Over the last five years, the unemployment rate in the country

Question

Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC2) 
 For SC butler Questions  Click Here

Over the last five years, the unemployment rate in the country has been a s high, and in some cities even higher than, what it was  during the Great Depression.

A) as high, and in some cities even higher than, what it was

B) so high, and in some cities even higher than, that

C) as high as, and in some cities even higher than, it did

D) as high, and in some cities even higher than, that

E) as high as, and in some cities even higher than, that

generis · Accepted Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC2)

THE PROMPT

• THAT vs. IT
The sentence compares the unemployment rate at two different times. 
Because the two unemployment rates are different (they are both unemployment rates but they are not the same unemployment rate), the correct pronoun is  that  and not  it .

→  It  corresponds with exactly one antecedent, in this case,  the unemployment rate over the last five years. 
We cannot simply stick that precise noun into a different time period.

→  That  makes a "copy" of "unemployment rate." This copy that allows us to use the pronoun  that  in a different context. 
I discuss the way in which that can be a "copy"  pronoun  on this thread,  in my post, here .

• IDIOM
AS . . . AS
The correct idiomatic structure is   as  high  as  .

• the pronoun IT is incorrect
→ The use of  it  to refer to employment rate is incorrect, as I discussed above.

Try substituting "the unemployment rate over the last five years" into the word "it."

Substitution:  Over the last five years, the unemployment rate in the country has been as high  , and in some cities even higher than, what   was during the Great Depression. 
That sentence makes no sense.

• IDIOM
The correct idiomatic structure is  as high as  and not  as high  (you need the second "AS").
ELIMINATE A

• IDIOM
The correct idiom is  as  high  as  and not  so  high.
ELIMINATE B

• Just as is the case in option A, we need the pronoun  that , not  it  
ELIIMINATE C

• IDIOM
The correct idiomatic structure is  as high as  and not simply  as high .
You need a second  as. 
• Just below the prompt I wrote notes about this issue.
We need  as high  as  
ELIMINATE D
 
• I do not see any errors
•  that  correctly refers to  unemployment rate 
• in this option, the correct idiomatic structure is used:  as high as.  
KEEP

The answer is E.

COMMENTS

SharmaRahul10201  and  vipulgoel  , welcome to SC Butler.

zhanbo  , interesting question.
Yes, you could use "what it was" rather than "that."
I'll bet that you can come up with a good explanation about why  what it was  will work but the lone pronoun  it  will not work.

Kudos to all (even wrong answers).

Stay safe.

zhanbo · Answer

My answer is  (E) . It took me 01:19.

(A) Should use "as high as".

(B) See above.

(C) "It did" should be "it was".
 Question: How about  what it was ?

(D) See (A)

(E) that = the unemployment rate
The sentence thus appropriately compare “the unemployment rate over the last five years" with "that during the Great Depression."
 Question: How about  what it was ?

vipulgoel · Answer

Why comma b/w then and essential modifier that

Posted from my mobile device

swim2109 · Answer

E is the answer.

As ..... as is the idiom. A,B, D should be discarded.

'That' should be used to compare the unemployment rate to the unemployment rate during the great depression.

'Ít did' doesnt make sense as it was would be more appropriate.

SharmaRahul10201 · Answer

My answer is C

A) as high, and in some cities even higher than, what it was

B) so high, and in some cities even higher than, that
  so high, .... , that during the great depression  incorrect comparison
 
C) as high as, and in some cities even higher than, it did
 as high as is correct idiom form and the past tense 'did' is correct
D) as high, and in some cities even higher than, that
 
E) as high as, and in some cities even higher than, that

TarunKumar1234 · Answer

Over the last five years, the unemployment rate in the country has been as high, and in some cities even higher than, what it was during the Great Depression.

A) as high, and in some cities even higher than, what it was -> as high as is the idiom. Incorrect.

B) so high, and in some cities even higher than, that -> Same as A. Incorrect.

C) as high as, and in some cities even higher than, it did -> "It" is incorrect to use.

D) as high, and in some cities even higher than, that -> Same as A. Incorrect.

E) as high as, and in some cities even higher than, that -> that refers to "the unemployment rate", it is correct.

So, I think E.

carouselambra · Answer

IMO E

Over the last five years, the unemployment rate in the country has been as high, and in some cities even higher than, what it was during the Great Depression.

A)  as high , and in some cities even higher than, what it was

B)  so high , and in some cities even higher than,  that

C)  as high as , and in some cities even higher than,  it did

D)  as high,  and in some cities even higher than,  that

E)  as high as , and in some cities even higher than,  that

generis · Answer

vipulgoel  , good question.

First, in contexts different from this one, an essential modifier beginning with  that  or  who  can occasionally be separated from its noun.
Sometimes a short phrase intervenes.
 SPOILER ALERT, OFFICIAL (and hard) QUESTION : For example, the essential noun modifier  that  is separated from its noun by a short phrase,  in this official question,   here.

Essential modifiers can also be separated from their nouns by  other  essential modifiers that must follow the noun and are often long—so long that it makes sense to insert a comma after the other modifiers and before  that  in order to maintain clarity and make life easy for the reader.
A few official questions contain commas that seem forbidden.
Here's the thing: rule 11 of the standard list of comma rules trumps the essential modifier comma rule.
Rule 11 states, "Use commas  wherever necessary  to prevent possible confusion or misreading."

You can find the list of comma rules  here .

Second, this "that" is not an essential modifier.

This "that" is a pronoun that makes a  different  "copy" of a noun.
This  that  makes a copy of  the unemployment rate.  
That = a copy of  the unemployment rate  that exists in a time period different from the Great Depression.
The different time period is  over the last five years .

This  that  is not a noun modifier.

This  that  is its own   noun   in the form of a "copy" pronoun that means "the unemployment rate  ."

Hope that answer helps.

generis · Answer

The official explanation is  here .

zhanbo · Answer

Thanks for the detailed explanation,  generis .

I actually do not have a good explanation about why "what it was" will work, especially after you just explained, in discussion under option (A), why "what it was" is wrong.

waytowharton · Answer

Is in’t option E incorrect. We don’t have any verb for that.
Shouldn’t the answer be :
“ as high as, and in some cities even higher than, that WAS”

Posted from my mobile device

Over the last five years, the unemployment rate in the country

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

Over the last five years, the unemployment rate in the country

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards