The domestic chinchilla is a diminutive creature especially as

Question

Project SC Butler: Day 57 Sentence Correction (SC2) 
 For SC butler Questions  Click Here

The domestic chinchilla is a diminutive creature,  especially as compared with their wild counterparts, found  high in the Andes.

A) especially as compared with their wild counterparts, found

B) as opposed to their wild counterparts, which can be found

C) particularly when compared to its wild counterpart, found

D) as compared against its wild counterparts that can be found

E) unlike its wild counterparts, who can only be found

The  best or excellent answers get kudos , which will be  awarded  after   the answer is revealed.

The answer to this question has     nothing to do with the difference between "compare to" and "compare with," a difference that the GMAT does not test.

DisciplinedPrep · Accepted Answer

The domestic chinchilla is a diminutive creature,    particularly when compared to its wild counterpart, found    high in the Andes.

A) especially as compared with   their   wild counterparts, found

B) as opposed to   their   wild counterparts, which can be found

C)   particularly when compared to its wild counterpart, found

D) as   compared against   its wild counterparts that can be found

E) unlike its   wild counterparts  , who can   only   be found

Pronoun Error in Option A and B  : In both these answer choices, the pronoun "their" is used to refer to domestic chinchilla, a singular noun.

Idiom Error in Option D  : The correct idiom is compared to or compared with; compared against is never correct on the GMAT.

Meaning Error in Option E  : The word only is introduced in Option E, nonsensically implying that the domestic chinchilla is found ONLY high in the Andes and nowhere else.

Comparison Error in Option E  : In this option, domestic chinchilla, a singular entity, is compared to plural wild counterparts, and hence it's an grammatically incorrect comparison.

Hence, the Correct Answer is Option C

MofeBhatia · Answer

Hi  DisciplinedPrep ,

Will you clear the below doubt ?
Can "who" modify/refer to Non-person ? 
If in option E , it was something like this 
 unlike its wild counterparts, who can be found  
Would that be correct ?

I think "Which" can be used rather than "who" .

Thanks in advance

DisciplinedPrep · Answer

MofeBhatia  - Hello there.

Relative Pronouns  Who  and  Whom  must be used for Person, whereas Relative Pronouns  Which  and  That  must be used for Non-Person.  Whose  can be used for both Person and Non-Person.

To answer your question, no, the re-worded Option E would still be incorrect because it still includes the comparison error: domestic chinchilla, a singular entity, is compared to plural wild counterparts, a situation which is always incorrect on the GMAT. Moreover, usage of relative pronoun "who" is incorrect in this case because the question talks about a Non-Person entity, the domestic chinchilla.

gadde22 · Answer

Noun is singular and it will have only 1 counter part

A - noun is singular but their is used in the modifier - incorrect

B - Same as A - incorrect

C - seems good - correct

D - counterparts and also compared against- incorrect

E - incorrect comparision - incorrect

yash312 · Answer

IMO C

A) especially as compared with their wild counterparts, found----> incorrect, no antecedant of their

B) as opposed to their wild counterparts, which can be found--> incorrect, same error as A

C) particularly when compared to its wild counterpart, found-->correct

D) as compared against its wild counterparts that can be found--> compared against, wrong idiom,

E) unlike its wild counterparts, who can only be found--> incorrect, who is used for humans and not animals

generis · Answer

Project SC Butler: Day 57 Sentence Correction (SC2) 
 For SC butler Questions  Click Here

The domestic chinchilla is a diminutive creature,  especially as compared with their wild counterparts, found  high in the Andes.

A) especially as compared with their wild counterparts, found
B) as opposed to their wild counterparts, which can be found
C) particularly when compared to its wild counterpart, found
D) as compared against its wild counterparts that can be found
E) unlike its wild counterparts, who can only be found

The answer to this question has     nothing to do with the difference between compare to and compare with, a difference that the GMAT does not test.

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION   
 
The sentence contains a pronoun error. The sentence is trying to compare
the domestic chinchilla to the wild chinchilla.

• Choices A and B incorrectly use the pronoun  their  to refer to the   domestic chinchilla

Eliminate A and B. Look at the other choices.

• The correct idiom in the remaining options is  compared to .
Choice D uses  compared against , which is incorrect.

Eliminate D.

• The next thing to check is the parallel structure  
-- Choice E adds the word  only , which changes the meaning of the sentence.  
-- Choice E also incorrectly compares the singular domestic  chinchilla  to plural  counterparts .

The correct answer is C.

COMMENTS

That OE is pretty good.
 How do we know that  chinchilla  is singular? 
In the non-underlined portion, the verb IS = singular. 
" . . . chinchilla  is  . . ."

DisciplinedPrep  , your answer is superb. Best answer. Kudos!

pikolo2510 · Answer

Can someone help to decipher the meaning of the sentence?

Is the sentence trying to convey that the "chinchilla" is found in the Andes or its Wild Counterpart?

generis · Answer

Hi  pikolo2510  , the sentence means that the  domestic chinchilla ,
an animal that people keep as pets, is very small, especially when compared to 
the wild chinchilla. The  wild chinchilla  is found high in the Andes.

