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https://www.englishforums.com/English/Be ... g/post.htm

Apparently it is idiomatic. I have never heard anyone use "if only because" in a sentence though.
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I'm with cipher on this one...nice explanation. I'll make a quick comment here about option 3.

3.because average salaries for women are only considerably lower than those --removal of If only changes the meaning of the sentence

I agree that there is a meaning difference when changing "if only" with "because", but the meaning is still very logical with "because". There is a bigger meaning issue with "only" in the sentence. Adding "only" in the sentence creates illogical meaning. Women's salaries are "only" lower than those for men? Does that mean that their wages are higher than those of aliens? Robots? That word "only" ruins the meaning of the sentence.

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Proponents of the equal rights amendment argue for its necessity if only because average salaries for women are still considerably lower than it is for men with comparable jobs and work experience.
1.if only because average salaries for women are still considerably lower than it is
Subject Verb agreement issue

2.if only because average salaries for women are still considerably lower than those
Correct answer,with correct meaning

3.because average salaries for women are only considerably lower than those
are only makes the sentence confusing because the meaning is altered.

4.if only as a result of the fact that salaries for women are still considerably lower than those
Change in meaning

5.if only because women's average salaries are still considerably lowerh than it is
Subject Verb Agreement issue
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Between C and D.

D as it conveys the intended meaning.

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Between b and d - but I would choose b because it's more concise, hence more appropriate

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Bunuel
Proponents of the Equal Rights Amendment argue for its necessity if only because average salaries for women are still considerably lower than it is for men with comparable jobs and work experience.


(A) if only because average salaries for women are still considerably lower than it is

(B) if only because average salaries for women are still considerably lower than those

(C) because average salaries for women are only considerably lower than those

(D) if only as a result of the fact that salaries for women are still considerably lower than those

(E) if only because women's average salaries are still considerably lower than it is

+1 for (B)

Proponents of the Equal Rights Amendment argue for its necessity if only because average salaries for women are still considerably lower than those (average salaries) for men with comparable jobs and work experience.
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Bunuel
Proponents of the Equal Rights Amendment argue for its necessity if only because average salaries for women are still considerably lower than it is for men with comparable jobs and work experience.


(A) if only because average salaries for women are still considerably lower than it is

(B) if only because average salaries for women are still considerably lower than those

(C) because average salaries for women are only considerably lower than those

(D) if only as a result of the fact that salaries for women are still considerably lower than those

(E) if only because women's average salaries are still considerably lower than it is

KAPLAN OFFICIAL EXPLANATION:



The sentence compares salaries to salaries, but it takes a shortcut toward the end and refers back to salaries as it. Salaries are plural and it is singular, so (A) and (E) are out of consideration. Of the remaining options, (C) stands out as significantly different, but by replacing if only with because and by moving only so that it describes lower, (C) actually contradicts the meaning of the original sentence. Finally, because in (B) is far more succinct than as a result of the fact that in (D). So, (B) it is.
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Bunuel
Bunuel
Proponents of the Equal Rights Amendment argue for its necessity if only because average salaries for women are still considerably lower than it is for men with comparable jobs and work experience.


(A) if only because average salaries for women are still considerably lower than it is

(B) if only because average salaries for women are still considerably lower than those

(C) because average salaries for women are only considerably lower than those

(D) if only as a result of the fact that salaries for women are still considerably lower than those

(E) if only because women's average salaries are still considerably lower than it is

KAPLAN OFFICIAL EXPLANATION:



The sentence compares salaries to salaries, but it takes a shortcut toward the end and refers back to salaries as it. Salaries are plural and it is singular, so (A) and (E) are out of consideration. Of the remaining options, (C) stands out as significantly different, but by replacing if only with because and by moving only so that it describes lower, (C) actually contradicts the meaning of the original sentence. Finally, because in (B) is far more succinct than as a result of the fact that in (D). So, (B) it is.

Hello Bunuel
I can't seem to quite comprehend what function the if only serves in this sentence and how the meaning is affected if it is removed.
Could you please help me out?

Thank You
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Can someone please explain what is the subject verb agreement issue here?
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Sahana98
Can someone please explain what is the subject verb agreement issue here?
Hi Sahana98,

We're not looking at an SVA error in A and E. Instead, those options use the singular pronoun it to refer back to the noun ...salaries.

A. if only because average salaries for women are still considerably lower than it is

E. if only because women's average salaries are still considerably lower than it is
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Sahana98
Can someone please explain what is the subject verb agreement issue here?

Hello Sahana98,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, there is no subject-verb disagreement here; rather, it is a case of noun and pronoun disagreeing in number - A and E refer to the plural noun "salaries" with the singular pronoun "it".

We hope this helps.
All the best!
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