Comparisons 700: Get your knives out!

Question

1.  Like many of his contemporaries did, Bob Dylan wrote songs  that became anthems for a generation of antiwar activists.

• Like many of his contemporaries did, Bob Dylan wrote songs
• Bob Dylan wrote songs like many of his contemporaries
• As did many of his contemporaries, Bob Dylan wrote songs
• Like the songs of his contemporaries, Bob Dylan wrote songs
• As did many of Bob Dylan’s contemporaries, he wrote songs

2. Unlike Mozart, whose funeral was sparsely attended  being buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven’s was attended by more than thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place lies in a famous Vienna cemetery near the graves of Schubert and Brahms.

• being buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven’s was attended by about thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place lies in a famous Vienna cemetery near the graves of Schubert and Brahms
• being buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven’s funeral was attended by about thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place was near the graves of Schubert and Brahms in a famous Vienna cemetery
• and he was buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven was given a funeral attended by more than thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place lies near the graves of Schubert and Brahms in a famous Vienna cemetery
• and who was buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven’s funeral was attended by more than thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place lies in a famous Vienna cemetery near the graves of Schubert and Brahms
• and who was buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven was given a funeral attended by more than thirty-thousand mourners and lies buried near the graves of Schubert and Brahms in a famous Vienna cemetery

3.  Like in 2004, car sales to first-time buyers as often, if not more often than, to return customers buoyed  the economy this January.

• Like in 2004, car sales to first-time buyers as often, if not more often than, to return customers buoyed
• Like in 2004, first-time buyers bought cars as often, if not more often than, return customers and that buoyed
• As in 2004, car sales to first-time buyers as often as, if not more often than, to return customers and it buoyed
• As in 2004, first-time buyers bought cars as often as, if not more often than, return customers, buoying
• As in 2004, car sales to first-time buyers as often, if not more often than, to return customers buoyed

4. From  the Civil War to soldiers in Vietnam, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers  and the sailors who have fought America’s wars.

• the Civil War to soldiers in Vietnam, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and
• the Civil War to the Vietnam war, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and
• soldiers in the Civil War and soldiers in Vietnam, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and
• soldiers in the Civil War to soldiers in Vietnam, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers to
• the Civil War and the Vietnam war, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and

5. During the rule of Emperor Claudius,  which was known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome exceeded any  city in the Roman Empire.

• which was known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome exceeded any
• known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome was exceeded by no other
• known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome exceeded that of any
• known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, ancient Rome exceeded any
• known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome exceeded that of any other

darkhorse19 · Answer

Nice set. Here's my take.

1.C
2.E
3.D
4.B
5.E

P.S : It would be great if we can have a set for meaning based questions as well (since there is so less "official" material in this area that one can lay hands on)

smit29may · Answer

C E D B E.

Waiting for OA's

Nice collection as always! thanks!

desaichinmay22 · Answer

1 c
2 e
3 d
4 b
5 e

OAs please.

Thanks for posting questions.

udayhere2002 · Answer

C E D B E ..

NICE SET OF QUESTIONS ...POST SOME QUESTIONS ON TENSES AND COMPARISIONS

bb61 · Answer

1.  Like many of his contemporaries did, Bob Dylan wrote songs  that became anthems for a generation of antiwar activists.

• Like many of his contemporaries did, Bob Dylan wrote songs
• Bob Dylan wrote songs like many of his contemporaries
 • As did many of his contemporaries, Bob Dylan wrote songs 
• Like the songs of his contemporaries, Bob Dylan wrote songs
• As did many of Bob Dylan’s contemporaries, he wrote songs

2. Unlike Mozart, whose funeral was sparsely attended  being buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven’s was attended by more than thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place lies in a famous Vienna cemetery near the graves of Schubert and Brahms.

• being buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven’s was attended by about thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place lies in a famous Vienna cemetery near the graves of Schubert and Brahms
• being buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven’s funeral was attended by about thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place was near the graves of Schubert and Brahms in a famous Vienna cemetery
• and he was buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven was given a funeral attended by more than thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place lies near the graves of Schubert and Brahms in a famous Vienna cemetery
• and who was buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven’s funeral was attended by more than thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place lies in a famous Vienna cemetery near the graves of Schubert and Brahms
 • and who was buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven was given a funeral attended by more than thirty-thousand mourners and lies buried near the graves of Schubert and Brahms in a famous Vienna cemetery

3.  Like in 2004, car sales to first-time buyers as often, if not more often than, to return customers buoyed  the economy this January.

• Like in 2004, car sales to first-time buyers as often, if not more often than, to return customers buoyed
• Like in 2004, first-time buyers bought cars as often, if not more often than, return customers and that buoyed
• As in 2004, car sales to first-time buyers as often as, if not more often than, to return customers and it buoyed
 • As in 2004, first-time buyers bought cars as often as, if not more often than, return customers, buoying 
• As in 2004, car sales to first-time buyers as often, if not more often than, to return customers buoyed

4. From  the Civil War to soldiers in Vietnam, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers  and the sailors who have fought America’s wars.

