanessa has studied for four hours and you have studied for only two. In the second sentence (
studied greater), the distinction is not based on number. Perhaps Vanessa has studied more effectively than you have? The meaning is unclear, so that’s not a great sentence.
In the third sentence (
the more you study), you are changing your chances of success based on the amount that you study. If you don’t study as much, your chances aren’t as good, but if you do study more, then you increase your chances—they are greater than they would have been.
The fourth sentence, though, doesn’t say that your chances increase. It says that your chances are
more. You could give yourself more chances to succeed by, for example, taking the test multiple times—but that’s not what this sentence is trying to convey.
In the question, the sentence is trying to convey that, if the doctors drink more coffee, then their chances of having coronary disease increase. The proper form, then, is
the more coffee [they]
drank,
the greater their chances (or
likelihood)
of having coronary disease.
In general, use the modifier
greater, not the modifier
more, to pair with the word
likelihood. Eliminate choices (A), (B), and (C).
(2) Meaning: have a likelihood to haveThe wording
have a likelihood to have is redundant. The two instances of
have are conveying the same meaning. Eliminate choice (C).
(3) Modifier / Meaning: greater was disease likelyWhat was actually
greater? The disease itself is not
greater; rather, the likelihood of having the disease was
greater. The wording in choice (E), though, changes the word
likelihood to the word
likely. You can say that something is
more likely to happen, but it’s not acceptable to say that something is
greater likely to happen. Eliminate choice (E).
The Correct AnswerCorrect answer (D) uses the accepted form
the more coffee they drink, the greater was their likelihood. (You could also use the following form:
The more you study, the greater your likelihood of success.)
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