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655-705 Level|   Comparisons|      
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The Parthenon is larger than usual for a Doric temple, with eight colu 01 Nov 2021, 01:51
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Hi Experts

GMATNinja VeritasKarishma EducationAisle ChrisLele mikemcgarry AjiteshArun egmat sayantanc2k RonPurewal DmitryFarber MagooshExpert avigutman EMPOWERgmatVerbal MartyTargetTestPrep ExpertsGlobal5 other experts

Can you please tell me why option A is wrong.

The Parthenon is larger than (The Parthenon is) usual for a Doric temple.

I considered (The Parthenon is) as a part of ellipsis.

Can you please confirm that a verb can't be the part of ellipsis and only noun , pronoun or prepositional phrase can be the part of ellipsis?

Thanks
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The Parthenon is larger than usual for a Doric temple, with eight colu 02 Nov 2021, 00:01
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Vatsal7794
Hi Experts

GMATNinja VeritasKarishma EducationAisle ChrisLele mikemcgarry AjiteshArun egmat sayantanc2k RonPurewal DmitryFarber MagooshExpert avigutman EMPOWERgmatVerbal MartyTargetTestPrep ExpertsGlobal5 other experts

Can you please tell me why option A is wrong.

The Parthenon is larger than (The Parthenon is) usual for a Doric temple.

I considered (The Parthenon is) as a part of ellipsis.

Can you please confirm that a verb can't be the part of ellipsis and only noun , pronoun or prepositional phrase can be the part of ellipsis?

Thanks
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Hello Vatsal7794,

We hope this finds you well.

Having gone through the question and your query, we believe we can help resolve your doubt.

Here, A is superior to B because it does not rely on ellipses, and thus it maintains parallelism better than B does. To illustrate, consider the clause we just wrote - "it maintains parallelism better than B does" is clearer in meaning and more parallel than "it maintains parallelism better than B" is. Verbs can absolutely be included in ellipses. Further, you have made one small error in your reasoning; in Option A, only "is" will be included in the ellipses, since "The Parthenon is larger than (The Parthenon is) usual for a Doric temple." leads to an incoherent meaning.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
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The Parthenon is larger than usual for a Doric temple, with eight colu 30 Jan 2023, 02:02
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Why C is incorrect ? How it changes the meaning ?
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The Parthenon is larger than usual for a Doric temple, with eight colu 30 Jan 2023, 05:56
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Why C is incorrect ? How it changes the meaning ?
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Hello akt715,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, Option C incorrectly uses the present perfect tense verb "has been" to refer to information that is permanent in nature; remember, information that is permanent in nature is best conveyed through the simple present tense, and the present perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “has/have”) is used to describe events that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present.

To understand the concept of "Simple Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):



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



All the best!
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The Parthenon is larger than usual for a Doric temple, with eight colu 12 Apr 2023, 06:55
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sayantanc2k
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Hello Experts,,Can you help me understand the comparison in option B and why it is better than E
HOw do we eliminate options a,e

E is wrong because the pronoun "it" does not have an antecedent. ("It" cannot be a placeholder, since you would not find the group of words whose place "it" is holding.)

The difficult part here is the difference between A and B: "usual" or "is usual".

The key here is to understand that only "usual" or "the usual" is used when the word "usual" replaces a concrete noun (comparison between two nouns). Example,

The car he brought today is bigger than the usual... correct ("usual" = the CAR he generally brings.)
I ran faster than usual.. wrong (the word "usual" does not replace a concrete noun.)
I ran faster than is usual... correct.

Similarly,

The Parthenon is larger than (the) usual....wrong (implies that there is another temple which is the usual.. wrong meaning).
The Parthenon is larger than is usual ... correct.
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Hello Sayantan,

I hope you are well!
Can you please help me understand what - The Parthenon is larger than is usual - means?
Is ellipsis present here?
Also, what does - I ran faster than is usual - mean? What is being omitted here?

Thanks!
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The Parthenon is larger than usual for a Doric temple, with eight colu 13 Apr 2023, 04:53
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Anaghack
sayantanc2k
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Hello Experts,,Can you help me understand the comparison in option B and why it is better than E
HOw do we eliminate options a,e

E is wrong because the pronoun "it" does not have an antecedent. ("It" cannot be a placeholder, since you would not find the group of words whose place "it" is holding.)

The difficult part here is the difference between A and B: "usual" or "is usual".

The key here is to understand that only "usual" or "the usual" is used when the word "usual" replaces a concrete noun (comparison between two nouns). Example,

The car he brought today is bigger than the usual... correct ("usual" = the CAR he generally brings.)
I ran faster than usual.. wrong (the word "usual" does not replace a concrete noun.)
I ran faster than is usual... correct.

Similarly,

The Parthenon is larger than (the) usual....wrong (implies that there is another temple which is the usual.. wrong meaning).
The Parthenon is larger than is usual ... correct.



