Bunuel wrote:
Many scholars dismiss the view that Hephaestus, son of Zeus and god of fire, is to Greek mythology
just like Thor, son of Odin and god of thunder, is to Norse mythology, despite observations that both deities are typically depicted wielding a hammer.
A. just like Thor, son of Odin and god of thunder, is to
B. the same as Thor, son of Odin and god of thunder, relates to
C. what Thor, son of Odin and god of thunder, is to
D. as Thor, son of Odin and god of thunder, is part of
E. the way that Thor is, as son of Odin and god of thunder, to
KAPLAN OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
(C)
Step 1: Read the Original Sentence Carefully, Looking for ErrorsThe underlined portion begins with “just like,” which suggests a comparison. Before that, the sentence uses the structure A is to B (Hephaestus is to Greek mythology). However, the construct A is to B just like C is to D is not idiomatically correct. Instead of “just like,” the word “what” is needed.
Step 2: Scan and Group the Answer ChoicesEach choice begins with a different phrase, so there is no effective way to group the choices. Evaluate them one at a time.
Step 3: Eliminate Choices Until Only One Remains(A) can be eliminated because “just like” is idiomatically incorrect. (B) and (E) can be eliminated for changing “just like” to “the same as” and “the way that,” respectively, neither of which creates a correct idiomatic expression. Furthermore, (B) removes parallelism by changing the end from “is” to “relates to.” (E) disrupts the parallelism by moving the placement of the modifying phrase (“as son of Odin and god of thunder”); also, the addition of “as” in this phrase is unnecessary and unparallel. (D) replaces “just like” with “as,” which can be used in certain circumstances. However, (D) ultimately fails by changing the ending to “is part of,” which is not parallel to the first half of the comparison. Eliminate (D). That makes (C), the only answer to properly create the A is to B what C is to D pattern without adding any new errors, the correct answer. To confirm, read it back into the original sentence:
Many scholars dismiss the view that Hephaestus, son of Zeus and god of fire, is to Greek mythology
what Thor, son of Odin and god of thunder, is to Norse mythology, despite observations that both deities are typically depicted wielding a hammer.
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