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Over 75 percent of the energy produced in France derives from nuclear power, while in Germany it is just over 33 percent.

1 while in Germany it is just over 33 percent
2 compared to Germany, which uses just over 33 percent
3 whereas nuclear power accounts for just over 33 percent of the energy produced in Germany
4 whereas just over 33 percent of the energy comes from nuclear power in Germany
5 compared with the energy from nuclear power in Germany, where it is just over 33 percent

compare energy with energy
1. compare energy with germany - out.
2. same mistake as in 1.
3. compares energy with energy, looks good.
4. compares energy, while smth else - no. 33% of energy produced in france comes from nuclear power in germany? ambiguous.
5. energy produced compared with energy from nuclear power. 33% of what?

C looks the best here.

Hi mvictor,

I have a slight difference in opinion about your explanation of option 1 :) . The comparison between in France and in Germany does not seem to have any error. The problems lies in the following:

Over 75 percent of the energy produced in France is compared with it in Germany . The comparison between the prepositional phrases in France and in Germany does not have problem as such. The problem is in the comparison between Over 75 percent of the energy produced and it. The pronoun it by virtue of parallelism refers to over 75 percent of energy. Therefore the second part of the sentence effectively becomes .....in Germany over 75 percent of the energy produced is just over 33 percent. This sentence, as you would understand, is thus meaningless. :)
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Over 75 percent of the energy produced in France derives from nuclear power, while in Germany it is just over 33 percent.

1 while in Germany it is just over 33 percent
2 compared to Germany, which uses just over 33 percent
3 whereas nuclear power accounts for just over 33 percent of the energy produced in Germany
4 whereas just over 33 percent of the energy comes from nuclear power in Germany
5 compared with the energy from nuclear power in Germany, where it is just over 33 percent

1) The subject of the sentence is "Over 75 percent of the energy" so it being the subject of the next clause will be replaced with "Over 75 percent of the energy".

1 while in Germany it is just over 33 percent
-> this option is incorrect because of the point # 1

2 compared to Germany, which uses just over 33 percent
-> Meaning of the sentence is 75% of energy requirement is fulfilled by nuclear in France and Germany uses 33%. 33% of what is not clear at all.

3 whereas nuclear power accounts for just over 33 percent of the energy produced in Germany
-> Correct

4 whereas just over 33 percent of the energy comes from nuclear power in Germany
-> meaning appears to be that nuclear power is so inefficient that it can only produce 33% of energy but in option C) Nuclear energy accounts for 33% of the total energy. The meaning is quite clear in Option C)

5 compared with the energy from nuclear power in Germany, where it is just over 33 percent
33% -> Defines Germany or Nuclear power -> Absurd Meaning
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Over 75% of the energy produced in France derives from nuclear power, while in Germany it is just over 33%.

A) while in Germany it is just over 33%
Wrong:- "It" is ambiguous. Does it refers to nuclear power or to the energy produced.

B) compared to Germany, which uses just over 33%
Wrong:- Energy is compared to Germany.

C) whereas nuclear power accounts for just over 33% of the energy produced in Germany
Correct:- Correctly compares "75% of the energy produced in France" to "33% of the energy produced in Germany"

D) whereas just over 33% of the energy comes from nuclear power in Germany
Wrong:- Ok !! This is the funniest of all options. To understand why it is wrong you will have to read the entire sentence.
Over 75% of the energy produced in France derives from nuclear power whereas just over 33% of the energy comes from- nuclear power in Germany
This makes us feel that WE ARE TALKING ONLY ABOUT FRANCE'S ENERGY. FRANCE MAKES IT OWN ENERGY AND TAKES 33% ENERGY FROM GERMANY.

E) compared with the energy from nuclear power in Germany, where it is just over 33%.
Wrong:- Again "it" has no logical antecedent. What is 33% - "energy" or "nuclear power" ?


souvik101990
Over 75% of the energy produced in France derives from nuclear power, while in Germany it is just over 33%.

A) while in Germany it is just over 33%
B) compared to Germany, which uses just over 33%
C) whereas nuclear poweraccounts for just over 33% of the energy produced in Germany
D) whereas just over 33% of the energy comes from nuclear power in Germany
E) compared with the energy from nuclear power in Germany, where it is just over 33%.
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Over 75 percent of the energy produced in France derives from nuclear power, while in Germany it is just over 33 percent.

