Bunuel
What was as noteworthy as the invention of the internet has been the use of this technology to democratize, to a degree hitherto considered impossible, access to information.
(A) What was as noteworthy as the invention of the internet
(B) No less noteworthy than the invention of the internet
(C) The thing that was as noteworthy as developing the internet
(D) Developing the internet has been none the less noteworthy than
(E) Invention of the internet has been no less noteworthy as
Experts' Global Official Explanation:Comparison + Meaning + IdiomsUnderstanding the intended meaning is key to getting this question correct; the intended meaning of this sentence is that the use of the internet to democratize access to information has been no less noteworthy than the invention of the technology itself.
• Comparison must always be made between similar elements.
• “no more/less A than B” is a correct, idiomatic comparison; A and B must be comparable and parallel.
• Any elements joined by a conjunction (“as” in this sentence) must be parallel.
A. Trap. This answer choice fails to maintain parallelism between the simple past tense verb “was” and the present perfect continuous tense verb “has been”; please remember, any elements joined by a conjunction (“as” in this sentence) must be parallel.
B. Correct. This answer choice correctly compares the noun phrases “the invention of the internet” and “the use of this technology”. Further, Option B avoids the parallelism error seen in Options A and C by using the phrase “no less noteworthy than the invention of the internet has been” to modify the noun phrase “the use of this technology…”, conveying the intended meaning of the sentence- that the use of the internet to democratize access to information has been no less noteworthy than the invention of the technology itself. Additionally, Option B correctly uses the idiomatic construction “no less/more A (“noteworthy” in this sentence) than B”.
C. This answer choice incorrectly compares the verb phrase “developing the internet” to the noun phrase “the use of this technology”; please remember, comparison must always be made between similar elements. Further, Option C fails to maintain parallelism between the simple past tense verb “was” and the present perfect continuous tense verb “has been”; please remember, any elements joined by a conjunction (“as” in this sentence) must be parallel.
D. This answer choice incorrectly compares the verb phrase “developing the internet” to the noun phrase “the use of this technology”; please remember, comparison must always be made between similar elements. Besides, the usage “has been none the less” is wordy and it alters the meaning.
E. Trap. This answer choice incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction “no less/more A (“noteworthy” in this sentence) as B” rather than the appropriate idiomatic construction “no less/more A (“noteworthy” in this sentence) than B”; please remember, “no less/more A than B” is a, correct idiomatic construction; A and B must be comparable and parallel. Besides, the usage “has been no less” is wordy and awkward.
B is the best answer choice.