• the Civil War to soldiers in Vietnam, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and
 • the Civil War to the Vietnam war, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and 
• soldiers in the Civil War and soldiers in Vietnam, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and
• soldiers in the Civil War to soldiers in Vietnam, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers to
• the Civil War and the Vietnam war, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and

5. During the rule of Emperor Claudius,  which was known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome exceeded any  city in the Roman Empire.

• which was known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome exceeded any
• known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome was exceeded by no other
• known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome exceeded that of any
• known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, ancient Rome exceeded any
 • known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome exceeded that of any other

raj44 · Answer

My take:

1.c
2.e
3.d
4.b
5.e

OAs please

vaodeanhem · Answer

1.C, 2.E, 3.D, 4.B, 5.E.

OA plz?

1.  Like many of his contemporaries did, Bob Dylan wrote songs  that became anthems for a generation of antiwar activists.

• Like many of his contemporaries did, Bob Dylan wrote songs 
 => Like X, Y: X and Y must be parallel, X, Y must be Noun or noun phrase. Eliminate A since X is a clause 
• Bob Dylan wrote songs like many of his contemporaries  => this choice is ambiguos in meaning since it misplaces "like many of his contemporaries" after "songs". Therefore, B out. 
• As did many of his contemporaries, Bob Dylan wrote songs
 => As X, Y: X and Y are clauses and parallel, So this is the correct ans. 
• Like the songs of his contemporaries, Bob Dylan wrote songs
 => Songs and Bob Dylan are not parallel 
• As did many of Bob Dylan’s contemporaries, he wrote songs
 => it changes the meaning of the original sentence. The sentence implies the action done by Bob Dylan compared with his contemporaries.

2. Unlike Mozart, whose funeral was sparsely attended  being buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven’s was attended by more than thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place lies in a famous Vienna cemetery near the graves of Schubert and Brahms.

=> Unlike X, Y: X and Y are Noun or noun phrases and must be parallel. X is Mozart, Y is therefore Name of a person or refers to people. Eliminate A, B, D.
Between B and E, E is better since in B: "whose funeral was sparsely attended" (a phrase) isnt parallel to "he was buried in an unmarked common grave" (a clause)
 
• being buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven’s was attended by about thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place lies in a famous Vienna cemetery near the graves of Schubert and Brahms

• being buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven’s funeral was attended by about thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place was near the graves of Schubert and Brahms in a famous Vienna cemetery
• and he was buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven was given a funeral attended by more than thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place lies near the graves of Schubert and Brahms in a famous Vienna cemetery
• and who was buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven’s funeral was attended by more than thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place lies in a famous Vienna cemetery near the graves of Schubert and Brahms
• and who was buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven was given a funeral attended by more than thirty-thousand mourners and lies buried near the graves of Schubert and Brahms in a famous Vienna cemetery

3.  Like in 2004, car sales to first-time buyers as often, if not more often than, to return customers buoyed  the economy this January.
=> "as + adj/adv + as", so eliminate A, B, E since these choices omit "as" after "as often".
in C: "car sales to first-time buyers as often as, if not more often than, to return customers" lacks verb. thus, E is correct.

• Like in 2004, car sales to first-time buyers as often, if not more often than, to return customers buoyed
• Like in 2004, first-time buyers bought cars as often, if not more often than, return customers and that buoyed
• As in 2004, car sales to first-time buyers as often as, if not more often than, to return customers and it buoyed
• As in 2004, first-time buyers bought cars as often as, if not more often than, return customers, buoying
• As in 2004, car sales to first-time buyers as often, if not more often than, to return customers buoyed

4. From the Civil War to soldiers in Vietnam, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and the sailors who have fought America’s wars.

=> From X to Y, both X and Y: X and Y must be nouns, phrases and parralel. From X and Y is not correct idiom, so is both X to Y. Eliminate A, D, E for this error. C repeats "soldiers", making this choice awkward and wordy.
B is correct

• the Civil War to soldiers in Vietnam, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and
• the Civil War to the Vietnam war, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and
• soldiers in the Civil War and soldiers in Vietnam, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and
• soldiers in the Civil War to soldiers in Vietnam, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers to
• the Civil War and the Vietnam war, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and

5. During the rule of Emperor Claudius,  which was known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome exceeded any  city in the Roman Empire.
 
=> use of "which" will be incorrectly refers to Emperor Claudius, the author wants to compare the population of ancient Rome to the population of any OTHER city in Roman empire. Therefore, A, B, D are incorrect. Between C and E, E is better since E correctly compare the population of Rome to that of any OTHER city.

