aragonn wrote:
Unlike the Miller Analogies Test, which follows a standardized format, the formats for IQ tests vary considerably in both content and length.
A. the formats for IQ tests vary considerably in both content and length.
B. the format for an IQ test varies considerably in both content and length.
C. an IQ test follows a format that varies considerably in both content and length.
D. an IQ test follows formats that vary considerably in both content and length.
E. IQ tests follow formats that vary considerably in both content and length.
Official Explanation:
Answer - Choice E
Classification: Comparisons
Snapshot: This problem is included as an “oddball” to demonstrate that we do not always compare a singular item with a singular item or a plural item with a plural item (for example, Miller Analogies Test versus IQ tests). In context, a situation may necessitate comparing a singular item with a plural item or vice versa. Here the “apples to apples, oranges to oranges” comparison involves comparing one type of test to another type of test while comparing the format of one such test to the formats of another type of test. Choices A and B erroneously compare “the Miller Analogies Test” with “the formats …” We want to compare “one exam” to “another exam,” or “the format of one exam” to the “format of another exam,” or “the formats of some exams” to the “formats of other exams.” Although choice C looks like the winning answer, upon closer examination, we realize that a single format cannot itself vary considerably in terms of content and length. Choice D correctly employs “formats,” but now the problem reverses itself: A single IQ test does not have “formats.” Choice E correctly combines “IQ tests” in the plural with “formats” in the plural. Here’s a follow-up example in mirror image to the problem at hand:
Incorrect: Unlike Canadian football, which is played on a standardized field, American baseball is played on a field that varies considerably in shape and size.
Correct: Unlike Canadian football, which is played on a standardized field, American baseball is played on fields that vary considerably in shape and size.