Unlike previous presidents, Donald Trump’s administration is radically

Question

Unlike previous presidents, Donald Trump’s administration is radically different from those of his predecessors not only because his approval ratings taking office are lower than any president in modern history but also because of the unprecedented level of media opposition.

(A) Unlike previous presidents, Donald Trump’s administration is radically different from those of his predecessors not only because his approval ratings taking office are lower than

(B) Unlike previous presidents, the administration of Donald Trump is radically different from those of his predecessors not only because his approval ratings taking office are lower than those of

(C) Unlike previous presidents, Donald Trump is in a situation radically different from that of his predecessors not only because his approval ratings upon taking office are lower than those of

(D) Donald Trump’s situation, unlike those of previous presidents, is radically different from his predecessors not just because his approval ratings upon taking office are lower than those of

(E) Donald Trump’s situation is radically different from that of his predecessors not just because his approval ratings upon taking office are lower than those of

sananoor · Answer

Hi, Kindly explain that why E is right though i couldnt find the antecedent of HIS. Why option C is wrong.

jedit · Answer

A-  Unlike previous  presidents , Donald Trump’s administration is radically different  from those of  his predecessors not only because his approval ratings taking office are lower than

B-  Unlike previous  presidents , the administration of Donald Trump is radically different  from those of  his predecessors not only because his approval ratings taking office are lower than those of

C-  Unlike previous  presidents , Donald Trump is in a situation radically different  from that  of his predecessors not only because his approval ratings upon taking office are lower than those of - It looks idiomatic use and should be different than that of. I am open to corrections on this one.

D-  Donald Trump’s situation, unlike  those  of previous presidents,  is  radically different from his predecessors not just because his approval ratings upon taking office are lower than those of -

E-  Donald Trump’s situation is radically different from that of his predecessors not just because his approval ratings upon taking office are lower than those of

E doesn't exhibit these clear flaws.

Zosimus · Answer

The obvious error that will leap out at most people is the "Unlike previous presidents, Donald Trump’s administration" error. Obviously, previous presidents should not be compared to a presidential administration. Additionally, the text says that his approval ratings are lower than...any president.

However, there is a deeper flaw—redundancy. The sentence basically says that Donald Trump's administration is unlike that any of his predecessors because things are different. Obviously, if the situation is unlike the previous situation it's because something is different. (E), the credited response, eliminates the unnecessary introductory phrase.

Some have questioned whether "Donald Trump's" can be a valid antecedent for the possessive adjective "his." While I certainly agree that a sentence such as: "Donald Trump's situation is different because  he  ..." would be unacceptable because the pronoun he lacks a valid antecedent, I believe (and other experts may confirm this) that a possessive phrase such as "Donald Trump's" can be a valid antecedent for a possessive adjective such as " his ."

Bhuvan.deshwal · Answer

I don't think using "not just X but also Y" is correct.

sayantanc2k · Answer

The antecedent of "his" is "Donald Trump’s". A possessive pronoun may have a possessive noun as antecedent. In Option C, there may be a problem with the meaning (at least according to the author, it seems). This option implies 2 things: 1. Donald Trump's situation is different from that of his predecessors, 2. but the same is not true for his predecessors (previous presidents), i.e. his predecessors did not have a different situation from that of their predecessors. It appears that the author of this question does not intend to convey the second part (though this is not a solid reason to eliminate C). However there seems to be* a parallelism error in both options C and E (OA): not only ( because clause), but also ( because of noun phrase) The ending of the sentence should have been: "....... but also because level of media opposition is unprecedented." *Please refer to the discussion below about parallelism: https://gmatclub.com/forum/unlike-previ ... l#p1827264