Hello Sayantan,

I hope you are well!
Can you please help me understand what - The Parthenon is larger than is usual - means?
Is ellipsis present here?
Also, what does - I ran faster than is usual - mean? What is being omitted here?

Thanks!
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Hello Anaghack,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, the full phrase here is "larger than (is) usual for a Doric temple"; the second "is" has been omitted for conciseness.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
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The Parthenon is larger than usual for a Doric temple, with eight colu 23 Apr 2023, 03:52
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Hey GMATNinja I am quite unclear in elimination of options in this question. Not clear why C has been eliminated.

If possible can you post your opinion on option a,b,c . Thanks

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kshitijgarg
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Hi Sir,
Can you please explain why D is wrong? and what difference does "is" makes between A and B?

Regards,
Kshitij
MartyTargetTestPrep gave a great explanation of A vs B in this post.

Choice (D) is addressed here.

If those posts don't answer your questions, let us know!
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The Parthenon is larger than usual for a Doric temple, with eight colu 03 May 2023, 07:41
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Quote:
The Parthenon is larger than usual for a Doric temple, with eight columns on the short sides and seventeen on the long ones rather than the typical six and thirteen.

(a) usual
(b) is usual
(c) has been usual
(d) one usually is
(e) it is usual
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(a) usual - This is the correct answer. It is an adjective that modifies the noun “Doric temple”. It does not need any verb or pronoun to agree with the subject “The Parthenon”.

(b) is usual - This is incorrect. It is a verb phrase that does not agree with the singular subject “The Parthenon”. It also changes the tense of the sentence from present to present progressive, which is not appropriate for a general statement.

(c) has been usual - This is incorrect. It is a verb phrase that does not agree with the singular subject “The Parthenon”. It also changes the tense of the sentence from present to present perfect, which implies that the situation may have changed in the past or may change in the future, which is not the case.

(d) one usually is - This is incorrect. It is a pronoun and a verb phrase that do not refer to anything in the sentence. It also changes the meaning of the sentence from a comparison of size to a statement of frequency.

(e) it is usual - This is incorrect. It is a pronoun and a verb phrase that do not agree with the singular subject “The Parthenon”. It also creates ambiguity about what “it” refers to: the Parthenon or a Doric temple.
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The Parthenon is larger than usual for a Doric temple, with eight colu 25 May 2023, 16:18
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MissionAdmit
Hey GMATNinja I am quite unclear in elimination of options in this question. Not clear why C has been eliminated.

If possible can you post your opinion on option a,b,c . Thanks
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You can probably eliminate (C) because of the present perfect verb tense, which suggests that what's been "usual" in the recent past (what has been usual) is somehow different than what was "usual" further in the past. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but the sentence doesn't give us any reason whatsoever to switch from the present tense ("The Parthenon IS larger...") to the present perfect ("... than HAS BEEN usual...").

I suppose the "is" in (B) clarifies that we aren't comparing the Parthenon to what the Parthenon itself usually is. ("The Parthenon is larger than usual today! Must be the humidity." :think: ) The extra "is" gives us a clue that we're supposed to read (B) as, "The Parthenon is larger than [what is] usual for a Doric temple..."

Keep in mind that this is a very old question that was likely retired for a reason, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

I hope that helps a bit!
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The Parthenon is larger than usual for a Doric temple, with eight colu 17 Jul 2023, 19:06
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I think you should know what Parthenon is to understand the meaning issues with the options. When I did this question, I thought Parthenons were some structural elements used in construction of Doric Temples. So it is okay for some parthenons to be larger than other parthenons right?? Turns out Parthenon is a place, like the Taj mahal or the Buckingham palace, the moment you approach the sentence with this knowledge, you can solve this question easily. Sometimes GMAT sentences can be so frustrating because they are easier to solve if you knew before-hand what is it talking about. One more similar question is the Sacagaewa question, I thought Sacagaewa was a place!! So yeah, you will come across such instances.
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The Parthenon is larger than usual for a Doric temple, with eight colu 01 Sep 2023, 04:35
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The Parthenon is larger than usual for a Doric temple, with eight columns on the short sides and seventeen on the long ones rather than the typical six and thirteen.

Option Elimination -
Bit of a history that is not necessary but good to understand to clarify the concepts.
The name of the Parthenon comes from the Greek word Parthenos, which means "virgin" or "innocent maiden." The Parthenon is a Doric temple built in the 5th century B.C. on the Acropolis in Athens. It (The Parthenon) was built as a temple to the goddess Athena Parthenos. It (The Parthenon) was also used as a treasury for the Delian League, a confederacy of ancient Greek states.

The Doric order was a style of architecture that originated in Greece in the late seventh century B.C.E. The Doric order is characterized by simple circular capitals at the top of columns. Think of it as some architectural guidelines.

