Last visit was: 19 Jul 2025, 10:05 It is currently 19 Jul 2025, 10:05
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
User avatar
imnk
Joined: 22 Feb 2013
Last visit: 08 Nov 2015
Posts: 27
Own Kudos:
94
 [31]
Given Kudos: 40
Concentration: Social Entrepreneurship, Leadership
GPA: 3.08
WE:Engineering (Computer Software)
Posts: 27
Kudos: 94
 [31]
4
Kudos
Add Kudos
27
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Most Helpful Reply
User avatar
daagh
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Last visit: 16 Oct 2020
Posts: 5,264
Own Kudos:
42,348
 [5]
Given Kudos: 422
Status: enjoying
Location: India
WE:Education (Education)
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 5,264
Kudos: 42,348
 [5]
4
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
General Discussion
User avatar
dinesh86
Joined: 06 Nov 2012
Last visit: 31 Mar 2017
Posts: 100
Own Kudos:
458
 [1]
Given Kudos: 111
Status:Manager
Affiliations: Manager
Location: India
Concentration: Entrepreneurship, Sustainability
GMAT 1: 650 Q49 V29
GMAT 2: 680 Q49 V33
GPA: 3
WE:Supply Chain Management (Energy)
GMAT 2: 680 Q49 V33
Posts: 100
Kudos: 458
 [1]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
avatar
ts30
Joined: 09 Mar 2016
Last visit: 10 Oct 2017
Posts: 14
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 10
WE:Information Technology (Computer Software)
Posts: 14
Kudos: 2
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
A is using double negatives - not unlike... doesn't that make it the "not to be preferred choice"? Between A and E, I chose E.
User avatar
chetan2u
User avatar
GMAT Expert
Joined: 02 Aug 2009
Last visit: 19 Jul 2025
Posts: 11,294
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 333
Status:Math and DI Expert
Products:
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 11,294
Kudos: 41,839
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
ts30
A is using double negatives - not unlike... doesn't that make it the "not to be preferred choice"? Between A and E, I chose E.

Hi

when we are comparing two nouns, here bravery of two set of people, we should use like and not AS..
As is used for comparison of ACTIONS..

Double negation is OK. Not unlike and like mean slightly different..
degree of similarity may be more in usage of LIKE as compared to Not unlike..

Irrespective of this minute difference, it is better to use not unlike than use as incorrectly..
User avatar
mvictor
User avatar
Board of Directors
Joined: 17 Jul 2014
Last visit: 14 Jul 2021
Posts: 2,126
Own Kudos:
1,250
 [2]
Given Kudos: 236
Location: United States (IL)
Concentration: Finance, Economics
GMAT 1: 650 Q49 V30
GPA: 3.92
WE:General Management (Transportation)
Products:
GMAT 1: 650 Q49 V30
Posts: 2,126
Kudos: 1,250
 [2]
Kudos
Add Kudos
2
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
imnk
While the battalion was engaged in the Battle of the Bulge, its bravery under fire was not unlike that of its Russian counterparts, who fought off the Germans at the Siege of St. Petersburg.

(A)not unlike that of its Russian counterparts, who fought
(B)not like its Russian counterparts, who fought
(C)like its Russian counterparts and their fight
(D)like that of its Russian counterparts for fighting
(E)as that of its Russian counterparts, who fought

not unlike = like
bravery was like that (bravery) of Russians.
A looks good
B - compares bravery of the battalion with Russians. not good
C - same mistake
D - for fighting - A looks better.
E - incorrect usage of "as" in comparison.

A is the answer.
avatar
egghead2017
Joined: 07 Mar 2017
Last visit: 27 May 2018
Posts: 11
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 366
Posts: 11
Kudos: 1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
(A)not unlike that of its Russian counterparts, who fought
(B)not like its Russian counterparts, who fought ( wrong comparison)
(C)like its Russian counterparts and their fight (wrong comparison)
(D)like that of its Russian counterparts for fighting
(E)as that of its Russian counterparts, who fought
avatar
Sidharth8
Joined: 19 Oct 2018
Last visit: 17 Jun 2019
Posts: 48
Own Kudos:
GMAT 1: 730 Q49 V41
Products:
GMAT 1: 730 Q49 V41
Posts: 48
Kudos: 7
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
E is incorrect, since it uses ‘as’ to compare nouns.
B is very wrong. It completely reverses the meaning of the sentence.
C compares ‘bravery’ to ‘its Russian counterparts’.
D is correct but ‘for fighting’ seems awkward.
A is the better choice.
avatar
prakhar992
avatar
Current Student
Joined: 05 May 2019
Last visit: 26 Dec 2022
Posts: 82
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 133
Location: India
GMAT 1: 710 Q50 V35
GPA: 2.8
GMAT 1: 710 Q50 V35
Posts: 82
Kudos: 12
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
daagh
Yes, the answer is certainly A. You can confirm this from an OG 10 question given below whose OA is A. Therefore, I don’t think we need to entertain any doubts the authenticity of the double negative ‘not unlike’, since it has been already accepted by OG.

