Born in Mainz in the late 14th century, Johannes Gutenberg is widely k

Question

Born in Mainz in the late 14th century, Johannes Gutenberg is widely known as the inventor of mechanical movable type; his ingenious printing press technology - made obsolete only by the advent of the digital era -  was more influential than any  inventor of his age.

A. was more influential than any

B. was more influential than that of any other

C. more influential than that of any other

D. had more influence than any other

E. was more influential than that of any

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juri01m · Answer

A) Born in Mainz in the late 14th century, Johannes Gutenberg is widely known as the inventor of mechanical movable type; his ingenious printing press technology - made obsolete only by the advent of the digital era -  was more influential than any  inventor of his age.

Comparison Error : compares  the invention  to any  inventor  
 Meaning Error : notice how the construct " any  inventor" logically includes Gutenberg as well, leading to an illogical meaning.

B) Born in Mainz in the late 14th century, Johannes Gutenberg is widely known as the inventor of mechanical movable type; his ingenious printing press technology - made obsolete only by the advent of the digital era -  was more influential than that of any other   inventor of his age.

No comparison errors, meaning is legit

C) Born in Mainz in the late 14th century, Johannes Gutenberg is widely known as the inventor of mechanical movable type; his ingenious printing press technology - made obsolete only by the advent of the digital era -  more influential than that of any other  inventor of his age

Incomplete clause  --> missing the verb

D) Born in Mainz in the late 14th century, Johannes Gutenberg is widely known as the inventor of mechanical movable type; his ingenious printing press technology - made obsolete only by the advent of the digital era -  had more influence than any other  inventor of his age

Comparison Error : compares the  the invention  to any other  inventor

E) Born in Mainz in the late 14th century, Johannes Gutenberg is widely known as the inventor of mechanical movable type; his ingenious printing press technology - made obsolete only by the advent of the digital era -  was more influential than that of any  inventor of his age

Meaning Error : notice how the construct " any  inventor" logically includes Gutenberg as well, leading to an illogical meaning.

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Born in Mainz in the late 14th century, Johannes Gutenberg is widely known as the inventor of mechanical movable type; his ingenious printing press technology - made obsolete only by the advent of the digital era -  was more influential than any  inventor of his age.

A. was more influential than any

Incorrect.

This answer choice is illogical. The Comparative construction requires that the things compared be logically comparable.

This answer choice illogically compares between an invention ( his ingenious printing press technology ) and an inventor ( any inventor of his age ).

What helps us identify this question as a Comparative question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign: Like, unlike, than, as

Whenever you see one of these words, check whether it is used as part of a comparison and whether the items compared are logically comparable.

B. was more influential than that of any other

This answer choice corrects the Comparative mistake in the original question by using the pronoun  that  to refer to the first item in the comparison. By changing  than any inventor  to  than that of any other the  corrected sentence logically compares Gutenberg's invention to the invention of  any other  contemporary inventor.

C. more influential than that of any other

Incorrect.

While this answer choice corrects the logic of the Comparative construction in the original question by using the pronoun  that  to refer to the first item in the comparison, it is grammatically incorrect. By removing the conjugated verb  was , the corrected sentence's second clause becomes a fragment, as the subject  his ingenious printing press technology  is left without a conjugated verb.

D. had more influence than any other

Incorrect.

This answer choice is illogical. The Comparative construction requires that the things compared be logically comparable.

This answer choice illogically compares between an invention ( his ingenious printing press technology ) and an inventor ( any inventor of his age ).

Also, the phrase 'had more influence' is awkward and stylistically inferior to "was more influential".

E. was more influential than that of any

Incorrect.

While this answer choice corrects the Comparative mistake in the original question, it is illogical.

This answer choice corrects the Comparative mistake in the original question by using the pronoun  that  to refer to the first item in the comparison. By changing  than any  inventor to than that of any the corrected sentence logically compares Gutenberg's invention to the invention of  any  contemporary inventor.

However, the corrected sentence is still illogical - for another reason. The  printing press  is now compared to inventions by  any  inventors of Gutenberg's age - including Gutenberg himself. This makes no sense, as the printing press technology cannot be more influential than  itself . It can only be compared to inventions of  any other inventor .

Born in Mainz in the late 14th century, Johannes Gutenberg is widely k

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GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

Born in Mainz in the late 14th century, Johannes Gutenberg is widely k

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

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Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards