GMAT comparisons although sometimes seemingly complicated, in fact are quite simple and logical.
All comparisons in the GMAT Sentence correction section follow simple rules.
Rule #1: Compare comparable items. You can’t compare the streets of NY with LA, you should compare them with the streets of LA.
What else you can do inside qs leap ?
Rule #2: use the correct comparison formulas. Use “like””unlike” “in contrast to” “in comparison with” to compare nouns and “as” to compare verb clauses.
Rule # 3: Make your comparisons parallel, meaning: use similar grammatical structures in both parts of your sentence.
Let’s consider this example from the GMAT Verbal Review 2nd edition
101. Unlike the United States, where farmers can usually depend on rain or snow all year long，rains in most parts of Sri Lanka are concentrated in the monsoon months，June to September, and the skies are generally clear for the rest of the year．
(A) Unlike the United States，where farmers can usually depend on rain or snow all year long, the rains in most parts of Sri Lanka
(B) Unlike the United States farmers who can usually depend on rain or snow all year long,the rains in most parts of Sri Lanka
(C) Unlike those of the United States, where farmers can usually depend on rain or snow all year long，most parts of Sri Lanka’s rains
(D) In comparison with the United States，whose farmers can usually depend on rain or snow all year long，the rains in most parts of Sri Lanka
(E) In the United States farmers can usually depend on rain or snow all year long, but in most parts of Sri Lanka the rains
The word “unlike” at the beginning of the sentence signals that the sentence contains a comparison. In accordance with the Rule #1 we must first identify what notions are compared and make sure they are similar and comparable. The first element of comparison (which always comes at the beginning of the sentence) is “the United States”, while the second element(which appears at the beginning of the second clause) is “rains in most parts of Sri Lanka”. These two elements cannot be compared, they are not equal. So we must find among the answer choices those comparing equal elements.
Answer choice B compares “the United States farmers” and “the rains in most parts of Sri Lanka”. These elements are incomparable, so we can dismiss this choice, it’s incorrect.
Answer choice C compares “those of the United States” and “most parts of Sri Lanka’s rains” , obviously incomparable elements (to say nothing of the pronoun “those” that has no clear reference). Incorrect again.
Answer choice D makes the same mistake as the original sentence it compares “the United States” and “rains in most parts of Sri Lanka” we’ve already discarded it as wrong.
So by the process of elimination we have dismissed all but one of the answer choices as decidedly incorrect. Let’s look at answer choice E in detail
“In the United States farmers can usually depend on rain or snow all year long, but in most parts of Sri Lanka the rains…”
First and foremost, this answer choice correctly compares the situations in the two countries, so logically the two parts are parallel. As we have two elements in the sentence, Rule#3 applies, the two parts should be grammatically parallel. In fact, both parts begin with modifiers of place “In the United States” and “ in most parts of Sri Lanka” and both are complete clauses each containing a subject and a verb. So yes, grammatically they are parallel too.
Thus, the sentence and should read:
“In the United States farmers can usually depend on rain or snow all year long, but in most parts of Sri Lanka the rains are concentrated in the monsoon months，June to September, and the skies are generally clear for the rest of the year.”
This article has been re-published as per the terms of LEAP Partners Program with Study House, Russia.
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