Whereas lines of competition are clearly defined in the more establish

Whereas lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, in the Internet industry they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete one day may be partners the next.

A. Whereas lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, in the Internet industry they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete -- The adverb 'one day' is correctly modifying the verb compete. correct choice

B. Although the lines of competition are clearly defined in industries that are more established, they are blurred and indistinct in the Internet industry, as competing companies ---The adverbial modifier 'one day' in the non-underlined part is wrongly modifying the noun companies.

C. The lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, unlike the Internet where they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete -- 1. Unparallel comparison; the Internet is being compared with 'in the more established industries'. 2. The Internet is not a place to be referred by 'where'


D. Unlike more established industries, where the lines of competition are clearly defined, they are blurred and indistinct in the Internet industry, as companies that compete ---1. where is not a place to be modified by 'where'. 2. Unparallel comparison. 'in the Internet industry' is being compared with just more established industries and not 'in the more established industries'


E. Unlike more established industries, with clearly defined lines of competition, those of the Internet industry are blurred and indistinct, as competing companies ----Unparallel comparison; of the Internet industry is being compared with just more established industries and not of the more established industries

Whereas lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, in the Internet industry they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete one day may be partners the next.

A. Whereas lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, in the Internet industry they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete
B. Although the lines of competition are clearly defined in industries that are more established, they are blurred and indistinct in the Internet industry, as competing companies
---> it would be fine if "competing companies" were " companies that compete" ...coz if not, "one day" is of no use here.

C. The lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, unlike the Internet where they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete
----> wrong comparison between "the lines of ..." and "the internet" ---> out.

D. Unlike more established industries, where the lines of competition are clearly defined, they are burred and indistinct in the Internet industry, as companies that compete
-----> same as C.

E. Unlike more established industries, with clearly defined lines of competition, those of the Internet industry are blurred and indistinct, as competing companies.
----->"those of " is " lines of competitions " ---> again, wrong comparison ---> out.

A stands fine.

Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:
Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this sentence is that lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, but in the Internet industry they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete one day may be partners the next.

Concepts tested here: Meaning + Comparison + Idioms

• “where” is only used to refer to a physical location.
• Adverbs can only modify verbs and adjectives.
• A comparison must always be made between similar things.

A: Correct. This answer choice uses the phrase "companies that compete one day"; this phrase correctly modifies the verb "compete" with "one day", which serves as an adverb here, conveying the intended meaning - that lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, but in the Internet industry they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete one day may be partners the next. Further, Option A correctly compares the lines of competition in the more established industries to the lines of competition in the Internet industry. Additionally, Option A avoids the idiom error seen in Options C and E, as it does not use the word "where".

B: Trap. This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "competing companies one day"; the construction of this phrase leads to an incoherent meaning; the intended meaning is that lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, but in the Internet industry they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete one day may be partners the next; this phrase is incoherent, as "one day" serves as an adverb in this sentence, meaning its use to modify the noun "companies" is incorrect; please remember, adverbs can only modify verbs and adjectives.

C: This answer choice incorrectly compares "the more established industries" to "the Internet"; please remember, a comparison must always be made between similar things. Further, Option C incorrectly refers to "Internet" with "where"; please remember, “where” is only used to refer to a physical location.

D: This answer choice incorrectly compares "more established industries" to "they (lines of competition)"; please remember, a comparison must always be made between similar things. Further, Option D incorrectly refers to "industries" with "where"; please remember, “where” is only used to refer to a physical location.

E: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "competing companies one day"; the construction of this phrase leads to an incoherent meaning; the intended meaning is that lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, but in the Internet industry they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete one day may be partners the next; this phrase is incoherent, as "one day" serves as an adverb in this sentence, meaning its use to modify the noun "companies" is incorrect; please remember, adverbs can only modify verbs and adjectives. Further, Option E incorrectly compares "more established industries" to "those (lines of competition)"; please remember, a comparison must always be made between similar things.

Hence, A is the best answer choice.

All the best!
Experts' Global Team

This is a comparison between the fledgling Internet industry and other industries that are more established than the Internet industry. Again logically speaking, they can only refer to the lines and not the established Industries. Although and whereas are both contrast markers and I would feel any of them is good enough.

However, we can decide this question through grammatical clues.



A. Whereas lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, in the Internet industry they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete ---'One day' is an adverb and requires a verb such as compete to modify. That is what A provides. Correct.

B. Although the lines of competition are clearly defined in industries that are more established, they are blurred and indistinct in the Internet industry, as competing companies -- The adverb ‘one day’ cannot modify 'companies', a noun.

C. The lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, unlike the Internet where they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete – The Internet is a not a physical place. ‘Where’ is not the appropriate relative pronoun to refer to ‘Internet’.

D. Unlike more established industries, where the lines of competition are clearly defined, they are blurred and indistinct in the Internet industry, as companies that compete --- Industries are not places that can be referred by ‘where’.

