Those who come to church with a predisposition to religious belief

Hi All,

Those who come to church with a predisposition to religious belief will be happy in an auditorium or even a storefront, and there is no doubt that religion is sometimes better served by adapted spaces of this kind instead of by some of the buildings actually designed for it.

(A) adapted spaces of this kind instead of by some of the buildings actually designed for it — Since there is already a comparison in the stem, there is no need to add "instead of"
(B) adapted spaces like these rather than some of the buildings actually designed for them — Religion is singular
(C) these adapted spaces instead of by some of the buildings actually designed for it — Since there is already a comparison in the stem, there is no need to add "instead of"
(D) such adapted spaces rather than by some of the buildings actually designed for them — Religion is singular
(E) such adapted spaces than by some of the buildings actually designed for it — We just needed this "than" to make the comparison complete

E for me.

"better X than Y"

Those who come to church with a predisposition to religious belief will be happy in an auditorium or even a storefront, and there is no doubt that religion is sometimes better served by adapted spaces of this kind instead of by some of the buildings actually designed for it.

(A) adapted spaces of this kind instead of by some of the buildings actually designed for it
(B) adapted spaces like these rather than some of the buildings actually designed for them
(C) these adapted spaces instead of by some of the buildings actually designed for it
(D) such adapted spaces rather than by some of the buildings actually designed for them
(E) such adapted spaces than by some of the buildings actually designed for it - idiomatic. 'such adapted spaces' correctly refers to 'auditorium' and 'storefront'

A) instead of by is wrong
C) instead of by is wrong
D) rather than by is wrong
E) usage of such and it

B because of the usage of like. 'such as' refers to specific examples while like refers not only those specific examples but others too. also use of 'rather than' and 'for them' is correct.

instead of - wrong...it's a mistake that throws in your eyes, screaming - reject me!
A/C out.

in B and D - we have the pronoun them, which refers to "religion" - improper usage of pronoun (doesn't agree in number - religion is singular, while them is plural).

E remains.

Can you elaborate on the highlighted section? I'm not able to find an existing comparison in the stem

The comparison in the stem is what I have written in blue : Better served by adapted space.... by some of the building
We are comparing "adapted space" with "some of the building" in their way to serve the religion. The comparison is triggered by the use of "is better served" — better is a comparative — but incomplete because we need a "than" to make it stands properly.

The option C is adding another comparative indicator and makes the awkward construction : Better served by (x) instead of by (y)

The option E is the only one which makes the proper comparison : Better served by (x) than by (y)

Those who come to church with a predisposition to religious belief will be happy in an auditorium or even a storefront, and there is no doubt that religion is sometimes better served by adapted spaces of this kind instead of by some of the buildings actually designed for it.


adapted spaces is a plural. So there should be "these kind" rather than "this kind". INCORRECT

Like is used to compare nouns. Here there is no such comparison rather examples of adapted spaces were introduced in the first clause. Such as is used to give examples. INCORRECT

Instead of -> replacement. Here the comparison is to show preference that X can serve better than Y. Rather than should be used. INCORRECT

religion is better served by X rather than Y -> is the structure here. Religion is singular so "it" must be used at the last. Pronoun error. INCORRECT

This is the best choice among the lot. CORRECT

OPTION: E

A. We need spaces of "these kinds" as we are referring to "auditorium or storefront". "Instead of by" is wrong as two prepositions cannot be lined one after another.
Also, better + than" is correct.

B. For showing examples use "such as" in place of "like".
Use of "them" is wrong as it is referring to singular "predisposition"

C. Same as A.

D. Use of "them" is wrong as it is referring to singular "predisposition"
Better + than is correct. Use of "rather" before "than" is wrong.

