Though there are some exceptions, most adult Olympic athlete

Question

Though there are some exceptions, most adult Olympic athletes are hardly neophytes at the sports in which they compete;  they likely enjoyed the same activities as a child.

A) they likely enjoyed the same activities as a child.
B) they enjoyed the same activities as a child.
C) they likely enjoyed the same activities as children.
D) he or she likely enjoyed the same activities as a child.
E) he or she likely enjoyed the same activities as children

pqhai · Answer

Though there are some exceptions, most adult Olympic athletes are hardly neophytes at the sports in which they compete;  they likely enjoyed the same activities as a child.

A)  they  likely enjoyed the same activities  as a child .
 Wrong.  "they" + "as a child" ==> Not parallel.

B)  they  enjoyed the same activities  as a child. 
 Wrong.  "they" + "as a child" ==> Not parallel.
In addition, B omits "likely" ==> changes meaning.

C)  they  likely enjoyed the same activities  as children .
  Correct.   "they" + "children" ==> Keep parallel structure.

D)  he or she  likely enjoyed the same activities as a child.
 Wrong.  The main subject of the preceding clause is "Most athletes" ==> Plural, not singular.

E)  he or she  likely enjoyed the same activities  as children 
 Wrong.  The main subject of the preceding clause is "Most athletes" ==> Plural, not singular.
In addition, "he or she" + "as children" ==> Not parallel.

Hope it helps.

surbhi87 · Answer

C it is.

Since most olympic "athleteS ARE"... "They" will make more sense than "He"/"She". So D and E out.
A and B: They.... a child. Inconsistent! They...children OR He/She ....a child. Out.

C is the correct sentence with plural consistency w.r.t They....children.

Niveditha28 · Answer

VeritasKarishma  I am not sure why option D is incorrecct. it is an independent clause Would the use of Singular tense be wrong here?

Also can you please throw light on the usage of "as" here . What is function of "As". It certainly isnt used as a comparison.

KarishmaB · Answer

It is an independent clause but a part of the same sentence.

Since we are talking about athletes (they) and their corresponding sports, we should stick to the same. Also, normally, each athlete would compete in one activity.

(D) ... he or she likely enjoyed the same activities as a child
should instead be
... he or she likely enjoyed the same activity as a child

We have a much better option (C).

Also, "as" is not used only for comparison. We use "as" as a preposition with nouns to show role or purpose. Hence, "as children" is fine.

VerbalBot · Answer

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Though there are some exceptions, most adult Olympic athlete

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Though there are some exceptions, most adult Olympic athlete

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