Mo2men wrote:
Dear
GMATGuruNYQuote:
A:
Here, since the blue portion refers to the real GDP growth rate that South Sudan showed -- and the red portion does not supply an alternate referent for higher -- the implication is that higher also refers to THE REAL GDP GROWTH RATE THAT SOUTH SUDAN SHOWED.
As a result, the red portion conveys the following meaning:
The real GDP growth rate that South Sudan showed was higher in the most developed countries of the world.
This meaning is nonsensical.
For higher to refer to a DIFFERENT real GDP growth rate, the concluding modifier must provide an alternate referent for higher, as in the OA:
South Sudan showed a real GDP growth rate of 25 percent, higher than THAT of the most developed countries of the world.
As per below, you disputed choice A based on ground that we need DIFFERENT GDP growth rate. So, we used 'THAT' to offer alternate referent. However, in each offcial example below we should use 'THAT' too.
Quote:
Official examples:
Soaring television costs accounted for more than half the spending in the presidential campaign of 1992, a greater proportion than in any previous election.
Soaring television costs accounted for more than half the spending in the presidential campaign of 1992, a greater proportion than
THATin any previous election.
Here 'THAT' refers to 'Spending' to give the following meaning:
The spending in the presidential campaign of 1992 was greater than the [i]
spending (THAT) in any previous election.
Quote:
Lake Baikal holds 20 percent of the world's fresh water , more than all the North American Great Lakes combined.
Lake Baikal holds 20 percent of the world's fresh water, more than
THATall the North American Great Lakes combined.
Here, we must add 'THAT' to refer to the fresh water. otherwise, it could be understood as:
Lake Baikal holds 20 percent of the world's fresh water, more than
world's fresh water of all the North American Great Lakes combined.
Quote:
Only seven people this century have been killed by the great white shark, fewer than have been killed by bee stings.
Companies in the United States are providing job training and general education for nearly eight million people, as many as are enrolled in the nation’s four-year colleges and universities. [/i]
In the example above, I think we deal with DIFFERENT GROUP of people being compared. So we must use 'those'
I hope you shed some light.
Thanks in advance for you help.
Copy pronouns are
that and
those.
These pronouns stand in for an ALTERNATE COPY of a preceding noun.
If a VERB follows
as or
than in a concluding comparative modifier, then no copy pronoun is required.
Only seven people this century have been killed by the great white shark, fewer than have been killed by bee stings.
Companies in the United States are providing job training and general education for nearly eight million people, as many as are enrolled in the nation’s four-year colleges and universities.In each of these OAs, no copy pronoun is required because of the verbs in blue.
If a SUBJECT follows
as or
than in a concluding comparative modifier, then no copy pronoun is required.
Lake Baikal holds 20 percent of the world's fresh water, more than all the North American Great Lakes combined [hold].Here, the noun phrase in blue is the subject of the implied verb in brackets.
Thus, no copy pronoun is required.
If a MODIFIER follows
as or
than in a concluding comparative modifier -- and this modifier serves to refer to the action in the preceding clause -- then no copy pronoun is required.
Soaring television costs accounted for more than half the spending in the presidential campaign of 1992, a greater proportion than in any previous election.Here, no copy pronoun is required because the modifier in blue refers to the preceding action in green.
Conveyed comparison:
Television costs accounted for a greater proportion of spending in the campaign of 1992 than [they accounted for spending] in any previous election.The words in brackets are omitted but implied.
If the modifier after
as or
than does NOT refer to the preceding action, then a copy pronoun is required.
South Sudan showed a real GDP growth rate of 25 percent, higher than in the most developed countries of the world.Here, the modifier in red does NOT refer to the preceding action in blue, since South Sudan did not show a growth rate IN THE MOST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD.
For this reason, a copy pronoun is required, as in the OA:'
South Sudan showed a real GDP growth rate of 25 percent, higher than THAT of the most developed countries of the world.