• which was known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome exceeded any
• known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome was exceeded by no other
• known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome exceeded that of any
• known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, ancient Rome exceeded any
• known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome exceeded that of any other

Jaism · Answer

mine :

1 - C
2 - E
3 - D
4 - B
5 - E

WoundedTiger · Answer

1.  Like many of his contemporaries did, Bob Dylan wrote songs  that became anthems for a generation of antiwar activists.

• Like many of his contemporaries did, Bob Dylan wrote songs
• Bob Dylan wrote songs like many of his contemporaries
• As did many of his contemporaries, Bob Dylan wrote songs
• Like the songs of his contemporaries, Bob Dylan wrote songs
• As did many of Bob Dylan’s contemporaries, he wrote songs
 As per the meaning of the sentence, BD needs to be compared to his contemporaries...
Also, Like is always followed by Noun or Pronoun
As is followed by Clause in case of Comparison..
Thus Option A is out because Like is followed by Clause
Option B: Usage of like is incorrect...The sentence means songs were like many of his contemporaries 
Option D: Incorrext: Songs of BD's contemporaries compared to BD
Option E: No pronoun antecedent for "he "...Possessive pronoun can be the replace Possessive noun

Ans is C

2. Unlike Mozart, whose funeral was sparsely attended  being buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven’s was attended by more than thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place lies in a famous Vienna cemetery near the graves of Schubert and Brahms.

• being buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven’s was attended by about thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place lies in a famous Vienna cemetery near the graves of Schubert and Brahms
• being buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven’s funeral was attended by about thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place was near the graves of Schubert and Brahms in a famous Vienna cemetery
• and he was buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven was given a funeral attended by more than thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place lies near the graves of Schubert and Brahms in a famous Vienna cemetery
• and who was buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven’s funeral was attended by more than thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place lies in a famous Vienna cemetery near the graves of Schubert and Brahms
• and who was buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven was given a funeral attended by more than thirty-thousand mourners and lies buried near the graves of Schubert and Brahms in a famous Vienna cemetery

Sentence Meaning: Unlike the funeral of Mozart which was attended sparcely and was buried in an unmarked grave, Beethoven had a funeral which was attended by more than 30000 people and his final resting place in a famous Vienna cemetry

As per original Sentence, Mozart is compared to Beethoven's funeral which is not correct comparison....On this basis alone Option A,B and D are ruled out

Option C has a parallelism error, Unlike Mozart,  whose  funeral was sparsely attended and  he  was buried in an unmarked common grave

Whose and He are not parallel...

E is good

4.  Like in 2004, car sales to first-time buyers as often, if not more often than, to return customers buoyed  the economy this January.

• Like in 2004, car sales to first-time buyers as often, if not more often than, to return customers buoyed
• Like in 2004, first-time buyers bought cars as often, if not more often than, return customers and that buoyed
• As in 2004, car sales to first-time buyers as often as, if not more often than, to return customers and it buoyed
• As in 2004, first-time buyers bought cars as often as, if not more often than, return customers, buoying
• As in 2004, car sales to first-time buyers as often, if not more often than, to return customers buoyed
 Sentence Meaning: Like in 2004, Car sales to first time buyers as often than to return customers buoyed the economy..
B : Like in 2004, first-time buyers bought cars as often , if not more often than,  return customers and  that  buoyed---Often return customers does not make sense..also that usage is incorrect...It is neither working a connector nor a pronoun...What buoyed the economy was Car sales first time buyers.

C As in 2004,  car sales  to first-time buyers as often as, if not more often than, to return customers and  it  buoyed----> Car Sales is plural...usage of "It" is incorrect..
D As in 2004, first-time buyers bought cars as often as, if not more often than, return customers, buoying-----> There is a meaning change...while the original sentence means that Car sales to first time buyers buoyed the economy where as option D means...first time buyers buoyed the economy..

E: As in 2004, car sales to first-time buyers as often, if not more often than, to return customers buoyed----> Problem is with usage of "As"...As should be followed by Clause...

A is the answer 
 
4. From  the Civil War to soldiers in Vietnam, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers  and the sailors who have fought America’s wars.

• the Civil War to soldiers in Vietnam, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and
• the Civil War to the Vietnam war, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and
• soldiers in the Civil War and soldiers in Vietnam, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and
• soldiers in the Civil War to soldiers in Vietnam, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers to
• the Civil War and the Vietnam war, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and
 There is a use of Idiom "From X to Y, Where X and Y should be parallel" so at first glance options not following this structure can be ruled out...
Option C and E are out..
Option A is out because Civil war is not parallel to Soldiers in Vietnam
Second usage is of the Idiom " Both X and Y"----> Option D is out because of Incorrect usage of Idiom 
Ans is B  
5. During the rule of Emperor Claudius,  which was known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome exceeded any  city in the Roman Empire.