Quote:
While Jackie Robinson was a Brooklyn Dodger, his courage in the face of physical threats and verbal attacks was not unlike that of Rosa Parks, who refused to move to the back of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama.

(A) not unlike that of Rosa Parks, who refused
(B) not unlike Rosa Parks, who refused
(C) like Rosa Parks and her refusal
(D) like that of Rosa Parks for refusing
(E) as that of Rosa Parks, who refused

The problem with using ‘as’ for comparing nouns is that, it is often taken to be comparing X in the role of Y. For example, X is very good as a captain, meaning that X is very good in the role of the captain or X is very good as a finisher, meaning that he is very good in the final few slog overs. One might notice that the true essence of comparison is lost when ‘as’ is used for comparison between nouns. That is why E is not to be preferred over A.

The second point to note about this topic is that per se, the pronoun ‘its’ stands for the battalion’s. Its bravery is being compared with the bravery of Russian counterparts. It is not clear to which country does the battalion belong to. It could be Britain or France or for that matter any other country. You might see, the original OG does not mention ‘its’ and avoids the unnecessary doubts. . This is just an observation.


daagh sir. Evereything is okay, but is not the "while" creating contrast? Please explain.
User avatar
daagh
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Last visit: 16 Oct 2020
Posts: 5,264
Own Kudos:
42,348
 [1]
Given Kudos: 422
Status: enjoying
Location: India
WE:Education (Education)
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 5,264
Kudos: 42,348
 [1]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Prakhar
does it always? While I eat my breakfast, I take tea. What is the contrast here?
It is simply a declarative word meaning 'when', a marker of simultaneity
A true contrast will reflect one positive and one negative factor such as in 1. While A is good, B is bad, 'While I take whiskey normally, my brother takes only the Vodka".
--While A is good, B is good -- doesn't show any contrast.
Similarly, in the battalion case, its bravery is not in contrast to those of Russian counterparts. One is as much as those of others.

Hope this helps.
User avatar
sanjayparihar16
Joined: 12 Apr 2018
Last visit: 03 Dec 2024
Posts: 158
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 426
Posts: 158
Kudos: 144
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Official Explanation:
Read the Original Sentence Carefully, Looking for Errors:
The word "unlike" tells us that this sentence is creating a comparison. When two items are being compared, make sure they are logically similar and in parallel form. The sentence as written compares the battalion's bravery to the bravery ("that of") its Russian counterparts, which meets the requirements of a proper comparison. Presume (A) is the right choice, but look through the other choices to confirm that are no other errors that were overlooked.
Scan and Group the Answer Choices:
(B) and (C) create an invalid comparison between the battalion's bravery and its Russian counterparts, and may be eliminated immediately. It is illogical to compare bravery to people. (A), (D), and (E) all retain the correct phrase to compare the battalion's bravery to “that of its Russian counterparts” and should therefore be examined more closely.
Eliminate Wrong Answer Choices:
The phrase “for fighting” in (D) is ambiguous; exactly who fought off the Germans? Additionally, "like that of..." is stronger than the original "not unlike that.." and therefore changes the meaning of the sentence slightly. (E) uses an incorrect construction to make the comparison. It's correct to say "was like that of" or, in this case, "was not unlike that of"; it's never correct to say "was as that of."
(A) is correct.
TAKEAWAY: Comparisons are often tested on the GMAT. Look out for them, and take a moment to be clear on what exactly is being compared. Make sure the comparison is between logically similar items, and that the items are described in parallel form.
User avatar
VerbalBot
User avatar
Non-Human User
Joined: 01 Oct 2013
Last visit: 04 Jan 2021
Posts: 18,456
Own Kudos:
Posts: 18,456
Kudos: 955
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.
Moderators:
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7359 posts
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
235 posts