She was less successful after she had emigrated to New York compared t

Question

She was less successful after she had emigrated to New York compared to her native Germany, photographer Lotte Jacobi nevertheless earned a small group of discerning admirers, and her photographs were eventually exhibited in prestigious galleries across the United States.

A) She was less successful after she had emigrated to New York compared to

B) Being less successful after she had emigrated to New York as compared to

C) Less successful after she emigrated to New York than she had been in

D) Although she was less successful after emigrating to New York when compared to

E) She had been less successful after emigrating to New York than in

Can someone explain this in detail?

Show SpoilerI Wonder

Why is A,E wrong?

MichaelS · Accepted Answer

I think that the responses already given adequately address all the wrong answers, so I'll just clarify a few points about comparison.

(1) If you use "less," "fewer," or "more" to make a comparison, and if both nouns/prepositional phrases/whatever being compared appear after the "less" or "more," then you must use "than" to introduce the second. (This eliminates A, B, and D)

He has fewer cats than dogs. 
This is  correct , because "fewer" precedes the first noun, "cats," and "than" precedes the second noun, "dogs."
This is the structure you can expect to see on the GMAT.

He has three dogs, but fewer cats. 
This is  correct . It uses "fewer" without "than," but one of the nouns being compared appears before the "fewer."
Offhand, I don't remember seeing this structure on the GMAT.

(2) All of the words "less," "fewer," and "more" imply comparison, so any additional comparison signal, such as "compared to" or "relative to" is redundant. (This eliminates A, B, and D)

(3) Whatever the elements being compared, they must be both logically comparable and structurally similar. No comparison signal/parallel marker can coordinate two elements unless those elements are the same part of speech. (This eliminates A, B, and D)

fluke · Answer

It is better to use "than" if there is a comparative word in the sentence. Here, "less" is comparative, so we need to use "than".

Rules out A, B and D.

E: messes up the verb sequence. "Had been" (past perfect) is used for describing the older event from the two events in the past.

Understand the meaning of the sentence:
**************************************
Lotte Jacobi was quite famous in Germany.
Then she moved to New York.
And in New York, she became less famous.
*************************************

Older event: Her being more famous when she was in Germany.
Later event: Her being less famous when she moved to New York.

Had been- should be associated with the older event; i.e. her fame when she was in Germany.

E: uses had been with New York; it says after moving to New York, she had been less successful. Wrong.

C: corrects all these errors.

C) Less successful after she emigrated to New York than she had been in
It uses "than" and eliminates all confusing comparator phrases such "as compared to" etc.
Less successful after she moved to New York -- had been is NOT used here, which is good.
she had been in Germany- had been is used for the time when she was in Germany; also good.

Ans: "C"

daagh · Answer

A. She was less successful after she had emigrated to New York compared to ---- c omparing success to a place; in addition, the full text is a run-on 
 
B. Being less successful after she had emigrated to New York as compared to ------  comparing success to a place;

C. Less successful after she emigrated to New York than she had been in--- the introductory clause correctly modifies photographer Jotte – In addition, the choice uses sequentially proper chronological tensing

D. Although she was less successful after emigrating to New York when compared to ----- t he contrast has already been brought out by the word – nevertheless-; although is redundant.

E. She had been less successful after emigrating to New York than in ---  The text is a run on

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

Choice A:  This answer choice incorrectly compares the photographer's level of success to "Germany". Furthermore, the use of the comparative word "less" demands the use of the word "than". Thus, this answer choice is incorrect.

Choice B:  This answer choice repeats the errors found in Option A. This answer choice also uses the word "being" to refer to a state of existence, "less successful". Thus, this answer choice is incorrect.

Choice C:  This answer choice correctly compares the photographer's level of success in New York and Germany, respectively, through the phrase "than she had been in" and avoids both redundancy and the run-on error. Thus, this answer choice is correct.

Choice D:  This answer choice repeats the errors found in Options A and B. This answer choice also suffers from a redundancy error due to the use of two words that convey contrast, "although" and "nevertheless". Thus, this answer choice is incorrect.

Choice E:  This answer choice incorrectly connects two independent clauses through a comma, creating a run-on sentence. Thus, this answer choice is incorrect.

Hence, C is the best answer choice.

To understand the concept of "Comma Splice and Run-Ons on GMAT", you may want to watch the following video (~6 minutes):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOXi16shp-4

To understand the concept of "Use of Being on GMAT", you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2w9FNmjwtw

All the best!
Experts' Global Team

GMAT TIGER · Answer

Also go with C, which is also in correct tense.

