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21 Jan 2022, 00:57
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D
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
65%
(hard)
Question Stats:
50% (01:40) correct
50%
(01:41)
wrong
based on 320
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Unlike smaller apartment buildings, which have fewer than four residential units in them, each room within any residential complex must be equipped with a sprinkler system.
A) Unlike smaller apartment buildings, which have fewer than four residential units in them
B) Apart from those apartments that are in buildings that contain fewer than four residential units
C) In contrast to smaller apartment buildings that contain fewer than four residential units
D) Unless the apartment building contains fewer than four residential units
E) Excluding those apartment buildings that have fewer than four residential units in them
21 Jan 2022, 00:59
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OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
THE PROMPT
• The trap
This question is not exactly a comparison question.
As soon as you see the word unlike in option A, you will be tempted to believe that the question is a comparison.
Then you will find that none of the items compared in four options are similar. (Remember, we must compare apples to apples—like to like.)
At that point, you must shift gears and realize that the conditional structure in the correct answer captures the spirit of the comparison but contains the conditional structure Unless X is ABC, Y is required.
• Meaning?
We can glean meaning even from incorrect option A.
→ Whether sprinkler systems are required in residential units depends on the size of the building: if a building contains more than three residential units, each room must contain a sprinkler system.
(We do not know the sprinkler system requirements for smaller apartment buildings that contain fewer than four residential units; we know only that they are not required to have a sprinkler system in every room.)
THE OPTIONS
→ incorrectly compares buildings with each room
→ Whenever you see the word unlike (or like, or similar to, etc.), inspect the items under comparison.
→ Does the sentence compare similar things?
In this case, no.
Each room in a residential complex and smaller apartment buildings are not similar.
The correct comparison would be between residential complexes and smaller apartment buildings.
• in them is redundant. By definition, a unit inside an apartment building is inside the apartment building.
• use of the verb have ("which have fewer than four units") is standard English (albeit not sophisticated prose).
We say say that a building has or contains four rooms. The latter is preferred. The former is not a reason to eliminate a sentence.
→ Correct: The house on the corner has a huge front yard.
→ Correct: The Empire State Building has a spire on top.
Eliminate A
→ apartments and each room are not similar items.
This comparison might be a bit more difficult to see.
Apart from (with the exception of, excluding) apartments that are in ABC . . ., each room
• Clumsy diction; too many words
→ Apart from is a multi-word preposition that usually means excluding, can sometimes mean as well as, and does not make this sentence any easier to understand.
→ verbose and rhetorically flabby: watch out for too many THATs
This phrase is wordy: apartments that are in buildings that contain fewer than four residential units
We could simply say: "apartments in buildings containing fewer than four residential units."
I would advise aspirants not to eliminate an option on the first pass on the basis of style. (This option contains a comparison error, which is a logical predication error.)
Eliminate B
→ Yet again: smaller apartment buildings cannot be contrasted with each room.
Eliminate C.
• Although this sentence is not a comparison in the strict sense, it both conveys similar meaning and does so with more clarity than the other options.
• This sentence is a conditional: Unless X, Y.
We could rewrite: If an apartment building contains more than three units, every room must be equipped with a sprinkler system. ← ← Option D and that sentence mean the same thing.
KEEP
• incorrect comparison
→ buildings and each room are not similar items.
• diction error
→ that have fewer than four residential units in them is a long way to say "with fewer than four residential units"
→ in them is redundant
Eliminate E
The correct answer is D.
COMMENTS
This question is good practice for developing a nimble and flexible mindset; the structure of the correct option (a conditional) does not resemble the structure of option A (a comparison).
For those of you who may be wondering: option A does not determine intended meaning, so if you avoided correct option D because it seemed to be too different from option A, now you know that such a choice is not necessary.
I know that in certain test prep companies, teachers still describe option A as hallowed.
It is not so.
I am glad to "see" a couple of people whom I have not seen in a while.
These answers are range from very good to excellent.
Nicely done.
THE PROMPT
Quote:
• The trap
This question is not exactly a comparison question.
As soon as you see the word unlike in option A, you will be tempted to believe that the question is a comparison.
Then you will find that none of the items compared in four options are similar. (Remember, we must compare apples to apples—like to like.)
At that point, you must shift gears and realize that the conditional structure in the correct answer captures the spirit of the comparison but contains the conditional structure Unless X is ABC, Y is required.
• Meaning?
We can glean meaning even from incorrect option A.
→ Whether sprinkler systems are required in residential units depends on the size of the building: if a building contains more than three residential units, each room must contain a sprinkler system.
(We do not know the sprinkler system requirements for smaller apartment buildings that contain fewer than four residential units; we know only that they are not required to have a sprinkler system in every room.)
