The poetry of George Herbert is regarded by many critics as equal i

Question

Project SC Butler: Day 177: Sentence Correction (SC2) 
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The poetry of George Herbert is regarded by many critics as  equal in quality, though less influential, than the work  of his more famous contemporary John Donne.

(A) equal in quality, though less influential, than the work

(B) equal in quality to, though less influential than, the work

(C) qualitatively equal, though less influential than, that

(D) equal in quality as, though less influential than, the work

(E) of equal quality, though of less influence, than that

generis · Accepted Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANANTION

Project SC Butler: Day 177: Sentence Correction (SC2)

Quote:

The poetry of George Herbert is regarded by many critics as equal in quality, though less influential, than the work of his more famous contemporary John Donne.

(A) equal in quality, though less influential, than the work
(B) equal in quality to, though less influential than, the work
(C) qualitatively equal, though less influential than, that
(D) equal in quality as, though less influential than, the work
(E) of equal quality, though of less influence, than that

• HIGHLIGHTS

Adjectives often take different prepositions.
We never say equal than.
Something is equal TO something.

The word less should be paired with than.
(On rare occasions, when the comparison is obvious and only one verb or adjective is at issue, GMAC drops the than.
Something is less influential than something else, not less influential to something else

We need an option that includes equal ... to and less ... than.
Finally, the connection between each adjective and the work of John Dunne must be clear.

• QUICK PROCESS OF ELIMINATION

• Split #1: the quality was equal TO

Start with one of the adjectives—equal.
-- How is equal is connected to its target (the poetry of John Donne)?
We need Herbert's poetry is regarded as equal in quality to . . . the poetry of John Donne.

Options A, C, D, and E should say equal TO but do not.

A) Herbert's poetry is regarded as equal in quality . . . than the work of John Donne.

C) Herbert's poetry is regarded as qualitatively equal ... that of John Donne.

D) Herbert's poetry is regarded as equal in quality as ... the work of John Donne.

E) Herbert's poetry is regarded as of equal quality . . . than that of John Donne.
Eliminate A, C, D, and E

By POE, the answer is (B). Check B.
Herbert's poetry is regarded as equal in quality to . . . the work of John Donne.
Herbert's poetry is regarded as . . . less influential than the work of John Donne.
Both constructions are correct.

That analysis may appear easy, but once we start wondering about comma placement and prepositional attachment to "the work of John Donne," this kind of question is not very easy.

• Longer POE

THE PROMPT

Quote:

The poetry of George Herbert is regarded by many critics as equal in quality, though less influential, than the work of his more famous contemporary John Donne.

THE OPTIONS

Quote:

A) The poetry of George Herbert is regarded by many critics as equal in quality, though less influential, than the work of his more famous contemporary John Donne.

• separate each descriptor. We have
-- regarded as equal in quality . . . than the work of Donne.
Equal than? NO. We need equal TO.

-- regarded as . . . though less influential, than the work of John Donne.
The less influential, than at least has the right words. The comma placement is a bit strange, but not worth our time.
• We are sure that equal . . . than is wrong.
Eliminate A

Quote:

B) The poetry of George Herbert is regarded by many critics as equal in quality to, though less influential than, the work of his more famous contemporary John Donne.

• Herbert's poetry is regarded as equal in quality to . . . the work of John Donne.
That construction is correct. Now, test "though less influential."

• Herbert's poetry is regarded as . . . though less influential than, the work of John Donne.
That construction also works. The comma after than keeps "equal" from being attached to than and assures that "equal" is correctly attached to less influential.
KEEP

Quote:

C)The poetry of George Herbert is regarded by many critics as qualitatively equal, though less influential than, that of his more famous contemporary John Donne.

• Herbert's poetry is regarded as qualitatively equal . . . that of John Donne.
Nonsense. We need equal to.
There is no such thing as regard X as qualitatively equal that of Y. (I can't even think that sentence properly.)
• Herbert's poetry is regarded as . . . though less influential than, that of John Donne.
This part is okay. Notice: this part resembles its equivalent in (B).
• There is no such thing as "equal that" in this context.
Eliminate C

Quote:

D) The poetry of George Herbert is regarded by many critics as equal in quality as, though less influential than, the work of his more famous contemporary John Donne.

This answer is the trap answer.
AS . . . AS looks very tempting. Read for meaning. AS EQUAL AS?
• Herbert's poetry is regarded as equal in quality as ... the work of John Donne.
. . . as equal in quality AS the work of John Donne? NO.
Equal does not take "as."
-- AS . . . AS is tempting, but nonsensical because equal is an on/off adjective.
-- Both things are equal. One thing is not as equal as another.
-- Similarly, one mouse is not as alive as another mouse. They are both alive or not alive.
Equal works the same way. You cannot compare it in a way that suggests degree.

• Herbert's poetry is regarded as . . . though less influential than, the work of John Donne.
Like the formulation in B and C, this formulation is fine.
• Something is equal in quality TO something else.
Eliminate D

Quote:

E) The poetry of George Herbert is regarded by many critics as equal in quality, though less influential, than the work of his more famous contemporary John Donne.

