Cynics charge

Question

Cynics charge that Major League Baseball lobbied for stadiums with fewer seats to
reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
A. lobbied for stadiums with fewer seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
B. lobbied for stadiums with less seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
C. lobbied for stadiums that had fewer seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
D. lobbied for stadiums that had less seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
E. lobbied for stadiums that had less seats as a means of reducing supply so they could
increase ticket prices.
[spoiler]OA: A; I thought 'C' was good.
What makes 'A' better than 'C'? [/spoiler]
This question has been posted many times but not many expects have looked at it

mad2011 · Answer

satishchandra wrote:Cynics charge that Major League Baseball lobbied for stadiums with fewer seats to
reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
A. lobbied for stadiums with fewer seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
B. lobbied for stadiums with less seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
C. lobbied for stadiums that had fewer seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
D. lobbied for stadiums that had less seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
E. lobbied for stadiums that had less seats as a means of reducing supply so they could
increase ticket prices.
[spoiler]OA: A; I thought 'C' was good.
What makes 'A' better than 'C'? [/spoiler]
This question has been posted many times but not many expects have looked at it

In B, D and E, less cannot be used to refer to seats. Since the number of seats can be counted, the appropriate modifier is fewer. Eliminate B, D and E.

C changes the intended meaning: it implies that the stadiums already HAD fewer seats when Major League Baseball LOBBIED. Why would the league lobby for something that already existed? Eliminate C.

The correct answer is A.

CappyAA · Answer

Yeah, I think satishchandra is right - A is correct because the tense is off in C.

Saying "...that had fewer seats..." changes the meaning a little. It implies that there were fewer seats at these stadiums in the past, but there may no longer be fewer seats at them. A doesn't change the meaning of the sentence.

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bpdulog · Answer

Less is not appropriate since you can count the number of seats, so that kills B D and E.

C changes the meaning. It implies the MLB was lobbying for stadiums that already had fewer seats, when in fact they were lobbying for stadiums to contain fewer seats going forward.

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GMATGuruNY · Answer

satishchandra wrote:Cynics charge that Major League Baseball lobbied for stadiums with fewer seats to
reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
A. lobbied for stadiums with fewer seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
B. lobbied for stadiums with less seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
C. lobbied for stadiums that had fewer seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
D. lobbied for stadiums that had less seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices.
E. lobbied for stadiums that had less seats as a means of reducing supply so they could
increase ticket prices.
[spoiler]OA: A; I thought 'C' was good.
What makes 'A' better than 'C'? [/spoiler]
This question has been posted many times but not many expects have looked at it

In B, D and E, less cannot be used to refer to seats. Since the number of seats can be counted, the appropriate modifier is fewer. Eliminate B, D and E.

C changes the intended meaning: it implies that the stadiums already HAD fewer seats when Major League Baseball LOBBIED. Why would the league lobby for something that already existed? Eliminate C.

The correct answer is A.

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satishchandra · Answer

Not so convinced yet.

Can somebody explain how the meaning would change probably by giving some examples.
Had it been given as "lobbied for stadiums that have fewer seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices", would it have been right option to pick?

GMATGuruNY · Answer

satishchandra wrote:Not so convinced yet.
Can somebody explain how the meaning would change probably by giving some examples.
Had it been given as "lobbied for stadiums that have fewer seats to reduce supply and increase ticket prices", would it have been right option to pick?

The league WANTED stadiums with fewer seats; thus, in saying that the stadiums already HAD fewer seats, C does not convey the intended meaning.

The following would convey the proper sequence of events: the league lobbied for stadiums that WOULD HAVE fewer seats.

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