I absolutely agree that the answer is B.

But I have some doubts about ellipsis here.

B. attraction, itself more attractive to tourists than are its ornate stained-glass windows.
- change order of "are" is in compliance with ellipsis rule. So, the answer is perfect.

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But now let's check D again:
D. attraction, being more attractive to tourists than its ornate stained-glass windows.

Answer D omits "to be" verb but is this omission justifiable in the prepositional phrase "than its ornate stained-glass windows"?

Ellipsis allows to omit words when the tense is similar. Tense here is similar but not the number. In other words, "IS" is not equal to "ARE".

Can somebody comment this point? Can we also eliminate answer D due to ellipsis rules not only due to usage of being ?

g_beatthegmat wrote:Q: Constructed with the finest Italian marble, the floor of the church is its greatest attraction and is more attractive to tourists than are its ornate stained-glass windows.

A. attraction and is more attractive to tourists than are its ornate stained-glass windows.
B. attraction, itself more attractive to tourists than are its ornate stained-glass windows.
C. attraction, itself more attractive to tourists as are its ornate stained-glass windows.
D. attraction, being more attractive to tourists than its ornate stained-glass windows.
E. attraction as it more is attractive to tourists than are the church�s stained-glass windows.


Spoiler: B
Source: Kaplan 800, 2008 edition

Why B ??

Thanks,
G

Option B is incorrect as it has reference error. In fact non of the options is correct.

Folks, please do not study this problem as it is not representative of an official GMAT problem.

The Iceman wrote: Option B is incorrect as it has reference error. In fact non of the options is correct.

The Iceman, could you please detail what exactly you do not like in answer B?

Plus, my post was not about correctness of answer B but about usage of ELLIPSIS in D.

challenger63 wrote:

The Iceman wrote: Option B is incorrect as it has reference error. In fact non of the options is correct.

The Iceman, could you please detail what exactly you do not like in answer B?

Plus, my post was not about correctness of answer B but about usage of ELLIPSIS in D.

B seems to suggest that the floor itself has stained-glass windows.

The intended comparison should be between church's floor and church's stained-glass windows

challenger63 wrote: Answer D omits "to be" verb but is this omission justifiable in the prepositional phrase "than its ornate stained-glass windows"?

Ellipsis allows to omit words when the tense is similar. Tense here is similar but not the number. In other words, "IS" is not equal to "ARE".

Can somebody comment this point? Can we also eliminate answer D due to ellipsis rules not only due to usage of being ?

The omission of 'are' in option D distorts the meaning.

It makes the sentence mean as if the floor is more attractive to 'tourists' than the floor is attractive to 'ornate stained-glass windows'.