E is the right choice why?
we are comparing number of people in asia to number of people in other parts of the world, thus the use of "residents of" is wrong because the rest of the sentence doesnt use residents but uses 3.5 billion people. moreover, remembr "equivalent to" means equal value and thus does not cnvery the intended meaning. thus A, B and D are out.
C is wrong because it says 3.5 billion people equal to THOSE (what those people?), people themselves arnt equal, its the Number of people which is equal
E is the right coice, u can write this statement as "About as many People as reside in all the other areas of the world. now this statement rightly compares the number of people.

To sana

Sana.noor quote :we are comparing number of people in asia to number of people in other parts of the world, thus the use of "residents of" is wrong because the rest of the sentence doesnt use residents but uses 3.5 billion people

what makes u assume that if something is not mentioned then its considered wrong !!

the fact is E present a perfect parallelism

the Asian continent is home to over 3.5 billion people,about as many as reside in

I posted an explanation for a very similar SC here:

https://www.beatthegmat.com/carnegie-fou ... 07521.html

to aditya:
I am not assuming anything, its a matter of common sence that we are comparing number of people not residents. resident is a noun, this question compares number of people in one region to the number of people in other region. the first half of the sentecne using number of people and "residents of" cannot stand parallel to it. its wrong.

himu wrote:A booming population center, the Asian continent is home to over 3.5 billion people, about equivalent to the residents of all the other areas of the world combined.

equivalent to the residents of

the equivalent of those residing in

equal to those who reside in

as many as the residents of

as many as reside in

Hi Himu .
Is the answer D ?

Whats the OA ?

A booming population center, the Asian continent is home to over 3.5 billion people, about equivalent to the residents of all the other areas of the world combined.

equivalent to the residents of

the equivalent of those residing in

equal to those who reside in

as many as the residents of

as many as reside in

OA is E

himu wrote:A booming population center, the Asian continent is home to over 3.5 billion people, about equivalent to the residents of all the other areas of the world combined.

A. equivalent to the residents of
B. the equivalent of those residing in
C. equal to those who reside in
D. as many as the residents of
E. as many as reside in

mikemcgarry wrote:
The modifying clause that appears after the word "about" touches the word "people" and therefore should modify "people".

The word "equivalent" is a word for talking about qualitative relationships ----
Among American WWII general there was no equivalent to Pershing, the supreme Allied commander in WWI.
The word "equivalent" is not appropriate for numerical relationships --- 2 + 3 is NOT "equivalent" to 5 --- rather, 2 + 3 EQUALS 5. Do not use "equivalent" for numbers. Choices (A) & (B) are trainwreck wrong.

The problem with (C) is more subtle. Technically, the "people" in Asia are not "equal" to anything --- rather, the number of people in Asia is equal to something. As it stands, (C) is illogical and wrong. We could correct version (C) by writing ....

... to over 3.5 billion people, a number about equal to those who reside in ....

This is now grammatically & logically correct, but it's very indirect and wordy, so even this probably would not be correct on the GMAT SC.


I want to add something coming to options D and E.
people reside in means they live in, occupy or inhabit
residents of-means that "A person who lives somewhere permanently or on a long-term basis"( as per Oxford dic)

sample sentences
Citizens or permanent residents of other countries must have a valid passport and/or a valid visitor's visa.
The majority of the permanent residents are retired 'incomers' devoted to growing their own vegetables and etching.
Only four of the 10 houses on the street are now owned by long-term residents.

And this sentence compares the population(people who currently stay in) of Asian continent and that of other areas of the world combined.
So E is preferred.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

himu wrote:A booming population center, the Asian continent is home to over 3.5 billion people, about equivalent to the residents of all the other areas of the world combined.

A. equivalent to the residents of
B. the equivalent of those residing in
C. equal to those who reside in
D. as many as the residents of
E. as many as reside in

mikemcgarry wrote:The modifying clause that appears after the word "about" touches the word "people" and therefore should modify "people".

The word "equivalent" is a word for talking about qualitative relationships ----
Among American WWII general there was no equivalent to Pershing, the supreme Allied commander in WWI.
The word "equivalent" is not appropriate for numerical relationships --- 2 + 3 is NOT "equivalent" to 5 --- rather, 2 + 3 EQUALS 5. Do not use "equivalent" for numbers. Choices (A) & (B) are trainwreck wrong.

The problem with (C) is more subtle. Technically, the "people" in Asia are not "equal" to anything --- rather, the number of people in Asia is equal to something. As it stands, (C) is illogical and wrong. We could correct version (C) by writing ....

... to over 3.5 billion people, a number about equal to those who reside in ....

This is now grammatically & logically correct, but it's very indirect and wordy, so even this probably would not be correct on the GMAT SC.

I want to add something coming to options D and E.
people reside in means they live in, occupy or inhabit
residents of-means that "A person who lives somewhere permanently or on a long-term basis"( as per Oxford dic)

sample sentences
Citizens or permanent residents of other countries must have a valid passport and/or a valid visitor's visa.
The majority of the permanent residents are retired 'incomers' devoted to growing their own vegetables and etching.
Only four of the 10 houses on the street are now owned by long-term residents.

And this sentence compares the population(people who currently stay in) of Asian continent and that of other areas of the world combined.
So E is preferred.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.