(A) while in Germany it is just over 33 percent
"it" may refer to nuclear power or energy. No proper antecedent for the pronoun.

(B) compared to Germany, which uses just over 33 percent
We don't want to compare the statistics with a country. Invalid comparison.

(C) whereas nuclear power accounts for just over 33 percent of the energy produced in Germany
Again an invalid comparison between the energy and nuclear power.

(D) whereas just over 33 percent of the energy comes from nuclear power in Germany
Correct. "75% of energy" is compared with "33% of energy" correctly.

(E) compared with the energy from nuclear power in Germany, where it is just over 33 percent
"it" doesn't have a proper antecedent. "it" can't refer to the "energy from nuclear power". A pronoun should refer back to a noun and not a phrase.
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Munching whether we can do this question without drooling over Ninja's favorite nuclear-power baked pretzels, I found a way out.

Over 75 percent of the energy produced in France derives from nuclear power, while in Germany it is just over 33 percent.

(A) while in Germany it is just over 33 percent --- 'it' absurdly refers to the 75% energy

(B) Compared to Germany, which uses just over 33 percent--75% energy is being compared to Germany

(C) Whereas nuclear power accounts for just over 33 percent of the energy produced in Germany-- The only choice with a semblance of expediency.

(D) Whereas just over 33 percent of the energy comes from nuclear power in Germany-- means that 33% of the energy produced in France comes from German plants

(E) Compared with the energy from nuclear power in Germany, where it is just over 33 percent -- same problem of pronoun reference as in A

( GMATNinja-- I can see you haven't yet licked your lips over the just made murukkus, especially from Manapparai(not Manippuri) of South India.)
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Ron's explanation



Over 75 percent of the energy produced in France derives from nuclear power, while in Germany it is just over 33 percent.

(A) while in Germany it is just over 33 percent - the pronoun "it" doesn't have a legitimate antecedent.
here, "it" would have to stand for something like "the percentage/proportion/fraction of energy provided by nukes". there is no such noun in the sentence, so "it" is an orphan.
(B) compared to Germany, which uses just over 33 percent - EVERYTHING here is wrong.

"compared to germany" isn't a valid comparison, because it's not parallel to anything.
france is tethered to the prepositional phrase "IN france", so it can't be compared to just "germany".

also, the sentence doesn't say that france "uses" anything.

finally, "uses" isn't used logically here. germany "uses" the nuclear energy, but it also "uses" the energy that isn't nuclear!
(C) whereas nuclear power accounts for just over 33 percent of the energy produced in Germany - Correct

(D) whereas just over 33 percent of the energy comes from nuclear power in Germany - this sentence is written in a way whose meaning is at best ambiguous and at worst incorrect.

one possible meaning, if not the meaning, is that 33% of "the energy" (we don't know where this energy is, or where it's used) comes from "nuclear power in germany". i.e., the power itself is in germany (whatever that means), but "the energy" is we-don't-know-where.

(E) compared with the energy from nuclear power in Germany, where it is just over 33 percent - first, false comparison: the earlier part doesn't mention "the energy from nuclear power in france", so this isn't parallel. (the earlier part mentions a percentage of ALL power in france.)

second, and more obviously, the pronoun "it" doesn't have a legitimate antecedent, for essentially the same reason as in (a).

Answer C
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Quote:
Over 75 percent of the energy produced in France derives from nuclear power, while in Germany it is just over 33 percent.

(A) while in Germany it is just over 33 percent
(B) compared to Germany, which uses just over 33 percent
(C) whereas nuclear power accounts for just over 33 percent of the energy produced in Germany
(D) whereas just over 33 percent of the energy comes from nuclear power in Germany
(E) compared with the energy from nuclear power in Germany, where it is just over 33 percent

Every question of the day will be followed by an expert reply by GMATNinja in 12-15 hours. Stay tuned! Post your answers and explanations to earn kudos.

I have a query when it comes to option C. The non-underlined portion in the questions is active voice whereas Option C is in passive voice. Could anybody please clarify?
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Priyadarshana
Quote:
Over 75 percent of the energy produced in France derives from nuclear power, while in Germany it is just over 33 percent.

