The local consulting company has a budget about the same as the

Question

The local consulting company has a budget  about the same as the largest consulting firms in the state, including the two leading firms, but only twenty four as a workforce, all with  advanced degrees.

A. about the same as the largest consulting firms in the state, including the two leading firms, but only twenty four as a workforce, all with

B. about the same as the largest consulting firms in the state have, as the two leading firms do, but in the local firm there is only a workforce of twenty four, and all of them have

C. that is about the same as the budgets of the largest consulting firms in the state, such as the two leading firms, but in the local firm there is a workforce of only twenty four, all of them having

D. comparable with the budgets that the largest consulting firms in the state have, as the two leading firms do, but they have only twenty four as a workforce, all with

E. comparable to those of the largest consulting firms in the state, such as the two leading firms, but a workforce of only twenty four, all of whom have

Akash720 · Answer

+1 for A

Split 1:
Last part of the underlined portion says 
all with/all of them/all of whom

This is referring back to the work force. Hence, them and whom is wrong

Eliminate B, C, E.

Split 2:
Between A and D
D says - 'but they have only twenty four as a workforce'
Here they refers back to two leading firms? Or local consulting company? Or largest consulting firms? 
Pronoun ambiguity is not allowed. Hence eliminate D

We are left with A, a clear winner.

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push12345 · Answer

I would like to go with E

A is not correct as budget is compared with firms

E is best . compared to used to compare budget.

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pandeyashwin · Answer

A has illogical comparison : budget to firms

Diwakar003 · Answer

I think E makes a wrong comparison.

E) comparable to  those  of the largest consulting firms in the state, such as the two leading firms, but a workforce of only twenty four, all of whom have.

As we are comparing 'budget', which is singular, 'that' should be used instead of 'those'.

Cheers!

CounterSniper · Answer

In A and B budget is incorrectly compared with consulting firms.
in D that is referring to budgets (SVA problem)
In C , them is ambiguous .
between C and E , E for me conveys the meaning better than C does

Imo- E

aragonn · Answer

Official Text Explanation 
First, look at the comparison of budgets. Logically, we have to compare companies to companies or budgets to budgets; we can’t compare one company to the budget of another.

Choice (A) compares a budget to a set of companies. This is incorrect.

The other four choices, in wordier or more concise ways, compare budgets to budgets.

Now, look at the pronouns. The “local consulting company” presumably has multiple employees, but as a noun, it is a single collective noun and requires a singular pronoun. Choice (D) uses the plural pronoun “they” for this company; that choice is incorrect.

In choice (B), we have “as the largest consulting firms … have, as the two leading firms do.” The verb “have” is correct and the verb “do” is wrong. This choice is incorrect.

Choice (C) is the longest answer: it verges on redundant to repeat the word “budget” in the first section of the sentence. It also opts to have two clauses and chooses an indirect “there is” construction in the second clause. The whole thing is distended and awkward. While it’s grammatically correct, it’s littered with rhetorically poor options. This is far from optimal.

Choice (E), by comparison, is sleek and efficient. It cleverly uses the demonstrative pronoun “those” to set up a correct comparison. Furthermore, rather than separate clauses, it elegantly sets up parallelism between direct objects: the local company “has a budget . . . but a workforce.” This choice is not only grammatical correct but also entirely rhetorically successful.

Choice (E) is the best of the five answers here.

sandysilva · Answer

Why is "do" wrong in B? I was stuck between B and E and could opt for E because B says  but in the local firm there is only a workforce of twenty  four, and  all of . It uses Comma to join two things in the list. I usually see construction such as  "A, B, and E" or "A and B".

What is wrong with "do" ?

aragonn · Answer

sandysilva  - wrt above lines I have a follow up question for you - What 'do' is compared with ? as used to compare actions but what is this action compared here ? What firms are doing?

Hope this will give you some direction. Let me know about any further doubts.

Srija221 · Answer

How can option E be correct?
I thought option C is correct because in option E there is 'those of'.So how can those of refer to a budget those of must refer to something which is already there in the sentence or previously mentioned like those of refer to something plural it cannot refer back to singular subject budget neither we can assume those of refer to plural subject budgets of the companies. Please someone explain.

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aragonn · Answer

Srija221

Regarding this term - as the two leading firms do
This is used here to compare some action of these two firms. but there is no other action is given. That is why it is wrong. Let me know if you need more help.

Aldorado · Answer

Experts please advice. The concern I have with option E is the usage of "those". Can "those" being a pronoun for a plural noun be used to compare with a singular noun "budget". I think the correct answer requires the noun budget to be repeated in plural form for correct comparison

vipulkhandelwal999 · Answer

+1 for c

E contains comparable to . It should have comparable with form

aragonn · Answer

Aldorado  - Lets define the pattern.

Its height of a building / heights of all the building. 
rotation rate of engine / rotation rates of tyre

The moment you use each and every it become singular. apart from that Comparison of one thing with multiples of other is valid in this fashion.

aragonn · Answer

vipulkhandelwal999  - First of all OA ia E not C.

+ Compare with and Compare to both are correct. Here are my notes on it, if you need.
 Compare to  - Comparison of unlike things.
 Compare with  - Comparison of like things.

using when/as + compare/contrast - wrong
As compared with - wrong

Hungluu92vn · Answer

I think it's a poor quality question as those (plural) used to refer to budget (singular). The rest of E is fine

US09 · Answer

From Manhattan SC, Demonstrative Pronouns cannot be used in cases in which a singular entity is compared to a plural entity.

For eg- Her company outperformed those of her competitors. Incorrect.
 Her company outperformed the companies of her competitors. Correct.

The book says if there is a number disagreement, Demonstrative Pronouns should not be used. Express the antecedent explicitly instead. We can ignore the subtle difference between "compared to" and "compared with", but still E has this major flaw.

DmitryFarber · Answer

That's right, urvashis09! This question is a rewrite of an official question, and as so often happens, some errors crept in that didn't occur in the original.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/laos-has-a-l ... 07156.html

vivapopo · Answer

When to Use Compare To
compare to versus compare with What does compare to mean? To compare something to something else is to observe or point only to likenesses between them. In other words, you are likening one thing to another, or you are making a comment about their similarities.

He compared their historic win to that of the 1992 Dream Team.
His fight for civil rights is comparable to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The phrase compare to is used when the intent is to assert, without the need for elaboration, that two or more items are similar.

When to Use Compare With
Definition of compare with definition and definition of compare to definitionWhat does compare with mean? To compare something with something else is to place the items side by side, noting differences and similarities between them.

They won the championship in a clean sweep, compared with last year’s game 7 loss.
Let’s compare your record with your rhetoric.
The phrase compare with is used to juxtapose two or more items to illustrate similarities and/or differences.

Compare To vs. Compare With: What’s the Difference?
If you still aren’t sure of the differences between these two phrases, let’s compare two of the above examples side by side.

He compared this year’s historic win to that of the 1992 Dream Team.
They won the championship in a clean sweep, compared with last year’s game 7 loss.
As you can see in the first example, the author is saying that this year’s win is similar to the 1992 win of the Dream Team. You are likening the two events.

In the second example, that author is pointing out the differences between this two different championship wins. You are juxtaposing the events looking at their differences.

In other words, the phrase compare to is really meant to liken things together, whereas the phrase compare with is used to juxtapose things with each.

boomerangbak · Answer

E cannot be the correct answer. Its flawed.
Admin, please see to such questions posted which don't have clear answers

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The local consulting company has a budget about the same as the

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The local consulting company has a budget about the same as the

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