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Difficulty: Very hardComparatives and Superlatives

Which words correctly complete the comparative and superlative structures in the passage below? Complete the passage by writing the correct word or phrase in each blank.

Answer:Of the three classical composers of the era, Mozart possesses the 【most】 diverse symphonic catalog; however, when comparing only Mozart and Haydn, Haydn's development of the string quartet format is considered more innovative 【than】 【that of】 Mozart.

Answer

The passage is correctly completed with 'most' in the first blank, 'than' in the second blank, and 'that of' in the third blank.
The correct response completes the sentence logically and grammatically. The first blank requires the superlative 'most' because it compares three classical composers. The second blank requires the comparative conjunction 'than' to complete the comparison introduced by 'more innovative.' The third blank requires the pronoun phrase 'that of' to refer back to the singular noun 'development,' which prevents an illogical comparison between a musical development and a person.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the first blank to determine whether a comparative or superlative form is required.
The sentence begins with the phrase 'Of the three classical composers,' indicating a comparison among three entities. Therefore, the superlative modifier 'most' is required to describe the degree of diversity in Mozart's catalog.
Superlative forms are used when comparing three or more items, whereas comparative forms are used for exactly two items.
2
Analyze the second blank to identify the correct comparative conjunction.
The phrase 'more innovative' introduces a comparison between two items (Haydn's development and Mozart's development). The standard comparative conjunction 'than' is required to link the compared elements.
'Than' is the correct conjunction for comparisons, whereas 'then' is an adverb of time and is a common homophone error in comparative structures.
3
Analyze the third blank to resolve the logical comparison.
The subject being compared is 'Haydn's development' (a singular noun phrase). Comparing 'Haydn's development' directly to 'Mozart' (the person) is illogical. To make the comparison parallel and logical, we must use the singular pronoun phrase 'that of' to refer back to 'the development of.'
Illogical comparisons occur when a specific attribute or possession of one entity is compared directly to another whole entity rather than to the corresponding attribute of that entity.

Key Concept

Comparatives and Superlatives, Logical Comparisons, Homophones
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Topics

Comparatives and Superlatives

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