THE OPTIONS
Quote:
• incorrect comparison
→ incorrectly compares buildings with each room
→ Whenever you see the word unlike (or like, or similar to, etc.), inspect the items under comparison.
→ Does the sentence compare similar things?
In this case, no.
Each room in a residential complex and smaller apartment buildings are not similar.
The correct comparison would be between residential complexes and smaller apartment buildings.
• in them is redundant. By definition, a unit inside an apartment building is inside the apartment building.
• use of the verb have ("which have fewer than four units") is standard English (albeit not sophisticated prose).
We say say that a building has or contains four rooms. The latter is preferred. The former is not a reason to eliminate a sentence.
→ Correct: The house on the corner has a huge front yard.
→ Correct: The Empire State Building has a spire on top.
Eliminate A
Quote:
• incorrect comparison
→ apartments and each room are not similar items.
This comparison might be a bit more difficult to see.
Apart from (with the exception of, excluding) apartments that are in ABC . . ., each room
• Clumsy diction; too many words
→ Apart from is a multi-word preposition that usually means excluding, can sometimes mean as well as, and does not make this sentence any easier to understand.
→ verbose and rhetorically flabby: watch out for too many THATs
This phrase is wordy: apartments that are in buildings that contain fewer than four residential units
We could simply say: "apartments in buildings containing fewer than four residential units."
I would advise aspirants not to eliminate an option on the first pass on the basis of style. (This option contains a comparison error, which is a logical predication error.)
Eliminate B
Quote:
• contrast is a form comparison; this comparison/contrast is not between similar things
→ Yet again: smaller apartment buildings cannot be contrasted with each room.
Eliminate C.
Quote:
• I do not see any errors
• Although this sentence is not a comparison in the strict sense, it both conveys similar meaning and does so with more clarity than the other options.
• This sentence is a conditional: Unless X, Y.
We could rewrite: If an apartment building contains more than three units, every room must be equipped with a sprinkler system. ← ← Option D and that sentence mean the same thing.
KEEP
Quote:
• incorrect comparison
→ buildings and each room are not similar items.
• diction error
→ that have fewer than four residential units in them is a long way to say "with fewer than four residential units"
→ in them is redundant
Eliminate E
The correct answer is D.
COMMENTS
This question is good practice for developing a nimble and flexible mindset; the structure of the correct option (a conditional) does not resemble the structure of option A (a comparison).
For those of you who may be wondering: option A does not determine intended meaning, so if you avoided correct option D because it seemed to be too different from option A, now you know that such a choice is not necessary.
I know that in certain test prep companies, teachers still describe option A as hallowed.
It is not so.
I am glad to "see" a couple of people whom I have not seen in a while.
These answers are range from very good to excellent.
Nicely done.
21 Jan 2022, 05:19
Kudos
Bookmarks
My answer is (D). It took me 01:21.
(A) (1) Cannot compare "each room" with "smaller apartment buildings". (2) "have" in "which have" suggests that small apartment buildings own residential units. An inanimate object cannot really own something. (3) "in them" is superfluous. (4) It does not convey clear meaning, which I am not sure of until I read (D).
(B) (1) "Each room" is not parallel with "those apartments". (2) "Apart from" can mean two things: "except for" or "in addition to". It is not readily clear what meaning this sentence intends to convey. (3) Rather long sentences.
(C) (1) "Each room" cannot be contrasted with "smaller apartment buildings". （2）This sentence suggests that "each room ... must be equipped with a sprinkler system" when each room is "in contrast to small apartment buildings.". Yet the requirement should remain in effect even if "each room" is not in contrast to small apartment buildings.
(D) This is the only sentence whose meaning is clear and sensible.
(E) (1) Can "each room" do the job of "excluding those apartment buildings that have fewer than four residential units in them"? (2) "Each room" is not parallel with "those apartments". (3) "in them" is supererogatory.
(A) (1) Cannot compare "each room" with "smaller apartment buildings". (2) "have" in "which have" suggests that small apartment buildings own residential units. An inanimate object cannot really own something. (3) "in them" is superfluous. (4) It does not convey clear meaning, which I am not sure of until I read (D).
(B) (1) "Each room" is not parallel with "those apartments". (2) "Apart from" can mean two things: "except for" or "in addition to". It is not readily clear what meaning this sentence intends to convey. (3) Rather long sentences.
(C) (1) "Each room" cannot be contrasted with "smaller apartment buildings". （2）This sentence suggests that "each room ... must be equipped with a sprinkler system" when each room is "in contrast to small apartment buildings.". Yet the requirement should remain in effect even if "each room" is not in contrast to small apartment buildings.
(D) This is the only sentence whose meaning is clear and sensible.
(E) (1) Can "each room" do the job of "excluding those apartment buildings that have fewer than four residential units in them"? (2) "Each room" is not parallel with "those apartments". (3) "in them" is supererogatory.