A) Incorrect sequence of tense.
B) Incorrect sequence of tense.
C) Correct sequence of tense.
D) Violate the idiom "Less .......than".
E) Incorrect sequence of tense.

vivesomnium · Answer

She was less successful after she had emigrated to New York compared to her native Germany
 photographer Lotte Jacobi nevertheless earned a small group of discerning admirers, and her photographs were eventually exhibited in prestigious galleries across the United States.
The two parts of the sentence are separated by a comma and not a semi colon - which directly implies that the first part of the sentence cannot be an independent clause- but a subordinate cluase, and we know from the context and structure of second part that it acts as a modifer to the subject "photographer Lotte Jacobi"
Any correct answer choice cannot therefore have a complete working verb in it - so A,D (was) and E ( had been) are all wrong because here the first fragment of the sentence are complete clauses
Between B & C:
as compared to should be followed by in. C is comparing how successful she was in New York to her native germany - it should be 'as compared to (when) IN Germany' Also, being is not preferred- it's redundant when compared to construction in C

thevenus · Answer

She was less successful after she had emigrated to New York compared to  her native Germany, photographer Lotte Jacobi nevertheless earned a small group of discerning admirers, and her photographs were eventually exhibited in prestigious galleries across the United States.

Meaning;
The success status of Lotte Jacobi is compared when she was in Germany, than her success status after going to NY.

A. She was less successful after she had emigrated to New York compared to
 success/less success can not be compared to a country-incorrect 
B. Being less successful after she had emigrated to New York as compared to
"being"is incorrect also,  success can not be compared to a country-incorrect 
C. Less successful after she emigrated to New York than she had been in
 Comparison is logically and grammatically parallel by using "in " which states the success status of Jacobi in both places. 
D. Although she was less successful after emigrating to New York when compared to
 success can not be compared to a country-incorrect 
E. She had been less successful after emigrating to New York than in
 distorted meaning

(C) wins

souvik101990 · Answer

A. Success is compared with Native Germany. Also "less" needs "than". 
B. Distorts meaning. Implies that her relatively moderate success was somehow linked with her small group of followers. Alo Being as modifier is never correct.
D. "when" denotes a timeline. "less" needs "than"
E. Run On sentence. 
 C is CORRECT

blueseas · Answer

theory:

Compared to/with” is redundant in a comparison that already includes the word  more/less ; in such an instance, more than/less than should be used
 AS  COMPARED TO/WITH and  WHEN  COMPARED TO/WITH ===>these two are wrong constructions.
 
A) She was  less  successful after she had emigrated to New York  compared to

B) Being  less  successful after she had emigrated to New York as  compared to

C) Less successful after she emigrated to New York than she had been in===>correct

D) Although she was  less  successful after emigrating to New York  when   compared to
 
E) She had been less successful after emigrating to New York than in== >incorrect use of HAD...as she emigrated later to new york.

hope it helps

GMATPill · Answer

Don't forget to pay attention to the meaning here - specifically the order of events.

She was originally in Germany. Then she went to New York.

So any usage of HAD -- must be associated with GERMANY -- since thas was further int he past.;;

Notice in (A) - we have "She was less successful after she had emigrated to NY" -- you cannot use HAD in the context of New York - so (A) is no good. Same with (B) and (E).

Only (C) uses regular past tense "emigrated" in context of New York and then "had been" in the context of Germany. This makes it clear that she emigrated to New York. But further into the past, she HAD BEEN in Germany.

So do pay attention to the MEANING and use the correct verb-tense accordingly.

We have explained this question in this video:

https://www.gmatpill.com/sentencecorrection/og/q124.jpeg

TheUltimateWinner · Answer

Hi Expert,
I need to have an exact solution of THIS problem. If the correct answer is C, then the complete sentence will be:
 Less  successful after she emigrated to New York  than  she had been in to he native Germany, photographer Lotte Jacobi nevertheless earned a small group discerning admirers, and her photographers were eventually exhibited in prestigious galleries across the United States. 
Here, the  BOLD  is a tag. it works like " not only X...........but also Y"  or " either X.............or Y" 
I should not write:
 He is not only a student but also he is going to USA for his higher education .----->doesn't make any sense.
also, i should not say:
 The person is either Stanford student or he is going to ask a question in the forum .------->doesn't make any sense, too.

if we write this correct sentence like below, then it'll be run-on sentence.

She was     less  successful after she emigrated to New York  than  she had been in to he native Germany, photographer Lotte Jacobi nevertheless earned a small group discerning admirers, and her photographers were eventually exhibited in prestigious galleries across the United States.

So for that reason, GMAC technically withdraw red part from the here (may be there is a specific rules to withdraw the subject)
Anyway, in the correct sentence there is a tag (e.g., less XXX........than YYY), THIS tags  must  show similar ideas like  NOT only X.......BUT also Y , right?
But, in the correct option C, there is NO consistency in this TAG, this tags works like my wrong sentences! looks like below:
 less  SUCCESSFUL (adjective)  than  COMPLETE SENTENCE
Thank you all GMATclub members...

sayantanc2k · Answer

Your understanding is alright for  not only X but also Y  and  either X or Y  comparison markers. But for the  superlative adjective + than  comparison marker, you have a slight misunderstanding. The structure is:

X  superlative adjective+than  Y. ( the complete superlative adjective + than is the comparative marker)

This car is  bigger than  that car (is).
I am  more successful than  you (are). (there is no word  successfuller,  - superlative of successful is  more successful  (or  less successful ) - probably that gave rise to your confusion.)

mbaapp1234 · Answer

A "Less... compared to" is incorrect.
B "Less... compared to" is incorrect.
C Correct.
D "Less ... when" is incorrect.
E This sentence is a comma splice because two independent clauses are joined by a comma.