• which was known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome exceeded any
• known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome was exceeded by no other
• known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome exceeded that of any
• known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, ancient Rome exceeded any
• known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome exceeded that of any other

Sentence Meaning: During the rule of EC who was known for his ME against the german tribes, the population of AR exceeded that of any "other" city in the roman empire..

Option A : Usage of any is not correct because any city will involve AR as well...we need to use "other"...Usage of Which is also not correct..here which is referring to EC 
Option B: Usage of Passive voice...But we can hold this option
Option C is out on because of no usage of "other"
Option D: Ancient Rome is compared to any city...This is not correct comparison
Option E: is better as it avoids PV...

E is the answer

JarvisR · Answer

1.  Like many of his contemporaries did, Bob Dylan wrote songs  that became anthems for a generation of antiwar activists.
Comparison : Like takes noun or noun phrase and As takes clause.
•  Like  many of his contemporaries  did , Bob Dylan wrote songs  
• Bob Dylan wrote  songs like many of his contemporaries    
 • As did many of his contemporaries, Bob Dylan wrote songs   
•  Like the songs  of his contemporaries,  Bob Dylan  wrote songs
• As did many of  Bob Dylan’s   contemporaries,  he  wrote songs

2.  Unlike Mozart ,  whose funeral  was sparsely attended  being buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven’s was attended by more than thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place lies in a famous Vienna cemetery near the graves of Schubert and Brahms .
Unlike Noun1,Noun2 ....
• being buried in an unmarked common grave,  Beethoven’s   was attended by about thirty-thousand mourners     his final resting place lies in a famous Vienna cemetery near the graves of Schubert and Brahms  
• being buried in an unmarked common grave,  Beethoven’s  funeral was attended by about thirty-thousand mourners and his final resting place was near the graves of Schubert and Brahms in a famous Vienna cemetery  
• and   he was   buried in an unmarked common grave,  Beethoven  was given a funeral attended by more than thirty-thousand mourners     his final resting place lies near the graves of Schubert and Brahms in a famous Vienna cemetery  
• and who was buried in an unmarked common grave,  Beethoven’s  funeral was attended by more than thirty-thousand mourners     his final resting place lies in a famous Vienna cemetery near the graves of Schubert and Brahms
 • and  who was   buried in an unmarked common grave, Beethoven  was given  a funeral attended by more than thirty-thousand mourners  and lies  buried near the graves of Schubert and Brahms in a famous Vienna cemetery 
4. From  the Civil War to soldiers in Vietnam, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and  the sailors who have fought America’s wars.
Both X and Y , x & y need to be ||
From X to Y. same ||sm rule as above
•  the Civil War to soldiers in Vietnam , Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and
• the Civil War to the Vietnam war, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and
• soldiers in the Civil War  and  soldiers in Vietnam, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and
• soldiers in the Civil War to soldiers in Vietnam, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers  to 
• the Civil War  and  the Vietnam war, Smith & Wesson, the legendary arms maker, equipped both the soldiers and

5. During the rule of Emperor Claudius,  which was known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome exceeded any  city in the Roman Empire.
Comparison is between the population of AR and population of any other city.
•  which  was known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome exceeded any  
• known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome was exceeded by no other  
• known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome exceeded that of any  
• known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, ancient Rome exceeded any  
 • known for his military expeditions against the German tribes of the Chauci and Catti, the population of ancient Rome exceeded that of any other

BrainLab · Answer

1.c
2.e
3.e
4.b
5.e 
where are the OA's ?

jayitaroy · Answer

What is the OA for 3? Many have responded as D, but E looks correct to me.

AjiteshArun · Answer

One of the reasons to take E out is that we need to finish the  as...  with another  as .

... as often, if not more often than,...

GDT · Answer

VeritasKarishma

Can you pls confirm the answer to Q3 in this post

KarishmaB · Answer

What is the source of this problem? No option is convincing.

We do need "as often as" so will consider options (C) and (D).

In (D), "first-time buyers bought cars as often as ...  (did)  return customers"

Also, we are comparing two actions across two different time frames: As in 2004, X did Y this January.

When we put "this January" in a participle modifier at the end of the clause, "buoying the economy this January" (which is the effect of the action), we lose this comparison.

Taulark1 · Answer

for question 1 option 'E' seems alright as per the latest standards on the pronoun referent part right ?
Though it is wrong in terms of meaning as its comparing the action with Bob dylan.
because a question like this one -
https://gmatclub.com/forum/although-she ... 08881.html

uses subject pronoun to refer back to a possesive .

any expert please clarifyt this doubt

Bunuel · Answer

That question is discussed in detail here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/like-many-of ... 93765.html Hope it helps.

Taulark1 · Answer

Yes this clarifies the doubt.
However my question was whether a subject Pronoun can refer back to a possesive ?

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Comparisons 700: Get your knives out!

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