(A) while in Germany it is just over 33 percent
(B) compared to Germany, which uses just over 33 percent
(C) whereas nuclear power accounts for just over 33 percent of the energy produced in Germany
(D) whereas just over 33 percent of the energy comes from nuclear power in Germany
(E) compared with the energy from nuclear power in Germany, where it is just over 33 percent

Every question of the day will be followed by an expert reply by GMATNinja in 12-15 hours. Stay tuned! Post your answers and explanations to earn kudos.

I have a query when it comes to option C. The non-underlined portion in the questions is active voice whereas Option C is in passive voice. Could anybody please clarify?
(C) actually isn't in passive voice at all. Check out this post for more on the difference between active and passive voice. And if that doesn't help, let us know.

AprajitaG
@GMATNinja- I am a little confused here. While I understand the issues in other options, I think option C has a comparison issue. Is overall energy not being compared to nuclear energy in C. Is that correct? Or is it not wrong enough to eliminate C?
The way (C) is structured, the comparison isn't just between two nouns. Basically, the comparison is between two clauses, separated by the conjunction "whereas":

  • Clause 1: "Over 75 percent of the energy produced in France derives from nuclear power..."
  • Clause 2: "...nuclear power accounts for just over 33 percent of the energy produced in Germany."

So there's no problem there. We're very logically comparing two different nuclear-power situations in two different countries, in the form of two distinct clauses.

I hope that helps!
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souvik101990

Verbal Question of The Day: Day 94: Sentence Correction


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Over 75 percent of the energy produced in France derives from nuclear power, while in Germany it is just over 33 percent.

(A) while in Germany it is just over 33 percent
(B) compared to Germany, which uses just over 33 percent
(C) whereas nuclear power accounts for just over 33 percent of the energy produced in Germany
(D) whereas just over 33 percent of the energy comes from nuclear power in Germany
(E) compared with the energy from nuclear power in Germany, where it is just over 33 percent

Every question of the day will be followed by an expert reply by GMATNinja in 12-15 hours. Stay tuned! Post your answers and explanations to earn kudos.

(A) while in Germany it is just over 33 percent
It could be nuclear power or the energy being produced in France thus with substitution of words, this answer choice does not make sense.

(B) compared to Germany, which uses just over 33 percent
This could very well mean that Germany uses just over 33% of the energy derived from nuclear power in France which is not the case.

(C) whereas nuclear power accounts for just over 33 percent of the energy produced in Germany
This one leaves no ambiguity and makes perfect sense.

(D) whereas just over 33 percent of the energy comes from nuclear power in Germany
This one is not clear on what exactly is meant by energy in this sentence.

(E) compared with the energy from nuclear power in Germany, where it is just over 33 percent
The statement makes no sense.
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Hi experts,

i dismiss answer choice C because of "whereas", which is not the member of FANBOYS -- for, and nor, but, or, yet, so.

I think i must miss something, but i have no idea about it.

Any experts can elaborate further ?

Thanks in advance

Have a nice day
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zoezhuyan
Hi experts,

i dismiss answer choice C because of "whereas", which is not the member of FANBOYS -- for, and nor, but, or, yet, so.

I think i must miss something, but i have no idea about it.

Any experts can elaborate further ?

Thanks in advance

Have a nice day
I'm not 100% sure that I'm interpreting your question correctly. It sounds like you dismissed "whereas" BECAUSE it isn't a "FANBOY"? I'm not sure if that's what you're thinking, but there's no rule that says that you need a "FANBOY" here.

If it helps, "whereas" basically means something like "while on the other hand" or "in contrast to the fact that." Neither of those are elegant phrases, but they hopefully give you a sense of the meaning of "whereas".

Does that help at all?
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This question tests multiple concepts, but what we have to look at first is the sentence structure.
We need to make sure that the items being compared are parallel structure. In other words, X in France should be parallel to X in Germany.

Now let’s look at the options one by one:

Option A: In this option, ‘it’ does not have a clear referent. Here it seems like ‘it’ refers to ‘over 75% of the energy produced in France’. Eliminate.

Option B: Incorrectly compares 'energy' and 'Germany'. It raises the question - "33 percent" of what? If we think, Germany, then it alters the meaning. Germany does not use 33 percent of nuclear energy. Eliminate.