E. Correct.

(A) adapted spaces of this kind instead of by some of the buildings actually designed for it

(B) adapted spaces like these rather than some of the buildings actually designed for them

(C) these adapted spaces instead of by some of the buildings actually designed for it

(D) such adapted spaces rather than by some of the buildings actually designed for them

(E) such adapted spaces than by some of the buildings actually designed for it
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The correct idiom here is "better [by] ... than [by]." Answer choices (A), (B), (C), and (D) fail to employ the correct idiom. Only answer choice (E) makes the correct comparison.
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Main Issue:

Correct Idiom: "Better than"

(A) adapted spaces of this kind instead of by some of the buildings actually designed for it - Wrong: Idiom

(B) adapted spaces like these rather than some of the buildings actually designed for them - Wrong: Idiom 2) Pronoun

(C) these adapted spaces instead of by some of the buildings actually designed for it - Wrong: Idiom 2) Structure

(D) such adapted spaces rather than by some of the buildings actually designed for them - Wrong: Idiom 2) Pronoun

(E) such adapted spaces than by some of the buildings actually designed for it - Correct

Those who come to church with a predisposition to religious belief will be happy in an auditorium or even a storefront, and there is no doubt that religion is sometimes better served by adapted spaces of this kind instead of by some of the buildings actually designed for it.

(A) adapted spaces of this kind instead of by some of the buildings actually designed for it

Remember this: in gmat, we can never use "this", "that", or "those" to substitute any subjects. They are usually used in the comparison and followed modifier or nouns. For example: the amount of food eaten by me is more than that eaten by him.

Instead, we should use "it", "they", or specific nouns. That leads to the conclusion: in gmat, "sth. of this kind", or "like this, these" are inferior to "such + noun".

(B) adapted spaces like these rather than some of the buildings actually designed for them

same as A, "like these" is wrong. In addition, these buildings are designed for "religion" so "is" is correct, not "them".

(C) these adapted spaces instead of by some of the buildings actually designed for it

"instead of" can be followed by nouns only.

(D) such adapted spaces rather than by some of the buildings actually designed for them

"them" is wrong, same as B. From what I remember, rather than + by in this context is correct. "instead of" can be followed by nouns only, but "rather than" doesn't have to.

(E) such adapted spaces than by some of the buildings actually designed for it

Correct. There is a "better" in the original sentence, so there must be a comparison indicator -- "than".
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Hello GMATNinja
I read one of your explanations in an specific question where you said that THIS is always wrong in GMAT. So can I say that choice A is wrong for this reason?
Appreciate you helps in the forum!
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Hmm... we said that "'this' is always wrong," eh? That doesn't seem likely. Please link to the post so we can see what you mean?

The "this" in (A) does leave the reader wondering, "umm, what kind, exactly? Of the auditorium and storefront kind? What does that mean?" That's probably a small vote against (A) but not a strong enough reason to eliminate it.

Also, keep in mind that this question hasn't been published in an official source in many years, so perhaps there's a reason they retired it.
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GMATNinja
Thanks for the explanation. i am sorry for using the word 'always'! Probably you explain something about the use of 'this' in some places, but i forget the link. I'll send the link if I find it somehow.
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Those who come to church with a predisposition to religious belief will be happy in an auditorium or even a storefront, and there is no doubt that religion is sometimes better served by adapted spaces of this kind instead of by some of the buildings actually designed for it.

(A) adapted spaces of this kind instead of by some of the buildings actually designed for it -> better.....instead of....is incorrect form.

(B) adapted spaces like these rather than some of the buildings actually designed for them-> "religion is.....them" is incorrect form. We need "it" in last.

(C) these adapted spaces instead of by some of the buildings actually designed for it -> Same as A. Incorrect.

(D) such adapted spaces rather than by some of the buildings actually designed for them -> Same as B. Incorrect.

(E) such adapted spaces than by some of the buildings actually designed for it -> Both errors are removed and there is no new error introduced. Let's keep it.

So, I think E.

Hi, I have two doubts regarding this question.
1. What is the correct reason to eliminate both A and C? i picked E because the "such adapted spaces" made the most sense to me.

2. Also, what is the difference between a simple "than" and "rather than"?

Hello sv2023,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your queries, the use of "instead of" in both A and C is redundant, as the sentence uses the "better...than" construction to draw the comparison.

Further, there is no difference in meaning between "rather than" and "than"; "rather than" is just needlessly wordy, as "rather" can be deleted without a loss of clarity.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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