Sentence Correction

When drive-ins were at the height of their popularity in the late 1950's, some 4,000 existed in the United States, but today there are less than one-quarter that many.

A. there are less than one-quarter that many
B. there are fewer than one-quarter as many
C. there are fewer than one-quarter of that amount
D. the number is less than one-quarter the amount
E. it is less than one-quarter of that amount

Let's discuss this sentence again.

I know some knows the use of Amount. Why is "as many" correct. Can some experts explain in details?

Thanks.

B is correct...!

imo B

fewer is better for comparision

Experts, please come and solve this question.

Thanks.

gmat_perfect wrote:Experts, please come and solve this question.

Thanks.

The answer is B.

A) We are comparing number of drive-ins, which is countable noun, so we have to use fewer. Less is used for uncountable nouns. So A is ruled out.

B) Just like "twice as many", "one-quarter as many" is idiomatic. B correctly uses fewer.

C) Plain awkward.

D & E) It is using less. So wrong.

I thought along the same line as Mohit11. C is somewhat deceiving with the phrase "that of " ; however, amount - uncountable quantity- is not an acceptable substitute for number - countable quantity.

gmat_perfect wrote:When drive-ins were at the height of their popularity in the late 1950's, some 4,000 existed in the United States, but today there are less than one-quarter that many.

A. there are less than one-quarter that many
B. there are fewer than one-quarter as many
C. there are fewer than one-quarter of that amount
D. the number is less than one-quarter the amount
E. it is less than one-quarter of that amount

Let's discuss this sentence again.

I know some knows the use of Amount. Why is "as many" correct. Can some experts explain in details?

Thanks.

Can we have a source that confirms " one-quarter as many" as correct idiom ?

hardik.jadeja wrote:

gmat_perfect wrote:Experts, please come and solve this question.

Thanks.

The answer is B.

A) We are comparing number of drive-ins, which is countable noun, so we have to use fewer. Less is used for uncountable nouns. So A is ruled out.

B) Just like "twice as many", "one-quarter as many" is idiomatic. B correctly uses fewer.

C) Plain awkward.

D & E) It is using less. So wrong.

Hardik correct idiom is " twice as many as"

Also "some 4000" is countable ?

Please correct me if I am wrong.

nikhilkatira wrote: Hardik correct idiom is " twice as many as"

Also "some 4000" is countable ?

Please correct me if I am wrong.

Let me put a take-away collected from Ron's post:
Idioms : "Twice as many.." , " One-quarter as many..", " Fewer than one-quarter as many.."

"As many " need not be followed by "as" if you have already mentioned the data elsewhere in the sentence.

Ex- There were once 20 shirts on this shelf, but,now,barely half as many are left. - Data "20 shirts" is present in the first half of the sentence,so its not mentioned again.

Ex - There are barely half as many shirts on this shelf as there were last week. - here second " as " is needed to complete the comparison point.

gmat_perfect wrote:When drive-ins were at the height of their popularity in the late 1950's, some 4,000 existed in the United States, but today there are less than one-quarter that many.

A. there are less than one-quarter that many
B. there are fewer than one-quarter as many
C. there are fewer than one-quarter of that amount
D. the number is less than one-quarter the amount
E. it is less than one-quarter of that amount

Let's discuss this sentence again.

I know some knows the use of Amount. Why is "as many" correct. Can some experts explain in details?

Thanks.

I have solved this question in the following way:

1. "LESS" is used for uncountable nouns, not for countable nouns. Example: Less water, less oil.
=> This rule eliminates A.

2. "AMOUNT" is used for uncountable nouns. Example: The amount of water in this pond is enough.
=> This rule eliminates C, D, and E.

The remaining option is B, which is the answer.

nikhilkatira wrote: Hardik correct idiom is " twice as many as"

Also "some 4000" is countable ?

Please correct me if I am wrong.

Here you go buddy.

Ron's explanation: https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/pos ... tml#p24247