• Herbert's poetry is regarded as equal in quality . . . than the work of John Donne.
No. as equal in quality . . . than is nonsense. The phrase does not say anything.
• Herbert's poetry is regarded as . . . though less influential, than the work of John Donne.
The phrasing is correct (less takes than) but the comma attaches than to equal as well as to less influential.

The answer is B

NOTES

eakabuah , you noticed something that gave you pause.
I think you believe that the comparison is only about quality. (I could be confused.)

We can make a rough diagram. I am purposely leaving out "the critics."
Passive construction is hard to diagram clearly.

The poetry of George Herbert
IS REGARDED
------AS
--------equal in quality to → →
--------though
--------less influential than → →
-----------------------------------------------→ → the work of John Donne.

The meaning is okay. Herbert's poetry is regarded as having two qualities.
Herbert's poetry is regarded as equal in quality TO the work of John Donne.
Herbert's poetry is regarded as less influential THAN the work of John Donne.

I can understand why you saw what you did.
The construction is regarded as, though, allows for two things to be the target of "regarded as."

A similar official question is OG Verbal Review 2020 #302.
Its OE makes me crazy.
The writer speaks at length about the idiomatic construction of one adjective but says not one word about the other adjective.
There is no mention of prepositional parallelism that must be maintained.
Some OEs are very good. Others are hard to figure out. Opacity, thy name is GMAC Sentence Correction.

Takeaways:
• Equal as an adjective takes TO. Equal never takes than.
• Less [adjective] takes than or, rarely, nothing. Less never takes as.
• as equal as does not make sense.
Equal does not admit of degree.
Something is either equal or it is not. AS . . . AS works for adjectives that have degrees.
Those kind are called "gradable" adjectives.
Very few adjectives are non-gradable: equal, enough, alive, and dead are the most common.
-- This data is as enough as that data to make a decision.

-- This poetry is as equal in quality as that poetry.

(If that bullet point did not make sense, do not worry. Just remember "equal to" and "less than.")

COMMENTS

We will return to 24 hours between the time a question is posted and the time that the OA is revealed.
My work and a couple of other details forced me change the OA reveals during this last week.

Many of you have steadily improved your critical analysis.
I am glad to see how you think about SC questions.
It helps me to teach.
Many of you are getting closer to, or have gotten closer to, a nice balance of grammar, meaning, logic, and "test sense."

Most of these explanations are very good.

-- This poetry is as equal in quality as that poetry.

(If that bullet point did not make sense, do not worry. Just remember "equal to" and "less than.") COMMENTS We will return to 24 hours between the time a question is posted and the time that the OA is revealed. My work and a couple of other details forced me change the OA reveals during this last week. Many of you have steadily improved your critical analysis. I am glad to see how you think about SC questions. It helps me to teach. Many of you are getting closer to, or have gotten closer to, a nice balance of grammar, meaning, logic, and "test sense." Most of these explanations are very good.

amitanshumaity · Answer

The poetry of George Herbert is regarded by many critics as equal in quality, though less influential, than the work of his more famous contemporary John Donne.

Meaning--> The poetry of GH is regarded
 by many critics as equal in quality --> to what?
 though less influential 
than the work of his more famous contemporary JD. --> Now, equal in quality is compared is compared(using than) to the work his more famous contemporary JD--> This is not the meaning the sentence intends.

Rather, the author wants to communicate GH's work was considered equal in quality to JD's, though it was less influential.

From, the meaning analysis we clearly understand that there is a problem using 'than'.

Let's look for an option that corrects this meaning.

Choice B --> equal in quality to, though less influential than, the work--> presents the meaning the author wants to present.

IMHO B.

Shivan21 · Answer

IMO the correct answer is B for the reasons mentioned above.

Shrinidhi · Answer

The poetry of George Herbert is regarded by many critics as equal in quality, though less influential, than the work of his more famous contemporary John Donne.

If we remove the commas to make them as separate clauses-

The poetry of george Herbert is regarded by many critics as equal in quality to the work of his work.....
The poetry of george Herbert is regarded by many critics as less influential than the work....

So option B fits the chart perfectly in terms of grammar as well as meaning.

Raxit85 · Answer

Imo. B

The poetry of George Herbert is regarded by many critics as  equal in quality, though less influential, than the work  of his more famous contemporary John Donne.

(A) equal in quality,  though less influential, than  the work - ...less .... than construction can not be separated in the sentence. Here, than is separated from the less. Hence, incorrect.

(B) equal in quality to, though less influential than, the work - Seems fine and the meaning of the sentence is conveyed. The poetry of GH (although less influential than the work of JD) is regarded by many critics as equal in quality to the work of his famous contemporary JD. Hold it.

(C)  qualitatively equal, though less influential than, that  - Here, that modifier does not have noun and qualitatively equal sounds awkward. Hence, incorrect.

(D) equal in quality  as,  though less influential than, the work - This sentence distorts the meaning because of usage of as. It indicates that because of work of JD, the poetry of GH is regarded by many critics. Hence, incorrect.

