The performance of the iron and steel industry this year has been bett

Question

The performance of the iron and steel industry this year has been better than that of any other year.

A. The performance of the iron and steel industry this year has been better than that of any other year

B. the performance of the iron and steel industry this year has been better than in any other year

C. The iron and steel industry's performance this year has been better in comparison to any other year

D. The iron and steel industry's performance has been better this year than any other year

E. This year the performance of the iron and steel industry has been better than that of any other year's performance.

MartyTargetTestPrep · Accepted Answer

First, none of the answers to this question makes complete sense, and one could argue that (D) is better than the OA, (B).

At the same time, there is a fairly clear reason to eliminate (A).

Here's (A).

The performance of the iron and steel industry this year has been better than that of any other year.

In this version we are comparing "the performance of the iron and steel industry this year" with "that of any other year."

While, reading the sentence informally, we can certainly tell what it is meant to convey, read literally, it makes less sense, as the most logical antecedent of "that" is "the performance."

So, read literally, (A) seems to convey the following.

The performance of the iron and steel industry this year has been better than the performance of any other year.

So, read literally, the sentence conveys that the performance of the oil and steel industry has been better than the performance of any other year. Since the oil and steel industry is not a year, and since a year would not have "performance," the comparison does not make complete sense.

elegantm · Answer

The performance of the iron and steel industry this year has been better than that of any other year. 
a. The performance of the iron and steel industry this year has been better than that of any other year
 This sentence is incorrect since the sentence compares performance with year. use of ' that' creates ambiguity wrt whether ' that' refers to performance or year 
b. the performance of the iron and steel industry this year has been better than in any other year
 CORRECT 
c. The iron and steel industry's performance this year has been better in comparison to any other year
 This sentence is incorrect since the sentence compares performance with year. 
d. The iron and steel industry's  performance  has been better this year than  any other year 
 This sentence is incorrect since the sentence compares performance with year.  
e. This year the performance of the iron and steel industry has been better than  that  of any other year's performance. 
 This sentence is incorrect since the use of that and year's performance create redundancy

daagh · Answer

The performance of the iron and steel industry this year has been better than that of any other year.

a. The performance of the iron and steel industry this year has been better than that of any other year
b. the performance of the iron and steel industry this year has been better than in any other year
c. The iron and steel industry's performance this year has been better in comparison to any other year
d. The iron and steel industry's performance has been better this year than any other year
e. This year the performance of the iron and steel industry has been better than that of any other year's performance.

It is difficult to reconcile with one aspect of this reporting. In reality, a performance half way through this year is not comparable with the finished preferences of earlier years. Unless one would qualify this year's performance with the phrase " so far", the comparison is meaningless. No one does it logically. That is the reason the verb 'has been' is rather incongruous. 
Notwithstanding that, the problem with B is that while it could be logically meaningful. It is structurally unparallel with a bare period on one side and a prepositional phrase on the other. 
The errors in other choices couldn't be more apparent.

egghead2017 · Answer

A good use of ellipses. We can omit the word "performance". Answer B

VickyPanda · Answer

What is wrong with option A? Kindly explain..

taniyaray · Answer

Can anyone please explain why is option A incorrect. Here That refers to performance. so the sentence will be like:

The performance of the iron and steel industry this year has been better than  that  (performance) of any other year.

Where am I going wrong??

Turkish · Answer

Yes  that  can compare back to performance but you are comparing " The performance of the iron and steel industry this year with the performance of any other year, but with whose performance ?

Prashantsri · Answer

A compares ‘performance’ with ‘any other year’. C and D do the same thing. In option E, ‘that’ refers to ‘year’s performance’, so both did not have to be used. This means E should betaken out, as it has a redundant statement.
 
So B is the right answer.

dcummins · Answer

I selected A, and I didn't fully understand the explanation. If anyone else can better explain why A is incorrect than low number of responses in this thread then I'd greatly appreciate it.

dcummins · Answer

Thank you so much, Marty! I really couldn't see this illogical comparison when I first read the sentence, so without you spelling this out for me I would have been stuck!

I really appreciate your timely response as well!

rakeshtewatia0105 · Answer

Can't we say that " that " in option A replaces the complete "the performance of iron and steel industry in any other year .

