Question
Manufacturers rate batteries in watt-hours; if they rate the watt-hour higher, the longer the battery can be expected to last.
Option A
Option B
Option C
Option D
Option E
(This question is from Official Guide. Therefore, because of copyrights, the complete question cannot be copied here. The question can be accessed at GMAT Club)
Solution
Sentence Analysis
The main idea to be communicated here is that if a battery is rated higher, it is can expected to last longer. We need to find the best way to express this idea.
The error in the given sentence is that the structure of the “if clause” and of the “then clause” don’t match. One correct way could have been “if they rate the watt-hour higher, the battery can be expected to last longer.” However, the structure in the correct option i.e. option C would still be far better than this structure in terms of structure and meaning.
Option Analysis
(A) Incorrect. For the error mentioned above.
(B) Incorrect. Here “rating” is a verb-ing modifier modifying “it”, which is not referring to anything! The overall structure is non-sensical.
(C) Correct. The structure is clear, concise, and idiomatic and the meaning communicated is logical.
(D) Incorrect. The structure “the higher…” followed by a clause “it is that much…” is incorrect. Also, “it is that much longer that” is overly wordy.
(E) Incorrect. The structure “when the watt-hour…” i.e. a clause followed by “the longer it is…” is incorrect. Together with the non-underlined part, this option becomes “…the longer it is the battery can be expected to last”. As can be seen, the last part seems to have two subjects and two verbs!
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Please could you help me understand why the “Structure” of option A is incorrect
If condition…, Outcome. Here the if clause is in present tense and the outcome/then clause is also in present tense . So tense wise there is no issue.
We have a ; in the non-underlined part. Thus we need a clause after ; The “if clause” and the “then clause” both have a subject and a verb” and that’s fine.
Higher and longer are in parallel structure (written in a similar format)
Though I selected option C I wan’t sure why A is incorrect.
Shall not name the source, but somewhere I read that “The “if clause” is in active voice, but the “then clause” is in passive voice. Notice that the “if clause” can be easily written is passive voice because the “then clause” is in passive voice and falls in non-underlined portion of the sentence.”
I find the above information incorrect because we can very well have an Active voice parallel to Passive voice
I believe that the structure “the longer the x” structure can be parallel only to a similar structure such “the shorter the y”, “the more the y is done”, “the higher the likelihood is” etc. The structure cannot be parallel to a normal clause “they rate the watt-hour higher”.
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