Producer Level(A) Comparison (X higher than Y); Verb / Meaning (raised)
(B) CORRECT
(C) Comparison (X higher than Y); Structure / Meaning
(D) Comparison (X higher as Y)
(E) Comparison (X higher as Y); Structure / Meaning
First glanceThe first word switches between
than and
as. The sentence will contain a
comparison; should the comparison idiom use
than or
as?
Issues(1) Comparison: X higher than Y; X higher as YThe first three answers use
than and the final two use
as. Which should it be? Also, check that the comparison is an apples-to-apples comparison.
The correct idiom is either
higher than or
as high as. This sentence uses
higher, so the correct pairing must be
than. Eliminate answers (D) and (E).
Prices at the producer level are higher now
(A) than a year ago
(B) than those of a year ago
(C) than a year agoWhat are the remaining answers comparing? Answers (A) and (C) compare
now to
a year ago. Answer (B) compares
prices now to
those (prices)
of a year ago. While it can be acceptable to compare timeframes (as in
OG 2017 #772 /
OG 2016 #104 “this year” and “last [year]”), the more precise comparison in this problem is between the two prices: prices now versus prices of a year ago.
Answer (B) makes the proper comparison. Eliminate (A) and (C).
(2) Verb / Meaning: are hurting and therefore raisedThe sentence is trying to convey a certain sequence of events:
floods and drought are hurting crops and therefore causing something else to happen. This second event is caused by the first; therefore, this second event should take place at the same time as or later in time than the first event.
If crops are being hurt right now in the present, then it’s illogical to indicate that the consequence (
raised prices) took place in the past. Eliminate answer (A).
(3) Structure / Meaning: and are hurting cropsAnswers (C) and (E) both insert an
and just before
are hurting. What consequences does this have for the sentence structure?
Fix: The core sentences read:
(C) Prices are higher now than a year ago and are hurting crops…
(E) Prices are higher now as they were a year ago and are hurting crops…
In both cases, parallelism dictates that the subject
prices must pair with the verb
are hurting. In other words, the sentence indicates that the current prices are hurting crops. This is illogical. The
floods and
drought, not the prices, are hurting crops.
Eliminate answers (C) and (E) for faulty meaning.
The Correct AnswerCorrect answer (B) makes a valid comparison between
prices now and
those (prices)
of a year ago. It also clearly conveys the sequence of events:
floods…and drought are…hurting crops now, and therefore (are)
raising prices (also now).
*Note: the official explanation indicates that the word
hurt, in answer (D), is in the simple past. The word
hurt can also be simple present:
floods and drought hurt crops (today or in general in the present)
and therefore raise prices (again, today or in general). Answer (D) is still incorrect, but not for this particular reason stated in the official explanation.
Logical predication; Verb formThe sentence as written makes an illogical comparison between
prices at the producer level and a time period (
a year ago); surely the intended comparison is between such prices now and those of a year ago. The clause at the end of the sentence states that flooding and a drought
are hurting crops, and as a result of this, they have raised prices of certain crops.
Are hurting is in the present progressive tense, indicating an ongoing process;
raised is in the simple past tense, indicating a completed action. It would be more appropriate to use the present progressive tense here as well,
[are] raising.
(D) The comparative adjective
higher requires the comparative term
than instead of
as; the tenses of the verbs in the latter half of the sentence,
hurt (simple past) and
raise (simple present), do not work together logically.