(E)  of equal quality, though of less influence, than that   - that modifier has ambiguous noun.

eakabuah · Answer

The poetry of George Herbert is regarded by many critics as equal in quality, though less influential, than the work of his more famous contemporary John Donne.

What are being compared?   quality of the poetry of George Hebert   and   quality of the work of John Donne  . Can I compare the quality of poetry of someone with the quality of the work of another person? Yes, since the emphasis is on quality.
So, option A is basically saying the poetry of George Herbert is   equal   in quality   than   the quality of the work of John Donne.   to   is required rather than   than  . I am not sure if the modifier   though less influencial   is correct as is or has to be   though less influential than  . I believe the comparison marker is   as   I'm not sure if  l ess than   is still a requirement or if  less  will suffice in this case.
We can eliminate A based on the omission of   to   which is required for idiomatic and logical reasons.

Options C, D, and E all  miss  to  . I wished that option C had  to , I would have chosen it as the best answer out of the lot. This is because option C would have meant   the quality of the poetry of John Herbert   is compared with   the quality of the poetry of John Donne  . I believe this would be more appropriate than option B. This would be akin to comparing the taste of  varieties of apples  rather than  the taste of an apple  to  that of an orange . I stand to be corrected; since GMAT has its peculiar requirements.

Option B is the best answer out of the lot. It rightly compares   the quality of the poetry of George Herbert   to   the quality of the work of John Donne  .

zhanbo · Answer

My choice is (B). It took me 1 minute and 12 seconds.

(A) as we never say "equal in quality  than ", this option can be easily ruled out.
(C) For one, we still need to have "equal to"; for another, the use of 'qualitatively equal' sounds out of place: it may be used in scientific fields but not in general discussions.
(D) "as" should be used in "as ... as' construct. 
(E) We never say "of equal quality  than "; this option can be ruled out.

ccheryn · Answer

The poetry of George Herbert is regarded by many critics as equal in quality, though less influential, than the work of his more famous contemporary John Donne.

(A) equal in quality, though less influential, than the work  ( wrong . as removing the appositive in between gives wrong meaning equal in quality than the work is awkward)
 
(B) equal in quality to, though less influential than, the work  ( equal in quality to the work of is perfect usage if appositive is removed.correct choice )

(C) qualitatively equal, though less influential than, that  ( wrong . as removing the appositive in between gives awkward sentence )

(D) equal in quality as, though less influential than, the work  ( wrong . as removing the appositive in between gives equal in quality as the work - here as cannot be used to compare the noun. so verb is needed. so wrong

(E) of equal quality, though of less influence, than that  ( wrong . as removing the appositive in between - of equal quality than that of his more famous - here for equality than is used which is wrong, it can be used only for more , less etc not with equal quality )

TheNightKing · Answer

The poetry of George Herbert is regarded by many critics as  equal in quality than the work  of his more famous contemporary John Donne. The trimmed sentence does not make sense. equal in quality than the work?

Trying the same approach with C and E. Both get eliminated.

Option does a better job of comparison by using "to". equal in quality to something.

Note: Since the non underlined portion uses "As" I was inclined towards D but I guess B does a better job.

IMO B

LalitaSiri · Answer

The poetry of George Herbert is regarded by many critics as equal in quality, though less influential, than the work of his more famous contemporary John Donne.

(A) equal in quality, though less influential ,  than the work - the comma is misplaced

(B) equal in quality  to , though less influential than, the work - it should be as equal as

(C) qualitatively equal, though less influential than,  that

(D) equal in quality  as , though  less  influential  than , the work - as equal as, less than - is the correct answer choice

(E)  of  equal quality, though of less influence, than  that

Thus, the correct answer choice is D

generis · Answer

I have posted the official explanation  HERE .

harshdev · Answer

The poetry of George Herbert is regarded by many critics as  equal in quality, though less influential, than the work  of his more famous contemporary John Donne.

(A) equal in quality, though less influential, than the work

(B) equal in quality to, though less influential than, the work

(C) qualitatively equal, though less influential than, that

(D) equal in quality as, though less influential than, the work

(E) of equal quality, though of less influence, than that

While I agree with the logic that we cannot say  "EQUAL THAN" and "EQUAL TO"  makes perfect sense over here , I am not able to digest the fact that  "POETRY"  being Compared with  "Work" . Work being a general term which could include any other work (DANCING) too.

Is it that the article "THE" before work making the difference, is it that the word "THE WORK" indicating POETRY specifically.

Crytiocanalyst · Answer

(A) equal in quality, though less influential, than the work
The comparison isnot maintained for the comparison to be equak it should be equal to

(B) equal in quality to, though less influential than, the work
The comparison is accurate and provides the correct meaning let us hang to iit

(C) qualitatively equal, though less influential than, that
Than what the looks , communciation of the author, no the work comparison should be mentioined

(D) equal in quality as, though less influential than, the work
as feels so tempting , the comparison is beeter bought out bty to

(E) of equal quality, though of less influence, than 
Similar reasoning as C

Hence IMO B

VerbalBot · Answer

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The poetry of George Herbert is regarded by many critics as equal i

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GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

The poetry of George Herbert is regarded by many critics as equal i

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