Much vs many

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satishchandra: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 172; Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2011 9:10 pmFollowed by: 2 members; Thanked: 7 times

by satishchandra » Fri Nov 25, 2011 3:22 am

A report released by the American Diabetes Association maintains that much of the increase in cases of type II diabetes can be attributed to the poor eating and exercise habits of young Americans.

(A) much of the increase in cases of type II diabetes can be attributed
(B) many of the increase in cases of type II diabetes are attributable
(C) they can attribute much of the increase in cases of type II diabetes
(D) doctors attribute much of the increase in cases of type II diabetes
(E) many of the cases of increased type II diabetes can be attributed
[spoiler]OA: A[/spoiler]

Kaplan800 says 'E' is not idiomatic. Can somebody explain what is wrong with 'E'. How can we correct the error in 'E' and still write a correct sentence?

Source: Beat The GMAT — Sentence Correction | Fri Nov 25, 2011 3:22 am

kanwar86: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 99; Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 2:09 pm; Thanked: 11 times

by kanwar86 » Fri Nov 25, 2011 3:36 am

satishchandra wrote:A report released by the American Diabetes Association maintains that much of the increase in cases of type II diabetes can be attributed to the poor eating and exercise habits of young Americans.

(A) much of the increase in cases of type II diabetes can be attributed
(B) many of the increase in cases of type II diabetes are attributable
(C) they can attribute much of the increase in cases of type II diabetes
(D) doctors attribute much of the increase in cases of type II diabetes
(E) many of the cases of increased type II diabetes can be attributed
[spoiler]OA: A[/spoiler]

Kaplan800 says 'E' is not idiomatic. Can somebody explain what is wrong with 'E'. How can we correct the error in 'E' and still write a correct sentence?

Here "of the" looks redundant. Moreover, "Many" is working as an adjective here and it should directly be placed next to the noun it is modifying (cases).

Regards

Kanwar

"In case my post helped, do care to thank. Happy learning

Gotama: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 6; Joined: Fri Oct 28, 2011 4:53 am; Thanked: 1 times

by Gotama » Fri Nov 25, 2011 7:46 am

The problem with (E) is that in the fragment

many of the cases of increased type II diabetes can be attributed

What is being "increased" is the "type II diabetes"

The original meaning of the sentence was that the "increase" was in number of "cases of type II diabetes"

Therefore (E) is invalid, as it does not preserve the intended meaning of the sentence.

VivianKerr: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1035; Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:13 amFollowed by: 365 members; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 474 times

by VivianKerr » Fri Nov 25, 2011 11:18 am

Many

The word "many" is used to modify something that can be counted. There are many GMAT questions on BTG.

Much

The word "much" is used when you're modifying something that can't be counted. I have much to learn about the GMAT.

As you consider whether something is countable, be very strict. Unless you can literally count the modified word, use "much."

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mankey: Legendary Member; Posts: 627; Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2011 9:12 amFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 4 times

by mankey » Sat Nov 26, 2011 9:58 am

I am okay with A, but what is wrong with D?

Please explain.

Thanks.

Tani: Legendary Member; Posts: 1255; Joined: Fri Nov 07, 2008 2:08 pmFollowed by: 90 members; Location: St. Louis; Thanked: 312 times

by Tani » Sat Nov 26, 2011 4:52 pm

D changes the meaning of the sentence. The original sentence is telling us that the ADA is making the claim. D means that the doctors are making the claim.

Tani Wolff

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