In every option, the modifier that follows "wild chinchilla" applies to the wild chinchilla.
   found  is a past participle, a verbED.   
•  Past participles , as in answer A and in correct answer C,  modify the preceding noun  or noun phrase  (on the GMAT) 
• In answer B,  comma + which  modifies the nearest logical noun,  the wild counterpart , i.e. the wild chinchilla
•  "that can be found"  is an essential modifier of  wild counterparts  (wild chinchillas) in answer D
•  comma  +  who      can only be found (option E with the pronoun corrected) is the same as B.

Hope that helps.

pikolo2510 · Answer

Thank you for the awesome explanation!

Diwakar003 · Answer

Hey  generis

Is the usage of the phrase 'when compared to' correct? I remember reading a rule, long back, in E-gmat's SC course that the usage of below phrases in comparisons is wrong.

when compared to, when compared with, and as compared with.

Please correct me if I'm wrong here. Thank you in advance for your valuable inputs.

Cheers!

generis · Answer

Hi  Diwakar003  - a little bit of jargon, sorry: this construction is a hidden zero conditional.
 
The use of "when" is acceptable if the sentence is actually a zero conditional in disguise, even in the context of "compared to."

Conditionals/Statements of fact

Option C is a zero conditional in disguise.

If we have statements of fact that use  when , look for a zero conditional.

Generally, conditionals are IF/THEN constructs.

•   Zero conditionals

Zero conditionals often use the words  if  and  then , but there really is no doubt about outcome.

Zero conditionals are used to express general truths and facts—things that are always true.
 If she eats peanuts, then she has a dangerous allergic reaction.

If  this  thing happens or is true, then  that  thing happens or is true.

Always true: the domestic chinchilla is a small animal
Always true: the domestic chinchilla is always smaller than the wild chinchilla

• The time frame for a zero conditional is now and always.

The domestic chinchilla is a small animal,   particularly IF   compared to its   wild counterpart

•   Zero conditionals can use the word "when" instead of "if."

Zero conditionals and the use of WHEN:

When does THAT thing happen if THIS thing happens? ALWAYS. 
-- Because the time frame is always, we are allowed to use "when."

WHEN this thing happens, then that thing happens.

Correct:  If it rains, the ground gets wet. 
Correct:  When it rains, the ground gets wet. 
Correct:  The ground gets wet when it rains.

This resource,  HERE  about conditionals is among the best I have found.

•   Finally, we transform the IF statement in green typeface from above

The domestic chinchilla is a small animal,   particularly WHEN   compared its   wild counterpart

That sentence is very close to Option C:
The domestic chinchilla is a diminutive creature, particularly when compared to its wild counterpart . . .

In this case, "when" is correct.

I found an e-gmat blog post that explains  the instances in which the use of WHEN  is acceptable even though
the "when" does not refer to any particular time period. The post is about IF/THEN.

Hope that helps.

Diwakar003 · Answer

Hi  generis ,

Thanks a lot for taking time to write an elaborate explanation and going the extra bit to find out the E-Gmat blog. We're very fortunate to have mods like you! Thanks again!

Cheers!

smlprkh · Answer

Hi  generis ,

I am not completely understanding why C is correct.

C would read like this: The domestic chinchilla is a diminutive creature, particularly when compared to its wild counterpart, found high in the Andes.

This indicates that the domestic chinchilla is found high in the Andes (doesn't make sense to me).

Or am I reading this wrong?

Arpit0210 · Answer

The correct option uses the idiom " When Compared To", isn't is wrong as explained by you in your tutorial that correct use of idiom is only as menitoned below:

1. As + Compared + To
2. Compared + to

GlobalNomad13 · Answer

Definitely answer C.

But I have a question - is there a difference in this sense between especially and particularly. Let's assume that sentence 1 was absolutely fine from a grammar perspective, would we see a difference of usage between especially vs particularly?

lakshya14 · Answer

In (C), isn't "particularly" adverb is modifying the noun "chinchilla"? Isn't an adverb should modify a verb?

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

Hi Lakshya

An adverb need not necessarily modify only a verb; it can modify any feature  other than  a noun or a pronoun - it can even modify other adverbs, entire phrases or clauses.

For eg:

Adverb "fast" modifying the verb "runs" --> Usain Bolt runs very fast.
Adverb "incredibly" modifying the adjective "happy" --> My cat is incredibly happy to have his dinner.
Adverb "quite" modifying another adverb "frequently" --> Isadora jogs quite frequently.

In this question, the adverb "particularly" is modifying the phrase "when compared to its wild counterpart" ie; it conveys that the domestic chinchilla is "diminutive" and this characteristic is more prominent or relevant ("particularly) when it is "compared to its wild counterpart".

Hope this helps.

Parikshit07 · Answer

Hi Generis/ Experts,

The idiomatic expression, when compared to, in the answer choice C is incorrect. I say this because the same has been mentioned in the course offered by e-gmat. So how can it be the correct answer choice? I rejected this choice based on that knowledge.

And if it is correct then please help me understand the idiomatic usage of "compared/ contrast".

Thanks,
Parikshit

AjiteshArun · Answer

Hi  Parikshit07 ,

I cannot, without further information, comment on the source you mentioned, but it'd be best to keep an open mind on idiomatic usage unless you are absolutely sure that something is incorrect. Here is a sentence from the Cambridge English Corpus that uses  when compared to :

The environment within the host, when compared to the external environment, is comparatively constant.

The domestic chinchilla is a diminutive creature especially as

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GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

The domestic chinchilla is a diminutive creature especially as

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

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