Unlike a funded pension system, in which contributions are invested to

Question

Unlike a funded pension system, in which contributions are invested to pay future beneficiaries,  a pay-as-you-go approach is the foundation of Social Security.

(A) a pay-as-you-go approach is the foundation of Social Security
(B) the foundation of Social Security is a pay-as-you-go approach
(C) the approach of Social Security is pay-as-you-go
(D) Social Security's approach is pay-as-you-go
(E) Social Security is founded on a pay-as-you-go approach

HKD1710 · Accepted Answer

Unlike X, Y.
X= Pension system
Y --> similar to a system

(A) a pay-as-you-go approach is the foundation of Social Security 
pay-as-you-go modifies approach. so this choice compares approach with pension system.

(B) the foundation of Social Security is a pay-as-you-go approach 
this choice compares foundation with pension system

(C) the approach of Social Security is pay-as-you-go 
this choice compares approach with pension system

(D) Social Security's approach is pay-as-you-go 
same as C.

(E) Social Security is founded on a pay-as-you-go approach 
social security is compared with pension system. if you did not know whether "social security" is a system, you have eliminated other choices for the right reasons aonly E is left. correct.

smartyguy · Answer

Approach i used is  like/unlike + noun, noun + verb , noun + verb

Unlike  a  funded pension system , in which  contributions   are  invested to pay future beneficiaries,  a pay-as-you-go approach is the foundation of Social Security .

(A) a pay-as-you-go approach is the foundation of Social Security :  logically incorrect  ( we have to look for noun parallelism)
(B) the foundation of Social Security is a pay-as-you-go approach :  incorrect  ( can't compare the pension system with the foundation .. approach)
(C) the approach of Social Security is pay-as-you-go :  incorrect  ( can't compare the system with the approach )
(D) Social Security's approach is pay-as-you-go :  incorrect  ( can't compare the approach again wrong ) 
(E)  Social Security is  founded on a pay-as-you-go approach :  Correct  ( follows the  noun + verb form  ) and logically follows what sentence is trying to convey.

Kindly clarify if i have missed something

Regards
SG

pawan82 · Answer

But in this case we am compare the funded pension system v/s the pay as you go approach. Whereas in E i compare the funded pension system with the Social Security. So how does it qualify as a logical comparison?

jyotsnasarabu · Answer

thats bcoz ur comparing social security system with funded pension system..........................the sentence is talking about comparing tw systems here.......................we cannot compare one system with the 
the payment approach of another system.

bmwhype2 · Answer

You are comparing a system to an approach. In order to answer this question, you must know that Social Security is a type of pension system. Therefore, E compares two systems. It is similar to comparing a cat's meow to a dog. The meow cannot be compared to the dog.

misterJJ2u · Answer

I think that this SC is tricky b/c at first glance you think you should be comparing X (a funded pension system) with Y (?). "A" looks good because it appears to be paralell ("a pay-as-you-go approach"). 

Upon reading the actual sentence and understanding your choices, you can see that A is incorrect. You must compare X (a funded pension system) with another type of system, not an approach (as explained by bimmerhype above). Therefore, Social Security (or answer E) is the best choice.

PiyushK · Answer

Clearly in Social Security both S are capital, it means SS is a system or basically a NOUN.

aeglorre · Answer

You're comparing pension system to Social Security, not to an approach or a foundation. That's why E is the only one that works.

Even if you do not know that Social Security is an actual system/program, notice that it doesn't say "social security" but "Social Security", which indicates that it's the title of something. And that comparison makes much more sense than to cpmpare a pension system to an approach or a foundation of something.

daagh · Answer

Only E reveals a proper comparison between a funded pension system, a name and Social Security another name.

pk6969 · Answer

Hi! In this question I though approach and a system are like terms And can be compared. But obviously I was wrong. I didn't know that social security is a system. Now many students would not know this thing. So how can we tackle such questions, where knowledge is tested?  AndrewN   GMATNinja

AndrewN · Answer

Hello,  pk6969 . Although an  approach  can be synonymous with a method or a system of doing something, we can rule out that possibility in the sentence at hand because of the adjective  pension  that defines the type of system in the sentence. That is, since a  pension method  is nonsensical, similar to saying a retirement method, we need to interpret the noun  system  in a different way, more akin to a  program . Of course, Social Security could be thought of as another such program, making the comparison in (E) fitting.

I hope that helps. Thank you for thinking to ask.

- Andrew

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

Concepts tested here: Comparisons

• Comparisons must only be made between similar things.

A:  Trap.
1/ This answer choice incorrectly compares "a funded pension system" to "a pay-as-you-go approach"; remember, comparisons must only be made between similar things.

B: 
1/ This answer choice incorrectly compares "a funded pension system" to "the foundation of Social Security"; remember, comparisons must only be made between similar things.

C: 
1/ This answer choice incorrectly compares "a funded pension system" to "the approach of Social Security"; remember, comparisons must only be made between similar things.

D: 
1/ This answer choice incorrectly compares "a funded pension system" to "Social Security's approach"; remember, comparisons must only be made between similar things.

E:   Correct. 
1/ This answer choice correctly compares "a funded pension system" to "Social Security"; remember, comparisons must only be made between similar things.

Hence, E is the best answer choice.

All the best!
Experts' Global Team

VerbalBot · Answer

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Unlike a funded pension system, in which contributions are invested to

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Unlike a funded pension system, in which contributions are invested to

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