While some may doubt the feasibility of the proposal

Question

While some may doubt the feasibility of the proposal,  it is based on empirical evidence, unlike policies resulting from either fanciful suppositions or as a result of  political whims. 
(A) it is based on empirical evidence, unlike policies resulting from either fanciful suppositions or as a result of

(B) it is based on empirical evidence, unlike policies that result from either fanciful suppositions or

(C) based on empirical evidence, unlike policies that result from either fanciful suppositions or from

(D) because it is based on empirical evidence, unlike policies that result from either fanciful suppositions or

(E) it is based on empirical evidence rather than fanciful suppositions or

abhimahna · Answer

(A) it is based on empirical evidence, unlike policies resulting from either fanciful suppositions or  as a result of  :  Either X or Y. || is broken here.

(B) it is based on empirical evidence, unlike policies that result from either fanciful suppositions or :  Correct

(C) based on empirical evidence, unlike policies that result from either fanciful suppositions or  from   : Same as A

(D)  because  it is based on empirical evidence, unlike policies that result from either fanciful suppositions or:  Run on sentence, no Independent clause.

(E) it is based on empirical evidence rather than fanciful suppositions or:  Changes the meaning and we cannot skip the comparison present in the original sentence like this. Where do we have policies in this option? Hence, incorrect

Nightmare007 · Answer

daagh  Sir,
 Why am i feeling this question is a bit awkward.

Though i understand B is right answer 
 Due to two reasons 
 - Either X or Y
 - While... because - wrong in E.
 
My doubt what does it refers to - it can refer to either the feasibility or the proposal.
 GMATNinja . ?

goforgmat · Answer

@sayantanc2k, can you please explain this one! 
 policies are being compared to a proposal? can singular items be compared to plural ones and how do we assume they are both synonymous?

sayantanc2k · Answer

Your query 1:
Yes, a singular noun can be compared to a plural noun. Consider the following:
I am not as intelligent as my brothers.

Your query 2:
No assumption is required. The sentence makes it clear that "proposal" is compared with "policies". Nonetheless ideally the modifier "unlike policies..." should touch the noun/pronoun it refers to ("proposal" / "it").

I hate maths, unlike my brother.....not preferred.
Unlike my brother, I hate maths..... correct.

GMATNinja · Answer

A few thoughts here. First, this is a non-official question, so... well, you've all read my warnings about those dozens of times by now.

Your first thought should always be that "it" refers to the most recent singular noun. And if we interpret it that way, the "it" seems to refer to "proposal" here, and that seems reasonable enough. After all, "feasibility" can't be based on "empirical evidence." But sure, pronouns often "reach farther back" into the sentence. And in this case, the pronoun could refer back to either of the singular nouns, in theory. But you don't want to be TOO mechanistic if you're worried about pronoun ambiguity. We'll post something new about this at some point in the next few months, but here's a good old thread about why pronoun ambiguity isn't an absolute rule on the GMAT: https://gmatclub.com/forum/pronoun-ambi ... 45387.html. And in this particular question, I don't see any problem with "it" at all. I hope this helps!

Bunuel · Answer

Official Explanation

Answer: B

(A) Since  from  comes before  either , you don’t require  as a result of  after  or .

(B) The correct answer.

(C) By removing  it is , the sentence becomes a fragment because there is no main verb in the sentence.

(D) Same as C.

(E) By removing the other  policies  from the sentence, the comparison gets distorted. Also, to maintain parallelism, you need to repeat  on  after  rather than .

RohitSaluja · Answer

Experts  VeritasKarishma   Bunuel , I have one query "is unlike in option B used to compare two nouns policies and political whims?"

KarishmaB · Answer

... the proposal is based on ... unlike policies that result from A or B.

Unlike is comparing "proposal" with "policies".
The sentence is telling us that the proposal is based on empirical evidence. It is not like the policies that result from suppositions or whims (no hard empirical evidence).

Pranjal1 · Answer

Please explain why D is not the right answer. It has "it is" in the answer choice.

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Hello  Pranjal1 ,

We hope this finds you well.

Option D is not correct because "While some may doubt the feasibility of the proposal", "because it is based on empirical evidence", and "unlike policies that...political whims" are all dependent clauses; thus, Option D does not form a complete sentence.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team

VerbalBot · Answer

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While some may doubt the feasibility of the proposal

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While some may doubt the feasibility of the proposal

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