Over the last five years, the unemployment rate in the country

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION



THE PROMPT


• THAT vs. IT
The sentence compares the unemployment rate at two different times.
Because the two unemployment rates are different (they are both unemployment rates but they are not the same unemployment rate), the correct pronoun is that and not it.

→ It corresponds with exactly one antecedent, in this case, the unemployment rate over the last five years.
We cannot simply stick that precise noun into a different time period.

→ That makes a "copy" of "unemployment rate." This copy that allows us to use the pronoun that in a different context.
I discuss the way in which that can be a "copy" pronoun on this thread, in my post, here.

• IDIOM
AS . . . AS
The correct idiomatic structure is as high as.


• the pronoun IT is incorrect
→ The use of it to refer to employment rate is incorrect, as I discussed above.

Try substituting "the unemployment rate over the last five years" into the word "it."

Substitution: Over the last five years, the unemployment rate in the country has been as high [AS], and in some cities even higher than, what [the unemployment rate over the last five years] was during the Great Depression.
That sentence makes no sense.

• IDIOM
The correct idiomatic structure is as high as and not as high (you need the second "AS").
ELIMINATE A


• IDIOM
The correct idiom is as high as and not so high.
ELIMINATE B


• Just as is the case in option A, we need the pronoun that, not it
ELIIMINATE C


• IDIOM
The correct idiomatic structure is as high as and not simply as high.
You need a second as.
• Just below the prompt I wrote notes about this issue.
We need as high as
ELIMINATE D

• I do not see any errors
• that correctly refers to unemployment rate
• in this option, the correct idiomatic structure is used: as high as.
KEEP

The answer is E.

COMMENTS

SharmaRahul10201 and vipulgoel , welcome to SC Butler.

zhanbo , interesting question.
Yes, you could use "what it was" rather than "that."
I'll bet that you can come up with a good explanation about why what it was will work but the lone pronoun it will not work.

Kudos to all (even wrong answers).

Stay safe.

My answer is (E). It took me 01:19.

(A) Should use "as high as".

(B) See above.

(C) "It did" should be "it was".
Question: How about what it was?

(D) See (A)

(E) that = the unemployment rate
The sentence thus appropriately compare “the unemployment rate over the last five years" with "that during the Great Depression."
Question: How about what it was?

Why comma b/w then and essential modifier that

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E is the answer.

As ..... as is the idiom. A,B, D should be discarded.

'That' should be used to compare the unemployment rate to the unemployment rate during the great depression.

'Ít did' doesnt make sense as it was would be more appropriate.

My answer is C

A) as high, and in some cities even higher than, what it was

B) so high, and in some cities even higher than, that
so high, .... , that during the great depression incorrect comparison

C) as high as, and in some cities even higher than, it did
as high as is correct idiom form and the past tense 'did' is correct
D) as high, and in some cities even higher than, that

E) as high as, and in some cities even higher than, that

Over the last five years, the unemployment rate in the country has been as high, and in some cities even higher than, what it was during the Great Depression.

A) as high, and in some cities even higher than, what it was -> as high as is the idiom. Incorrect.

B) so high, and in some cities even higher than, that -> Same as A. Incorrect.

C) as high as, and in some cities even higher than, it did -> "It" is incorrect to use.

D) as high, and in some cities even higher than, that -> Same as A. Incorrect.

E) as high as, and in some cities even higher than, that -> that refers to "the unemployment rate", it is correct.

So, I think E.

IMO E

Over the last five years, the unemployment rate in the country has been as high, and in some cities even higher than, what it was during the Great Depression.

A) as high, and in some cities even higher than, what it was

B) so high, and in some cities even higher than, that

C) as high as, and in some cities even higher than, it did

D) as high, and in some cities even higher than, that

E) as high as, and in some cities even higher than, that

vipulgoel , good question.

First, in contexts different from this one, an essential modifier beginning with that or who can occasionally be separated from its noun.
Sometimes a short phrase intervenes.
SPOILER ALERT, OFFICIAL (and hard) QUESTION: For example, the essential noun modifier that is separated from its noun by a short phrase, in this official question, here.

Essential modifiers can also be separated from their nouns by other essential modifiers that must follow the noun and are often long—so long that it makes sense to insert a comma after the other modifiers and before that in order to maintain clarity and make life easy for the reader.
A few official questions contain commas that seem forbidden.
Here's the thing: rule 11 of the standard list of comma rules trumps the essential modifier comma rule.
Rule 11 states, "Use commas wherever necessary to prevent possible confusion or misreading." [my emphasis]

You can find the list of comma rules here.

Second, this "that" is not an essential modifier.

This "that" is a pronoun that makes a different "copy" of a noun.
This that makes a copy of the unemployment rate.
That = a copy of the unemployment rate that exists in a time period different from the Great Depression.
The different time period is over the last five years.

This that is not a noun modifier.

This that is its own noun in the form of a "copy" pronoun that means "the unemployment rate [over the last five years]."

Hope that answer helps.
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The official explanation is here.
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Thanks for the detailed explanation, generis.

I actually do not have a good explanation about why "what it was" will work, especially after you just explained, in discussion under option (A), why "what it was" is wrong.

Is in’t option E incorrect. We don’t have any verb for that.
Shouldn’t the answer be :
“ as high as, and in some cities even higher than, that WAS”

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