E. Unlike more established industries, with clearly defined lines of competition, those of the Internet industry are blurred and indistinct, as competing companies -- ‘those’ is wrong since the comparison is with Internet Industry and not those of the internet industry. In addition, competing companies 'has' modification problems as in B

The first time I saw this question, I treated "although" and "whereas" as being more or less interchangeable - they both set up the expectation of contrasting clauses. If you see this split on test day, I'd strongly encourage you to look for other decision points.

So here's another thought. In (A) we had "as companies that compete one day may be partners the next." The terms in red, "one day" and "the next" are serving as modifiers indicating the time period when an action took place. The terms in blue "compete" and "be" are the relevant actions. Looks good to me.

But contrast that with (B): "as competing companies one day may be partners the next." Now we no longer have two actions, just an adjective, "competing" and a verb "be," creating an illogical comparison in which nothing is happening in the first time period.

But for what it's worth, I suspect you're right that "although" and "whereas" aren't identical, and your example illustrates this subtlety. "Whereas he is good, he seems to be cruel," seems wrong to me, and I suspect it's because the subject is identical in both clauses. "Whereas" is a better fit when two different subjects are compared. "Whereas he is good, she is cruel." The probability that the GMAT will ever require you to be able to make this distinction is roughly 0.

I hope this helps!

OK, let me now replace the pronoun’ they’ with both the contenders

1. Whereas lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, in the Internet industry ( they) the industries are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete
A.2. Whereas lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, in the Internet industry (they) the lines are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete
Now, one can decide which is logical.
That is why, whenever, one has doubts about the relevance a pronoun, he or she should apply the replacement test and conclude

A. Whereas lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, in the Internet industry they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete - correct
B. Although the lines of competition are clearly defined in industries that are more established, they are blurred and indistinct in the Internet industry, as competing companies - continuous tense, not preferable
C. The lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, unlike the Internet where they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete - has to be internet industry not INTERNET -> changes the meaning
D. Unlike more established industries, where the lines of competition are clearly defined, they are burred and indistinct in the Internet industry, as companies that compete - Comparision of two different things. Establuished industries are compared with 'lines of competition'
E. Unlike more established industries, with clearly defined lines of competition, those of the Internet industry are blurred and indistinct, as competing companies - same as D

IMO A

A is the correct choice: Look out for quantities being compared. We are comparing lines of competition in Established industries and Internet Industry.

Reasoning:
A. Whereas lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, in the Internet industry they are blurred and in distinct, as companies that compete--Correct.

B. Although the lines of competition are clearly defined in industries that are more established , they are blurred and indistinct in the Internet threats t industry, as competing companies---Here the meaning is distorted, because of although.

C. The lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, unlike the Internet where they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete--Comparison of lines of competition and Internet. Incorrect.

D. Unlike more established industries, where the lines of competition are clearly Defined, they are burred and indistinct in the Internet industry, as companies that compete---'They' refers to more established industries and not lines of competition Incorrect.

E. Unlike more established industries, with clearly defined lines of competition, those of the Internet industry are blurred and indistinct, as competing companies ----'Those' refers to more established industries and not lines of competition Incorrect.

Hi ss18,

I would be happy to help you.


In this official sentence, we do see the structure whereas X, Y in which X and Y are parallel because both X and Y are a clause.

X = lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries,
Y = in the Internet industry they are blurred and indistinct,...

(Subjects = blue, Verbs = Green)


Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha

A. Whereas lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, in the Internet industry they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete
- more appropriate, even though not perfect IMO.
B. Although the lines of competition are clearly defined in industries that are more established, they are blurred and indistinct in the Internet industry, as competing companies
- seems to imply that the internet industry is also among the "more established" industries.
C. The lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, unlike the Internet where they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete
- should be internet industry
D. Unlike more established industries, where the lines of competition are clearly defined, they are burred and indistinct in the Internet industry, as companies that compete
- not clear what "they" refers to: industries or lines of competition
E. Unlike more established industries, with clearly defined lines of competition, those of the Internet industry are blurred and indistinct, as competing companies
- same argument as D

The first word after the comma has to be the word being modified OR have parallel reasoning.

A. Whereas lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, in the Internet industry they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete
After the comma, the sentence should speak of 'lines of competition' to maintain parallelism.
A does not do that.

C. The lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, unlike the Internet where they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete
Here, it is comparing clear definition of the 'lines of competition' with the 'internet'

D. Unlike more established industries, where the lines of competition are clearly defined, they are burred and indistinct in the Internet industry, as companies that compete
'They' does not clearly refer to the 'lines of competition'. It could also refer to industries.

E. Unlike more established industries, with clearly defined lines of competition, those of the Internet industry are blurred and indistinct, as competing companies
'Those' does not clearly refer to the 'lines of competition'. It could also refer to industries.

