Sentence Correction

One of the primary distinctions between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but in our ability to extend knowledge gained in one context to new and different ones.

A. between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but
B. between our intelligence with that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill but instead
C. between our intelligence and that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill as
D. our intelligence has from that of other primates may lie not in any specific skill as
E. of our intelligence to that of other primates may lay not in any specific skill but
I understand all other points which need to be considered in this question. My question is about the choice D. The explanation on OG is "without so much, which is used in (C), as seems to introduce a comparison for specific skill rather than a distinction". Can you explain more about the "so much as" and "as"?
Thanks in advance!

1. In option C, the phrase not so much in any specific skill as in our ability uses the form NOT SO + ADJECTIVE (OR ADVERB) + AS. In this case, this form does not introduce a comparison between different things. Rather, it introduces a nuance. It says that a distinction does not really lie in specific skills: it lies in a more general ability.

Here is another example: Some people eat not so much to satisfy hunger as to avoid it. In other words, the objective of eating is not really one thing but rather another. The sentence distinguishes between two objectives but does not really compare them.

2. In option D, on the other hand, the phrase not in any specific skill as in our ability seems to want to make a (quite inept) comparison between SKILL and ABILITY, as the Official Guide suggests - though of course if such a comparison really were the objective here, it would have to be made differently. The construction in option D does not succeed in making the comparison that the OG points to.

3. I think that a simpler way to look at this would be to say that NOT ... AS should be NOT ... BUT: this construction would then be grammatically correct and would provide a comparison, but in doing so would alter the meaning of the sentence as expressed in option A and in the correct option.

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there is no distiction from
distinction between a and b

is idiom

Crystal W wrote:My question is about the choice D. The explanation on OG is "without so much, which is used in (C), as seems to introduce a comparison for specific skill rather than a distinction". Can you explain more about the "so much as" and "as"?
Thanks in advance!

D: One of the primary distinctions our intelligence has...may lie not in any specific skill.
Conveyed meaning:
In all likelihood, our intelligence has a distinction not attributable to any specific skill.

OA: One of the primary distinctions between our intelligence and that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill as in our ability to extend knowledge.
Conveyed meaning:
In all likelihood, our superior intelligence can be attributed MORE to our ability to extend knowledge THAN to any specific skill.

D does not convey the intended comparison.
Eliminate D.

GMATGuruNY wrote:

Crystal W wrote:My question is about the choice D. The explanation on OG is "without so much, which is used in (C), as seems to introduce a comparison for specific skill rather than a distinction". Can you explain more about the "so much as" and "as"?
Thanks in advance!

D: One of the primary distinctions our intelligence has...may lie not in any specific skill.
Conveyed meaning:
In all likelihood, our intelligence has a distinction not attributable to any specific skill.

OA: One of the primary distinctions between our intelligence and that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill as in our ability to extend knowledge.
Conveyed meaning:
In all likelihood, our superior intelligence can be attributed MORE to our ability to extend knowledge THAN to any specific skill.

D does not convey the intended comparison.
Eliminate D.

Thank you so much!

fabiocafarelli wrote:1. In option C, the phrase not so much in any specific skill as in our ability uses the form NOT SO + ADJECTIVE (OR ADVERB) + AS. In this case, this form does not introduce a comparison between different things. Rather, it introduces a nuance. It says that a distinction does not really lie in specific skills: it lies in a more general ability.

Here is another example: Some people eat not so much to satisfy hunger as to avoid it. In other words, the objective of eating is not really one thing but rather another. The sentence distinguishes between two objectives but does not really compare them.

2. In option D, on the other hand, the phrase not in any specific skill as in our ability seems to want to make a (quite inept) comparison between SKILL and ABILITY, as the Official Guide suggests - though of course if such a comparison really were the objective here, it would have to be made differently. The construction in option D does not succeed in making the comparison that the OG points to.

3. I think that a simpler way to look at this would be to say that NOT ... AS should be NOT ... BUT: this construction would then be grammatically correct and would provide a comparison, but in doing so would alter the meaning of the sentence as expressed in option A and in the correct option.

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Thank you so much!

Hello Everyone!

Let's tackle this question, one issue at a time, and narrow it down to the correct answer quickly! To start, here is the original question with any major differences between the options highlighted in orange:

One of the primary distinctions between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but in our ability to extend knowledge gained in one context to new and different ones.

(A) between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but
(B) between our intelligence with that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill but instead
(C) between our intelligence and that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill as
(D) our intelligence has from that of other primates may lie not in any specific skill as
(E) of our intelligence to that of other primates may lay not in any specific skill but

After taking a quick look over the options, here are some things we can focus on to narrow down our choices:

1. between / our intelligence has / of our intelligence (Wordiness/Meaning)
2. with / and / from / to (Idioms/Meaning)
3. lay / lie (Word Usage/Meaning)
4. but / but instead / as (Word Usage/Idioms)

#3 on our list (lay vs. lie) will eliminate 2-3 options right away, so let's start there. Lay and lie are tricky to remember, even for native English speakers, so here is a refresher:

Lay = to put down or place an object (I will lay my book down on the desk.)
Lie = to rest or recline (I will lie in bed until I feel better.)

When in doubt, replace the word "lay" or "lie" with it's intended meaning. If it works, you're using the right word. If it doesn't, then you'll need to change it. Here is how it would work in this sentence:

Lay = One of the primary distinctions between our intelligence with that of other primates may put not so much in any specific skill but in our ability to extend knowledge gained in one context to new and different ones.

Lie = One of the primary distinctions between our intelligence with that of other primates may rest not so much in any specific skill but in our ability to extend knowledge gained in one context to new and different ones.

(A) between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but
(B) between our intelligence with that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill but instead
(C) between our intelligence and that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill as
(D) our intelligence has from that of other primates may lie not in any specific skill as
(E) of our intelligence to that of other primates may lay not in any specific skill but

We can eliminate options A & E because they use the word "lay" instead of "lie."

Next, let's focus on #1 and #2 on our list because they go together. We need to make sure we're using idioms correctly and using concise language whenever possible.

(B) between our intelligence with that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill but instead

This is INCORRECT because the idiom "between X from Y" is wrong. It should be "between X and Y."

(C) between our intelligence and that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill as

This is CORRECT! It uses the correct idiom structure "between X and Y."

(D) our intelligence has from that of other primates may lie not in any specific skill as

This is INCORRECT because it uses an incorrect idiom! The appropriate idiom structure here would be either "distinction between X and Y" or "distinction of X from Y." This sentence uses "distinction X has from Y," which is wrong.


There you have it - option C is the correct choice! It uses "lie" instead of "lay" and uses proper idiom structures!


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