Hi,

I came across this question with the answer below.

I thought that the answer should be as many as instead of as much as since 15 percent is countable. However, the answer explanation seems to focus on the uncountable aspect of population.

If I come across a question, " 15 percent of apples", do I use "as much as" or "as many as"?

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Qn) Poor weather in early 14th-century Europe created meager harvests, causing the result of mass starvation in some areas and the elimination of as many as 15 percent of the population.

Ans: resulting in mass starvation in some areas and the elimination of
as much as