Option C: Correct comparison between nuclear energy produced in France and Germany. This is the best option.

Option D: Same as B. It is not clear what "the energy" refers to. Of the world? Of Germany? Seems to imply that 33 percent of ALL energy comes from Germany. It’s ambiguous. Eliminate.

Option E
: "nuclear power" (all of it) is illogically compared to "nuclear power in Germany" - not the intended comparison. The last clause reads - "nuclear power in Germany Is just over 33%" - 33% of what? There is also the ambiguous ‘it’ in this option. Eliminate.

Hope this helps!
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Quote:
Over 75 percent of the energy produced in France derives from nuclear power, while in Germany it is just over 33 percent.

(C) whereas nuclear power accounts for just over 33 percent of the energy produced in Germany

(D) whereas just over 33 percent of the energy comes from nuclear power in Germany


Why can't D implies that
Over 75 percent of the energy produced in France come from nuclear power
just over 33 percent of the energy comes from nuclear power in Germany

in option D: both subject are matching ( % energy -%energy ) : ( 75% energy produced in France ) and ( 33% energy produced in Germany)\
There are many right answers with such a comparison in which subjects are of similar entity.

I am not able to see how the meaning implied in D is wrong
D was rejected GMATNinja:
Quote:
(problem: “the energy” seems to refer back to “the energy produced in France.” So now the sentence says “whereas just over 33 percent of the energy {produced in France} comes from nuclear power in Germany.”)

Then how can i express the sentence with subjects keeping of the similar entity?
Do i need to insert verb "produced " to make the meaning right? Is not it already implied?
Quote:
Over 75 percent of the energy produced in France derives from nuclear power, whereas just over 33 percent of the energy produced in Germany comes from nuclear power

please suggest GMATNinja AndrewN AjiteshArun
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Quote:
Over 75 percent of the energy produced in France derives from nuclear power, while in Germany it is just over 33 percent.

(C) whereas nuclear power accounts for just over 33 percent of the energy produced in Germany

(D) whereas just over 33 percent of the energy comes from nuclear power in Germany


Why can't D implies that
Over 75 percent of the energy produced in France come from nuclear power
just over 33 percent of the energy comes from nuclear power in Germany

in option D: both subject are matching ( % energy -%energy ) : ( 75% energy produced in France ) and ( 33% energy produced in Germany)\
There are many right answers with such a comparison in which subjects are of similar entity.

I am not able to see how the meaning implied in D is wrong
D was rejected GMATNinja:
Quote:
(problem: “the energy” seems to refer back to “the energy produced in France.” So now the sentence says “whereas just over 33 percent of the energy {produced in France} comes from nuclear power in Germany.”)

Then how can i express the sentence with subjects keeping of the similar entity?
Do i need to insert verb "produced " to make the meaning right? Is not it already implied?
Quote:
Over 75 percent of the energy produced in France derives from nuclear power, whereas just over 33 percent of the energy produced in Germany comes from nuclear power

please suggest GMATNinja AndrewN AjiteshArun
Yes, imSKR, you have it exactly right in that last sentence above. The parallelism is flawless, and the meaning is clear. If you picked (D), you have to remind yourself that you cannot interpret a sentence the way you want it to read, but by what the string of words on the screen conveys on its own. As GMATNinja pointed out earlier, the energy in (D) as written is ambiguous, and our comparison is skewed as a result.

- Andrew
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GMATNinja
Here’s another great example of the GMAT’s favorite SC concept: if you aren’t strict and literal with the meaning of these sentences, you’re toast. We said a lot about that in our beginners’ guide to SC, and it’s also been a theme in our QOTDs (all of which are available here).

Quote:
(A) while in Germany it is just over 33 percent
The pronoun “it” catches my eye right away. I guess it could refer to “nuclear power”, but that wouldn’t make sense: “in Germany nuclear power is just over 33 percent.” Huh? 33 percent of what?

Maybe “it” refers to “energy”? Nope: “in Germany energy is just over 33 percent.”

OK, what about “energy produced in France”? That’s even worse: “in Germany energy produced in France is just over 33 percent.”

(A) is out.