B. Although the lines of competition are clearly defined in industries that are more established, they are blurred and indistinct in the Internet industry, as competing companies
Correct answer.

E says: Unlike more established industries, with clearly defined lines of competition, those of the Internet industry are blurred and indistinct, as competing companies one day may be partners the next.

What does those refer to?

i) One might perhaps interpret that those refers to lines of competition. Then E would read: Unlike more established industries, with clearly defined lines of competition, lines of competition of the Internet industry are blurred and indistinct, as competing companies one day may be partners the next. At least two issues with this:

Issue 1: It is an incorrect comparison. Generally speaking, like/unlike should be between similar entities. However, here the structure is: Unlike more established industries...., lines of competition..... So, the comparison is between dis-similar entities established industries and lines of competition.

Issue 2: The sentence says: lines of competition of the Internet industry. It should actually say: lines of competition in the Internet industry (the way it is lines of competition in the more established industries)

ii) One might interpret that those refers to industries (going by the structure of option E, this is more likely to be the case). Then E would read: Unlike more established industries, with clearly defined lines of competition, industries of the Internet industry are blurred and indistinct, as competing companies one day may be partners the next. This is clearly incorrect because it suggests that industries (of the Internet industry) are blurred and indistinct, while actually lines of competition are blurred and indistinct.

p.s. Our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses issues related to comparisons in significant detail. If you can PM you email-id, I can send you the corresponding section.

Whereas lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, in the Internet industry they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete one day may be partners the next.

A. Whereas lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, in the Internet industry they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete - Correct

B. Although the lines of competition are clearly defined in industries that are more established, they are blurred and indistinct in the Internet industry, as competing companies
Two issues:
1) that are -> is not required
2) competing companies -> Not parallel with "may be partners the next"

C. The lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries, unlike the Internet where they are blurred and indistinct, as companies that compete
Two issues
1) unlike X Y
So "Lines" cannot be compared to/with internet companies.
2) The original sentence talks about Internet industries and not internet.

D. Unlike more established industries, where the lines of competition are clearly defined, they are burred and indistinct in the Internet industry, as companies that compete
Wrong comparsion -> Industries compared with/to lines

E. Unlike more established industries, with clearly defined lines of competition, those of the Internet industry are blurred and indistinct, as competing companies
Comparison should be made between industries and industries
Those refers to industries and industries of Internet industry is wrong.

Pay attention to the non-underlined phrase one day, phrase one day can not modify the noun companies --> option B is wrong; instead, phrase one day should modify the verb compete --> option A is correct.

PS: To modify a noun like companies in B, we should you an adjective or another noun. phrase one day here is an adverb.

Does all this make sense?

Neither choice (A) nor choice (B) is ideal.

In (A), the use of the pronoun "they" to refer to "lines of competition" is somehow a little off, as, ideally, "they" would refer to a specific set of lines of competition, but, in this case, "they" refers to lines of competition in general in the Internet industry without that reference's being made clear.

An analogous sentence is, "Whereas people speak Chinese in China, in the United States they speak English." What people does "they" refer to exactly?

In (B), "they" seems to refer to "the lines of competition," but "the lines of competition" mentioned are those in the more established industries, not in the Internet industry. So, in a sense, (B) conveys that "the lines of competition ... in the industries that are more established" are in the Internet industry.

Now, regarding the fact that the comparison in (A) does not line up perfectly, in (A), the use of "whereas" rather than, for instance,"unlike," indicates that we are dealing, not with a strict comparison, but with two contrasting clauses. So, the comparison does not have to line up perfectly. The two clauses have merely to present a contrast.

The comparison in (B) does seem to line up a little better than does the comparison in (A), but probably was written to sound better than (A) in order to tempt people who don't notice the key difference between the two choices.

The key difference between the two choices and the clearest reason to select (A) over (B) is that the connection between choice (B) and the non-underlined portion of the sentence is flawed, whereas choice (A) works with the non-underlined portion of the sentence, as has been discussed in previous posts.

For one thing, pronoun ambiguity (a pronoun with multiple eligible antecedents, in this case lines of competition and industries) is acceptable on GMAT. Also, generally in such sentences, what works is to split the sentence into corresponding clauses:

i) Whereas lines of competition are clearly defined in the more established industries
ii) In the Internet industry they are blurred and indistinct

lines of competition (a noun) and they (a pronoun) are subjects in their respective clauses. Hence, they would refer to lines of competition.

Nevertheless, it is not a good idea to eliminate an answer choice because of pronoun ambiguity.

p.s. Our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses the scenarios of pronoun usage, their application and examples in significant detail. If you can PM you email-id, I can send you the corresponding section.

Your understanding is in the right direction, but not exactly on the target - here "more established industries" refer to the industries that are more established than the Internet industry (not that "..more clearly defined in certain other industries than in Internet industry" - the use of "in" before "the internet industry" in your post is wrong.)

Also this example shows that a comparative adjective can used even without "than" when the comparison is implied.