Isn't it correct ??

Please correct me ...

Posted from my mobile device

EducationAisle · Answer

Hi Rakesh, for one thing,  in any other year  is  not  present in the sentence.  that  cannot refer to something  not  present in the sentence at all!

Even if that were the case, then A would read as:

The performance of the iron and steel industry this year has been better than that (the performance of iron and steel industry in any other year) of any other year.

in any other year of any other year  is clearly incorrect.

Balkrishna · Answer

Hi  MartyTargetTestPrep ,  EducationAisle

I have 1 query regarding option A.

Why can't  that  refer to the phrase  the performance of the iron and steel industry   ?

Is there a rule that  that  can't refer to a phrase and can refer to a noun only?

Thank you.

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

“That” can refer to a phrase, and it could refer to “the performance of the iron and steel industry,” but that “that” would refer to “the performance of the iron and steel industry” does not quite make sense for the following reasons.

Notice, if we decide that “that” refers to “the performance of the iron and steel industry,” we get “the performance of the iron and steel industry of any other year.” Does a year have a performance of the iron and steel industry? Not really.

Also, we don’t have a performance of the iron and steel industry “of” something else preceding “that of any other year” in the sentence. So, there’s no structure in the sentence that indicates that “that of” should be understood to be “the performance of the iron and steel industry of.” Rather we have “the performance OF the iron and steel industry,” which indicates that “that OF” is “the performance OF.”

So, while we can tell what the version created via the use of (A) is meant to convey, that version is not well constructed.

Balkrishna · Answer

Hi  MartyTargetTestPrep ,  EducationAisle

I have 1 query regarding option A.

Why can't  that  refer to the phrase  the performance of the iron and steel industry   ?

Is there a rule that  that  can't refer to a phrase and can refer to a noun only?

Thank you. 
“That” can refer to a phrase, and it could refer to “the performance of the iron and steel industry,” but that “that” would refer to “the performance of the iron and steel industry” does not quite make sense for the following reasons.

Notice, if we decide that “that” refers to “the performance of the iron and steel industry,” we get “the performance of the iron and steel industry of any other year.” Does a year have a performance of the iron and steel industry? Not really.

Also, we don’t have a performance of the iron and steel industry “of” something else preceding “that of any other year” in the sentence. So, there’s no structure in the sentence that indicates that “that of” should be understood to be “the performance of the iron and steel industry of.” Rather we have “the performance OF the iron and steel industry,” which indicates that “that OF” is “the performance OF.”

So, while we can tell what the version created via the use of (A) is meant to convey, that version is not well constructed.

Hi  MartyTargetTestPrep ,

Thank you for the quick response.

Your detailed explanation is very helpful.

Again, thank you so much.

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

Choice A:  This answer choice compares "the performance of the iron and steel industry" with "that (the performance) of any other year." Thus, this answer choice is incorrect.

Choice B:  This answer choice conveys the intended meaning of the sentence. Thus, this answer choice is correct.

Choice C:  This answer choice compares "performance" to "any other year". Thus, this answer choice is incorrect.

Choice D:  This answer choice compares "performance" to "any other year". Thus, this answer choice is incorrect.

Choice E:  This answer choice compares "the performance of the iron and steel industry" with "that (the performance) of any other year's performance", meaning the performance of any other year's performance. Thus, this answer choice is incorrect.

Hence, B is the best answer choice.

All the best!
Experts' Global Team

Bunuel · Answer

Official Explanation:

Answer: B

(A) The comparison is incorrect. While  that  can refer back to  performance , you are in essence comparing the performance of the iron and steel industry this year with the performance of any other year, but with whose performance?

(B) The correct answer. This gets the comparison correct. It basically states that the performance of the iron and steel industry has been better this year than (it has been) in any other year. The use of the preposition  in  makes all the difference.

(C)  Better  always takes  than . Also, the comparison of  performance  with  any other year  is incorrect.

(D) Same as C.

(E)  That  in the phrase  that of any other year’s performance  has no antecedent.

CEdward · Answer

MartyTargetTestPrep , would you be able to explain when ellipses are/aren't valid? 
I have seen examples in TTP where illogical comparisons can happen b/w a noun and a preposition starting with "in"

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