Quote:
(B) compared to Germany, which uses just over 33 percent
Germany “uses just over 33 percent”… of what? If we look at this one strictly and literally, it makes no sense, either. (B) is gone, too.

Quote:
(C) whereas nuclear power accounts for just over 33 percent of the energy produced in Germany
Ooh, now this is clear. “…nuclear power accounts for just over 33 percent of the energy produced in Germany.” Fair enough.

(Are most of the bakeries nuclear-powered, too? Because German bakeries are some of the best in the world. I don’t know why more people don’t talk about this. The rest of the world talks about German beer, and German engineering, and German football. But the bakeries mostly get ignored. A couple of weeks ago, we engineered an extended layover in Munich just to eat pretzels. You think I’m joking, don’t you?)

Wait, where were we? I don't see any problems with (C), so let's keep it.

Quote:
(D) whereas just over 33 percent of the energy comes from nuclear power in Germany
This is subtle and nasty. That phrase “33 percent of the energy” doesn’t contain a pronoun, but if you’re being strict and literal with it, you’ll have to ask: what does “the energy” mean? It seems to be referring back to “the energy” that was mentioned earlier in the sentence.

But that’s the problem: “the energy” seems to refer back to “the energy produced in France.” So now the sentence says “whereas just over 33 percent of the energy {produced in France} comes from nuclear power in Germany.” And that doesn’t make sense. Tricky! Eliminate (D).

Quote:
(E) compared with the energy from nuclear power in Germany, where it is just over 33 percent
This has similar problems as (A) and (B). “… where it ("energy"?) is just over 33 percent.” 33 percent of what? (E) is gone, and we’re left with (C).


Is “the energy” in (D) really refers to the energy produced in France??
Do we really have to act that dumb in GMAT?

Also, I like (D) better because the first clause starts with the percentage of energy produced, and the second clause is also focusing on the percentage of energy.

I think if it were “33 percent of *that* energy” then it would be a problem.


Thoughts?
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Quote:
Over 75 percent of the energy produced in France derives from nuclear power, while in Germany it is just over 33 percent.

(A) while in Germany it is just over 33 percent
(B) compared to Germany, which uses just over 33 percent
(C) whereas nuclear power accounts for just over 33 percent of the energy produced in Germany
(D) whereas just over 33 percent of the energy comes from nuclear power in Germany
(E) compared with the energy from nuclear power in Germany, where it is just over 33 percent
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Q1:
We're contrasting the 'percentage' in this SC. In the non-underlined part, '75 percent' is the 'essential' part. But, in the underlined part, '33 percent' has been used as 'non-essential' modifier. So, can we remove choice B and E for keeping '33 percent' as 'non-essential' modifier?

Q2:
For choice D, some of the experts said in this thread that 'the energy' (in non-underlined part) refers back to 'the energy produced in France!). I don't know how, but it seems that 'the energy' (in non-underlined part) refers back to 'the energy produced in any places of the world'. Could you help me to find my mistake if I miss anything, experts?
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TheUltimateWinner
Quote:
Over 75 percent of the energy produced in France derives from nuclear power, while in Germany it is just over 33 percent.

(A) while in Germany it is just over 33 percent
(B) compared to Germany, which uses just over 33 percent
(C) whereas nuclear power accounts for just over 33 percent of the energy produced in Germany
(D) whereas just over 33 percent of the energy comes from nuclear power in Germany
(E) compared with the energy from nuclear power in Germany, where it is just over 33 percent
Request Expert Reply:
Q1:
We're contrasting the 'percentage' in this SC. In the non-underlined part, '75 percent' is the 'essential' part. But, in the underlined part, '33 percent' has been used as 'non-essential' modifier. So, can we remove choice B and E for keeping '33 percent' as 'non-essential' modifier?
No, that approach is too formulaic. There could be a correct version in which "33 percent" is in a non-essential modifier.

Quote:
Q2:
For choice D, some of the experts said in this thread that 'the energy' (in non-underlined part) refers back to 'the energy produced in France!). I don't know how, but it seems that 'the energy' (in non-underlined part) refers back to 'the energy produced in any places of the world'. Could you help me to find my mistake if I miss anything, experts?
What energy "the energy" in (D) refers to is not clear. It seems to be energy produced in France, but it certainly does not have to be.
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