Unlike cellular phones and personal computers, there is a difficulty

Question

Unlike cellular phones and personal computers, there is a difficulty on the part of many people to adapt to other modern technologies.

A. Unlike cellular phones and personal computers, there is a difficulty on the part of many people to adapt to other modern technologies.
B. Unlike cellular phones and personal computers, which many people are comfortable using, they have difficulty adapting to other modern technologies.
C. Unlike cellular phones and personal computers, other modern technologies bring out a difficulty for many people to adapt to them.
D. Many people, though comfortable using cellular phones and personal computers, have difficulty adapting to other modern technologies.
E. Many people have a difficulty in adapting to other modern technologies, while they are comfortable using cellular phones and personal computers.

Divyadisha · Accepted Answer

Hi  atptennis15  , I am giving it a try. Hope it will be of help.

Meaning of the sentence- Many people easily adapt to phones and personal computers, but these people find difficulty adapting to other modern technologies.

A. Unlike cellular phones and personal computers, there is a difficulty on the part of many people to adapt to other modern technologies. 'Phones and computers' are compared with 'difficulty'
B. Unlike cellular phones and personal computers, which many people are comfortable using, they have difficulty adapting to other modern technologies. 'Phones and computers' are compared with 'they (people)'
C. Unlike cellular phones and personal computers, other modern technologies bring out a difficulty for many people to adapt to them. The meaning of this sentence implies that 'modern technologies intentionally bring out difficulties for people, and its not the human being who finds the technology to be difficult'. This is not the intended meaning.
D. Many people, though comfortable using cellular phones and personal computers, have difficulty adapting to other modern technologies. The sentence is right for below reasons:-
1) 'though comfortable using cellular phones and personal computers' correctly modifies 'many people' 
2) Many people , though comfortable using cellular phones and personal computers,  have difficulty adapting to other modern technologies. After knocking off the modifier, the sentence makes complete sense.
3) Intended contrast that many people find modern technologies to be difficult while there people are comfortable with phones and computers
E. Many people have a difficulty in adapting to other modern technologies, while they are comfortable using cellular phones and personal computers. 'find it difficult to adapt' is preferred over 'difficulty in adapting'

Hi!  chetan2u , do you think 'they' doesn't have clear reference? It could refer to 'people' or 'many people'.

If it refers to people, then it might be referring to all the people, and it is not the intended meaning

If it refers to 'many people', then the sentence is giving the intended meaning .

Or I am thinking too much??!!!

AnthonyRitz · Answer

In C, "bring out a difficulty" is quite unidiomatic and awkward. The modifiers at the end, "for many people to adapt to them," are also problematic; the infinitive ("to adapt") is often used to describe purpose, and this phrase makes it sound almost like these technologies create difficulty with the purpose of forcing people to adapt.

In E, "have a difficulty" is unidiomatic as well as sort of illogical -- what singular difficulty do people have? Worse, the "while" is at best ambiguous. It is true that "while" can mean something like "though," but in this usage it also does sound like it means "at the same time." (Do these people only struggle with technology when they're on the phone?) Even if there exists a reading that is logical, the presence of another plausible reading that is illogical can be a problem. Finally, the "they" here is once again not great.

D is a beautiful answer. There's no reason to go hunting and straining to pick anything else.

dentobizz · Answer

First of all it should be  Adapting  and not adopting .There seems to be error in the original post 
moreover to show contrast although/though/but are preferred over 'while' since while can also mean (something is going on While something else happened)

shanmugamgsn · Answer

+1 for D.

For choice C, pronoun ambiguity "them" can refer back to "people" or "modern technologies"

dmmk · Answer

Choice C illogically compares people to cellular phones and personal computer...

Explanation: the choice C....Unlike Cellular phone and personal computer, blah blah.... difficulty for many people to adopt to them.
How can cellular phone and personal computers adopt ANYTHING that people could adapt to...?? Doesn't make sense!