Zosimus · Answer

Thank you for your comment. I would like to refer you to the official question at https://gmatclub.com/forum/in-recent-ye ... 82782.html In this we see that the best answer contains the phrase: "party to acquire...and party because" + subject + verb. In this official answer, the phrases were considered parallel. Accordingly, I do not agree that there is a " serious parallelism error" in the credited response. Certainly the phrases are not perfectly parallel, but this is not a serious impediment to the answer. I would also like to refer you to https://gmatclub.com/forum/over-the-cou ... 34885.html in which we see that the best answer (A) contains the phrase: "... as a result of several improvements in blowing machinery and because coal replaced charcoal as the fuel used in the smelting of iron ore." According to your logic, this official question must also have a "serious parallelism error" that will no doubt prompt you to suggest a better wording. Personally, however, I think your understanding of parallelism is unnecessarily narrow. Parallelism is not a straitjacket preventing us from expressing ourselves but rather a tool used to make our meaning plain.

shekyonline · Answer

Confusion is over (C or E).

C)Unlike previous presidents <were in radically different situation from that of their predecessors> , Donald Trump is in a situation radically different from that of his predecessors not only because his approval ratings upon taking office are lower than those of

It compares- D Trump and previous presidents on the ground-
whether they are in radically different situation from that of their predecessors.

E)Donald Trump’s situation is radically different from that of his predecessors not just because his approval ratings upon taking office are lower than those of

It compares- D Trump and previous presidents on the ground-
their respective current situations.
 
Main statement:
Unlike previous presidents, Donald Trump’s administration is radically different from those of his predecessors not only because his approval ratings taking office are lower than

By looking at it, we can infer - Donald Trump's administration and previous presidents' administrations are compared .
hence , comparison is based on current situation.
E looks more promising, THOUGH E has abstained from using 'not only..but also' clause.

sayantanc2k · Answer

Thank you for pointing out the official examples.

The first example you pointed out sets up parallelism between two adverbial phrases ("partly to acquire.." and "partly because..") and is hence alright.

In the second example you pointed out, I can see that a parallelism is set up between a prepositional phrase and a dependent clause.

Thus I agree that my concept of parallelism is too stringent, and GMAT allows breaking parallelism to this extent at least. I am modifying my post that states " serious  problem".

guialain · Answer

For me this is a debatable question.

Iam totally lost with the explanations.
Why is C not correct?

I Still don't get what "his" refers to in answer E.

karansurana · Answer

I did mark C. But only after seeing the official answer can I say that there is also a redundancy error in C.

When we say 'Unlike previous presidents, Donald trump is in a situation radically different' we already have compared Donald trump to his predecessors. Therefore, 'From that of his predecessors' is unecesaary here.

However, C seems to be the best option at first and was also my first choice because of the 'not only.. but also' framework.

Posted from my mobile device

rakeshsingha · Answer

Can anyone please elaborate why is option C incorrect?

sayantanc2k · Answer

Your queries have already been discussed in the thread: https://gmatclub.com/forum/unlike-previ ... l#p1825958

Crytiocanalyst · Answer

(A) Unlike previous presidents, Donald Trump’s administration is radically different from those of his predecessors not only because his approval ratings taking office are lower than
THe comparison is off therefore out

(B) Unlike previous presidents, the administration of Donald Trump is radically different from those of his predecessors not only because his approval ratings taking office are lower than those of
wrong comparison between presidents and administration therefore out

(C) Unlike previous presidents, Donald Trump is in a situation radically different from that of his predecessors not only because his approval ratings upon taking office are lower than those of
The comparison is perfect however the redudancy isn't eleminated therefore out

(D) Donald Trump’s situation, unlike those of previous presidents, is radically different from his predecessors not just because his approval ratings upon taking office are lower than those of
unlike and different shouldn't be together therefore out

(E) Donald Trump’s situation is radically different from that of his predecessors not just because his approval ratings upon taking office are lower than those of
The redudancy is eleminated unlike and different and the comparison is perfect therefore our answer

Therefore IMO E

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Unlike previous presidents, Donald Trump’s administration is radically

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Unlike previous presidents, Donald Trump’s administration is radically

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