The actual votes cast by incumbent can provide voters with a

Question

The actual votes cast by incumbent can provide voters with a more accurate picture of  their attitudes than the speeches they make  while campaigning for reelection.

a) same
b) the attitudes of incumbents than the speeches they make.
c) the attitudes of incumbents than do the speeches they make.
d) the attitudes of incumbents than do speeches.
e) the attitudes of incumbents than the speeches.

please explain answers.

highhopes · Answer

My guess is C.

A is wrong because you don't know who their refers to.
D&E imply that the votes only make a difference while they're campaigning 
I think you need the do because you're comparing phrases (votes provide a better view than speeches do), that leaves C.

I actually changed my answer while writing this though (from B).

icandy · Answer

We are comparing what X can provide and Y can provide. with out do, it becomes a comparison between what X can provide and Y.

In C, How can we say that they does not refer to voters. I know its illogical but both voters and incumbents are plural.

In D, they is removed leaving the sentence

The actual votes cast by incumbent can provide voters with a more accurate picture of the attitudes of incumbents than do speeches while campaigning for reelection.

My pick D. What is the OA?

highhopes · Answer

Doesn't it become non-parallel then?

You'd be comparing the votes with speeches, when you need to compare the votes with the speeches? I think they is okay in this case because you mentioned it soon after specifying the incumbents.

I'm sticking with C...

goalsnr · Answer

The actual votes cast by incumbent can provide voters with a more accurate picture of their attitudes than the speeches they make while campaigning for reelection.
X provides voters with a more A than do Y while campaigning for reelection

D

rao · Answer

IMO C. votes cast can provide more accurate pictures of incumbents attidtude... than the picture thats gets made from the speeches they make during campaining

OA pls

neeshpal · Answer

OA is C on this one.
thanks for all the explanations
 
can someone help me in understanding future sentences which will be like the one in this question.

when i read the sentence i read it in this meaning

the actual votes provide more accurate picture of their attitude and provide a less accurate picture of their speeches.

but its actually a comparison between the actual votes and the speeches. Which one provides an accurate picture of the attitudes.

my questions is ....is it just by understanding the meaning of the sentence we should be able to differentiate between the two meanings or is there a grammatical way.

goalsnr · Answer

I completely messed it. I rejected C becuase I thought "they " does not have a referent. I was only looking at " incumbent" at the start of the SC. :wall

highhopes · Answer

neeshpal, grammatically, the "than" should tip you off. You're comparing the first half of the sentence to the second, which means you're comparing the votes to the speeches. You kind of assumed the "less accurate picture" part, the sentence didn't say anything about less of something.

By the way, love the smiley face banging it's head against the wall, I could've used that more than a few times during my GMAT journey.

The actual votes cast by incumbent can provide voters with a

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