Comparison Questions in GMAT Sentence correctionComparisons are a special kind of parallel structures, where in two things or more than two things are compared. In comparison, the physical form and logic play important roles. The essence of comparison is that it compares two equal things or concepts or attributes. Obviously one can’t compare apples with oranges.
The important thing here is to know that a comparison exists, which is identified by spotting such cue words as - Like, unlike, liken in, more than, greater than, less than, shorter than, better than, different from, as, as (and) as, as many as, as much as, as few as, as little as, in contrast with, in comparison to, in comparison with etc. Upon finding a comparison, one must find out the things that are compared and then see if the comparison is expressed in parallel terms both with regard to structure and meaning.
Some important tips:
Comparison between two things and among more than two things
When comparison involves two things, the comparative form of the adjective or adverb should be used.
Eg.: He is taller than my brother.
When more than two things are involved in the comparison use the superlative form of comparison
Eg: He is the tallest among the three brothers.
LIKE
Like and as are not interchangeable in meaning. Like is used to compare two nouns while as is used to compare clauses. This means that as is used to compare two phrases or sentences with a minimum of a verb. Like is also very often misused to mean E.g.
Wrong: GMAT includes modules like Sentence Correction, Reading Comprehension etc.,
Correct: GMAT includes modules such as Sentence Correction, Reading Comprehension etc.
Another important factor is that in comparisons one must compare people with people, people's qualities with people's qualities
Eg: Wrong: China's Population is larger than India.
Correct: China's population is larger than India's.
Eg: Wrong: People in Europe are taller than Japan
Correct: People in Europe are taller than (people) in Japan
When you compare non-countable things use the expressions - such as - as much as, as little as, less than, lesser than etc. When you compare countable nouns, use comparisons such as - as many as, as few as, more than, greater than, fewer than etc.
In the case of comparisons that involve only two factors, the preposition “between” should be used and where more than two factors are involved “among” must be used.
EXAMPLES
1. Wrong: The jewelry stacked in the back room was more attractive than the show case
Correct: The jewelry stacked in the back room was more attractive than that in the show case
2. Wrong: In contrast to the comedienne in the film, who drew no laughter, the antics of the Villain entertained the viewers greatly.
Correct: In contrast to the comedienne in the film, who drew no laughter, the villain entertained the viewers greatly.
3. Wrong: As with other students who studied privately, Tom missed being with his friends in the classroom.
Correct: Like other students who studied privately, Tom missed being with his friends in the class room.
4. Wrong: Tom could climb the hill faster than his brothers
Correct: Tom could climb the hill faster than did his brothers
5. Wrong: There are equivalent number of people in the A section as there are in the B section
Correct: There are as many people in the A section as there are in the B section
6. Wrong: Most of the viewers did not enjoy the dance likening it to moving limbs in an aerobic exercise.
Correct: Most of the viewers did not enjoy the dance likening it to the movement of limbs in an aerobic exercise
7. Wrong: Owning a large car is still Tom's goal, like his parents when they were his age.
Correct: Owning a big car is still Tom's goal, as it (owing a big car) was his parents' when they were his age.
8 Wrong: Like an ageing actress on the stage, the Hostess's facial makeup was somewhat gaudy.
Correct: Like that of an ageing actress on the stage, the Hostess's facial makeup was somewhat gaudy.
9. Wrong: Five times more people attended the seminar this year than last year.
Correct: Five times more people attended the seminar this year than did last year.
10. Wrong: Tom went to bed early because his desire to perform well in the TOEFL exam next morning was greater than seeing the late night movie.
Correct: Tom went to bed early because his desire to perform well in the TOEFL exam next morning was greater than to see the late night movie.
11. Wrong: Shankar decided to use his own credit card but not his wife's cheque to pay for his dress purchase.
Correct: Shankar decided to use his own credit card rather than his wife's cheque to pay for his dress purchase.
12. Wrong: Paving the road with tar costs twice as much as cement.
Correct: Paving the road with tar costs twice as much as paving the road with cement.
13. Wrong: Tom went home for vacation longer than his friends.
Correct: Tom went home for vacation longer than did his friends.
14. Wrong: The classroom containing forty students was divided among 25 wanting a holiday on the New Year day and 15 not wanting the holiday.
Correct: The classroom containing forty students was divided between 25 wanting a holiday on the New Year day and 15 not wanting the holiday.
15. Wrong: Detective novels by Agatha Christie have more complicated plots than Hadlee Chase.
Correct: Detective novels by Agatha Christie have more complicated plots than those by Hadlee Chase
16. Wrong: Tom scored more marks than any person in the class
Correct: Tom scored more marks than did any other person in the class
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