EducationAisle · Answer

Hi mbaapp1234, strictly speaking, E is  not  a comma splice, because it has  three  independent clauses connected by a coordinating conjunction ( and ).

p.s. Our book    EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana    discusses  comma splice , its application and examples in significant detail. If someone is interested, PM me your email-id; I can mail the corresponding section.

mbaapp1234 · Answer

You are wrong. It is a comma splice. Full sentence for your edification:

She had been less successful after emigrating to New York than in her native Germany, photographer Lotte Jacobi nevertheless earned a small group of discerning admirers, and her photographs were eventually exhibited in prestigious galleries across the United States.

The splice occurs in the first clause that ends with "native Germany." Simply put, a comma splice is a fragment with two independent clauses connected by a comma. We have a crystal clear example here. The last independent clause is not a list despite the presence of "and," but rather an extension of the first thought with a new subject and verb.

Perhaps you should read your own book or rewrite it.

Posted from my mobile device

EducationAisle · Answer

Hi mbaapp1234, if the entire sentence has  three  (or more) Independent clauses, then the first two Independent clauses  will  be most likely connected by a comma. But that doesn't make the sentence a comma splice.

For example, following is a  correct  sentence:

Peter plays football, his sister plays basketball, and his brother is into skating .

The presence of a comma after "football" does not make this a comma splice.

mihir0710 · Answer

She was less successful after she had emigrated to New York compared to her native Germany,
photographer Lotte Jacobi nevertheless earned a small group of discerning admirers, and her photographs
were eventually exhibited in prestigious galleries across the United States.
 
A. She was less successful after she had emigrated to New York compared to
Illogical comparison. This sentence illogically compare Success of Lotte in NY with Native Germany.
However, the actual comparison is between success in NY and success in Germany
 
B. Being less successful after she had emigrated to New York as compared to
Same error as A.
 
C. Less successful after she emigrated to New York than she had been in
Correct comparison !!
 
D. Although she was less successful after emigrating to New York when compared to
“when compared to” is unidiomatic …This usage means “only when the comparison is made she was less successful”
Also, the comparison is still illogical as it was in option A and B
 
E. She had been less successful after emigrating to New York than in
Tense error “Jacobi’s stay is Germany was prior to her stay in NY ..so the part of the sentence describing her success in Germany shall have “had been”
And the part describing her stay in NY shall NOT have “had been” but a simple past tense.
Also, here two clauses are joined by a “,” . Totally Incorrect!!

epiphany1 · Answer

Sentence Analysis
As we read the sentence, we figure out that the sentence presents a comparison of the success one person achieved in two different time periods. It says that:

‘she’ (some ‘she’ – we don’t have an antecedent till now) was less successful after she had emigrated to New York than she had been in her native Germany.
As you can see, while presenting the comparison, I’ve changed a couple of things.

‘compared to” to “than” – When we have less, more, or other -er words (better, smaller etc), we need ‘than’, instead of ‘compared to’ or other comparison structures, to follow these words.
‘compared to her native Germany’ to ‘than she had been in her native Germany’ – As is, the original sentence seems to compare ‘she’ with ‘her native Germany’. Clearly, not only the meaning is illogical but it also doesn’t seem to be the intended meaning.
Therefore, while explaining this part of the sentence, I’ve made the above two changes. It also means that these two are the errors that need to be corrected.

As we read further, we see that there’s another independent clause:

photographer Lotte Jacobi nevertheless earned a small group of discerning admirers
We have two independent clauses joined by a comma. This is the third error in the sentence.

In addition, since the first part of the sentence is an independent clause, it doesn’t make sense to use the pronoun ‘she’ in it and then introduce the antecedent in the second independent clause. If these two parts are to be presented as two independent clauses, then ideally, the noun should be used in the first independent clause and the pronoun in the second independent clause.

HimanshuW11 · Answer

"Success after she emigrated" is being compared to "her native Germany"
Also comparison marker such as "less" needs "than" to compare.
A goes out.
 Comparison issue same as in answer option A.
Also comparison marker such as "less" needs "than" to compare.
 Comparison is perfect. "Less successful after she emigrated to New York" than "she had been in her native Germany"
Also "had been"(past perfect) clearly shows the sequence of events.
 Comparison issue similar as in answer option A.
Also comparison marker such as "less" needs "than" to compare.
  She had been less successful after emigrating to New York than inher native Germany  becomes a complete IC. An IC can't be clubbed with another IC with a comma.
2. This sentence uses "had been" with New York, only to mess up the tense sequence. Success in New York comes later than success in her native Germany.

She was less successful after she had emigrated to New York compared t

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She was less successful after she had emigrated to New York compared t

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