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Difficulty: MediumComparatives and Superlatives

Climatologists have observed that the average annual precipitation of the Amazon basin is greater then the Congo basin, sustaining an incredibly dense canopy and a vast array of unique species.

Which of the following options is the correct revision for the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    greater then the Congo basin
  2. B
    greater than the Congo basin
  3. greater than that of the Congo basinAnswer
  4. D
    more greater than that of the Congo basin

Answer

The phrase 'greater than that of the Congo basin' is the correct revision because it logically compares the average annual precipitation of the two basins using the pronoun 'that' and the correct comparative conjunction 'than' without grammatical redundancy.
The correct answer correctly uses the comparative adjective 'greater' and the conjunction 'than' to compare the precipitation of the Amazon basin to the precipitation of the Congo basin, using the singular demonstrative pronoun 'that' to refer back to 'precipitation' and ensure a logical, parallel comparison.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the two elements being compared in the sentence.
The sentence attempts to compare 'the average annual precipitation of the Amazon basin' with something related to the Congo basin.
This establishes the targets of the comparison so that their grammatical structure can be evaluated.
2
Check for logical parallelism in the comparison.
Comparing 'precipitation' (a noun representing an amount of rainfall) to 'the Congo basin' (a physical geographic region) is illogical. To make the comparison parallel, the sentence must compare 'precipitation' to the 'precipitation of the Congo basin'. This is achieved using the singular demonstrative pronoun 'that of'.
A logical comparison must compare elements of the same type.
3
Verify correct homophone usage and comparative modifiers.
The conjunction 'than' must be used for comparisons, not the adverb 'then'. Additionally, the comparative adjective 'greater' must not be paired with 'more', as 'more greater' creates an incorrect double comparative.
This ensures the sentence conforms to standard grammar rules regarding homophones and comparative forms.

Key Concept

Logical comparative structures and homophone distinction in comparisons
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Comparatives and Superlatives

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