So, the intended meaning is that "The Parthenon" is a Temple built during the time when Dorc order was in place. Say, for example, the Doric order said, kindly build temples in a 10x10 size. But say the Parthenon was 100x100. So, the author tries to bring up the unusualness of "The Parthenon." If "The Parthenon" had followed the typical Doric order, the temple size would have been smaller. But "The Parthenon" seems to be a significant departure from the Doric order (architectural guidelines of that time), and that's what the author wants to highlight.

A bit on the usage of "usual" and "is usual."

"The burger is bigger than is usual." (If you use some grammar tool, then "is" in this example will show underlined. So it's a silly example just for understanding. But this sentence, "The temple is larger than is usual for a Doric Temple," "is" will not be underlined (at least that's what I am seeing now :)) There is a reason why it is not highlighted, and the grammar tools don't consider it as wrong while in burger example "is" may be wrong.

So, back to our "burger" example. This sentence is a more formal construction using the word "is" after "than." "than is usual" is a subordinate clause that compares. This formal construction implies that there is a specific standard, expectation, or average size for the burgers, and the burger being referred to exceeds that norm. Using this construction, the sentence emphasizes the comparison and suggests that there is a recognized or established standard for burger sizes.

"The burger is bigger than usual.". This sentence is less formal and used in everyday speech. It states that the burger is larger than what is typically expected or experienced without explicitly referencing a specific standard or a norm. "Wow, this burger is huge! It's definitely bigger than usual". This construction is more relaxed and suitable for informal conversation or casual writing.

In summary, both sentences are grammatically correct but convey slightly different nuances. The first is more formal and suggests a recognized standard, while the second sentence is more casual.

Sorry for a weird example on burgers :). I hope it helps to understand the difference between options A and B.

So for option B, we are comparing the "The Parthenon," a temple, with a temple built as per the standard, which is the Doric order; thus, we use "is usual" as a more formal construction.

(a) usual - grammatically ok but not ok for a more formal comparison here against the established Doric order of those times. Another way to look at it is "The Parthenon is larger than usual for a Doric temple." "usual" functions as a predicate adjective, giving more information about the subject, which is "The Parthenon" here. So the expansion looks like "The Parthenon is larger than usual for a Doric temple." For example, the company's revenue growth this quarter was higher than usual. So, the "usual" or customary revenue growth may be less, but this quarter is higher than usual.

If we keep options A and B side by side - The Parthenon is larger than usual for a Doric temple" and "The Parthenon is larger than is usual for a Doric temple." First, a level set; both are grammatically correct. But there is a subtle difference.

The difference lies in the emphasis of the comparison. The first sentence emphasizes the Parthenon's size in relation to the standard or norm for Doric temples. The second sentence places greater emphasis on the idea that the Parthenon deviates from what is typically expected or experienced in terms of size for a Doric temple.

Both sentences convey the same general meaning that the Parthenon is larger than what is usual or expected for a Doric temple. However, the second sentence, with its use of "is usual," may imply a stronger deviation from the norm or a greater departure from what is typically encountered in Doric temples.

(b) is usual - ok. Put simply, the intended comparison is that "The Parthenon is usually larger than a typical Doric temple (built in compliance with the Doric order)." So, if you picked any other temple when the Doric order was in effect compared to the typical temple designed as per the Doric code, The Parthenon (built during the Doric order age) is more extensive.

We are comparing the largeness of "The Parthenon" with the size of any other Doric temple built as per Doric order.

(c) has been usual - the present perfect tense is primarily used to indicate actions or states that started in the past and are connected to the present. It does not typically convey information about the continuity of the action or state into the future. So are we saying that largerness than usual will not be applicable in the future? No right? So, we need the present tense for the perpetual truths.

(d) one usually is - "one" refers to "The Parthenon." So are we saying, "The Parthenon is larger than The Parthenon for a Doric temple"? It doesn't make sense. Is "The Parthenon" some architectural feature? No? It is the temple or the architecture itself. Even in that non-sensical meaning, it has to "The Parthenon of X temple is larger than The Parthenon of the Doric temple." This is a total mess.
(e) it is usual - E.g., "During rush hour, it is usual for traffic to be heavy."

In this example, "it is usual" expresses a standard or typical occurrence. The phrase "it is usual" refers to the general state of traffic during rush hour, indicating that heavy traffic is expected or normal.

Is "it" here a placeholder? What is usual for a Doric temple? The size? But where is the size mentioned earlier? If you refer to "larger," then it's an adjective. The pronoun "it" can't refer to the adjective.

Is "it" referring to "The Parthenon"? So, The Parthenon is larger than The Parthenon is usual for a Doric temple. Is "The Parthenon" a specific feature that is larger here and smaller there? No. Its a temple in itself. Wrong.
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