<p>The bristlecone pine has a maximum life span of about 5,000 years, [which is much longer than] almost any other tree. </p>
<p>A which is much longer than</p>
<p>D much longer than that of</p>
<p>What’s the difference? (p.s. the answer is D)</p>
<p>It should be “tree’s” rather than tree to make A work, but, since it isn’t, D makes up for it with “than that of”. Sorry… my explanation is extremely shallow</p>
<p>That made sense since “longer” could mean a lot. That of gets straight to the point, right</p>
<p>thanks (:</p>
<p>(A) [which is much longer than] is not correct because the comparison is imprecise. Are we comparing “trees” or are we comparing lifespans of trees? As written the comparison is one between trees – lengths I suppose. Certainly not the intent. You need to compare the attribute (lifespan) of the trees.</p>
<p>so … “which is much longer than that of” would work</p>
<p>If that were the choice then both (A) and (D) would be correct. (D) would be crisper and simpler. But fortunately you don’t need to make such a subtle choice.</p>
<p>Choice a compares the lifespan of one tree to a tree in general
Ex. Today’s weather was more pleasant than Thursday.
That sentence compares a day’s weather to a day in general.</p>
<p>yeah, ^^hes right. You’re supposed to compare a trees lifespan to another trees lifespan. Not a lifespan to a tree. The “that of” part of the answer shows that the comparison is directed at the lifespan of the other tree, not the tree itself.</p>
<p>The question is asking for one to recognize the error type, Comparison.</p>
<p>This should be one of the easiest errors to spot.</p>
<p>Like others mentioned, it’s an illogical comparison. You have to compare apples to apples, oranges to oranges.</p>
<p>In choice A, you would be comparing the maximum life span to a tree (not the tree’s lifespan).</p>
<p>In choice D, you are comparing the maximum life span to THAT (life spans) of any other tree. So life span vs. life span = fine.</p>
<p>Life span vs. tree = not fine.</p>
<p>e.g. California’s hiking trails are better than Arizona. = wrong
e.g. California’s hiking trails are better than Arizona’s. = right
e.g. California’s hiking trails are better than those of Arizona. = right
e.g. California’s hiking trails are better than Arizona’s hiking trails. = right.
e.g. The hiking trails of California are better than Arizona’s hiking trails = right comparison, but sentence no longer has a parallel construction, so change to:
e.g. The hiking trails of California are better than the hiking trails of Arizona. = right</p>
<p>faulty comparison</p>
<p>A says the pine cone is longer than the tree| Pine cones can’t be longer than a tree|
D says the pine cone is longer than "that of " tree.</p>
<p>Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin used x-rays to discover the chemical structures of pencilin and vitamin B12, (winning a Noble Prize for her work)</p>
<p>whats wrong with :
-her work having won a Noble prize for her
-this work won her a Noble prize
why (winning a Noble Prize for her work)
is not a misplaced modifier since it modifies Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin</p>
<p>Acer:
- passive voice and wordiness
- comma splice</p>
<p>tehkman
isn’t (winning a Noble Prize for her work)
a misplaced modifier since it modifies Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin</p>