JatinBhandari1 · Answer

Hi Where is option B? :shock:

C has already been explained above so here is my bit on rest of your query. The rule you're trying to refer here describes past perfect tense and not present perfect tense. 'Many people have difficulty ... ' is not perfect tense at the first place. Present perfect tense uses past participle form with has/ have. For example: Many people have applied for the new openings. or I have done my work. Past perfect uses 'had' with past participle ( Past perfect tense is used to emphasize the timing of the first out of two sequenced actions in past) The train had arrived before we reached the station. Hope it helps! Dolly

yenpham9 · Answer

What is wrong with E?
Can someone help to explain it? Thanks!

Posted from my mobile device

dmmk · Answer

You cannot  have a difficulty ... rather you can only find "something" difficult!
Hope that explains why E is incorrect!

camlan1990 · Answer

Many people have a difficulty adopting to other modern technologies, while they are comfortable using cellular phones and personal computers

Have two mistakes:

A difficulty => Just need DIFFICULTY

While => Difficulty in using other..., but not difficulty in using phones and computers. In this situation, using "Although" can clarify the meaning of the sentence more than "WHILE"

sayantanc2k · Answer

The main verb in option D is "have".

The modifier "though comfortable using cellular phones and personal computers" is an adjectival  phrase  modifier (adjective : comfortable) for the noun "people", and hence does not require a verb.

atptennis15 · Answer

Thanks for the explanation, but doesnt have come with past participle ? 
I am confused as there is no past participle.

sayantanc2k · Answer

The verb "have" can be used all by itself as a main verb in simple present: I have a pen. 
The verb "have" can also be used as helping verb in present perfect (not past participle): I have gone there.

In option D the verb "have" is used as simple present: Many people have difficulty.

ydmuley · Answer

Clear D

A - Illogical
B - Not clear what "they" refers to
C - Not clear what "them" refers to and devices bring out difficulty is illogical statement
D - CORRECT
E - Logical Error

Hence, Answer is D

Did you like the answer? Hit Kudos :good

rajatkataria14@gmail.com · Answer

Hii Experts, I am unable to eliminate choice E on strong grounds?
" a difficulty in adapting does not 'sound right to me" or whether there is another decision point?

abhimahna · Answer

Hey  rajatkataria14@gmail.com ,

Please note that "Sounds bad" is NEVER a reason to reject any answer choice.

E is wrong because the use of while makes it a wrong sentence.

It is implying People are comfortable with one thing and in parallel they have difficulty in adapting something else. But as per the meaning of the sentence the two things should be in contrast form. Meaning I am saying Although they have a good quality, they do have a bad quality.

"That contrast" is missing in E.

Does that make sense?

rajatkataria14@gmail.com · Answer

Yes perfect and explanation makes complete sense. 
Just a small question while can also be used as contrast indicator.Then why contrast can't be represented using option e.( Many people have X, while they have Y. I have heard 3 correct uses of while_
1. Simultaneous actions and can be replaced by during
2. used to express contrast
3. used in comparision (sometimes)

kornn · Answer

Dear  AnthonyRitz   AjiteshArun ,

Why are choice C. and E. wrong?

In choice C., the "unlike" comparison is valid.
In choice E., "while" is correctly used here.

kornn · Answer

I have one little question. I thought "to adapt" refers to "many people". I have seen for (someone) to (do something) in some correct idioms below: https://www.merriam-webster.com/diction ... mething%29 https://www.merriam-webster.com/diction ... ng%29%20to According to the above, "to do s.th." refers to "for s.one"

AnthonyRitz · Answer

Sure, but none of your examples create the ambiguity that C does. And, in fact, some of those examples actually do describe (and intend to describe) purpose. Just because a structure can be used correctly, that doesn't mean that every possible use of it is logical, clear, and/or correct.

Unlike cellular phones and personal computers, there is a difficulty

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Unlike cellular phones and personal computers, there is a difficulty

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