Sentence Correction

Today, despite widely available technology such as high-resolution scanners and printers, counterfeiting is more difficult than it was at the time of the Civil War, when it was estimated that one-third of all currency in circulation was counterfeit.

Today, despite widely available technology such as high-resolution scanners and printers, counterfeiting is more difficult than it was at the time of the Civil War, when it was estimated that one-third of all currency in circulation was counterfeit.

Despite widely available technology such as high-resolution scanners and printers today, counterfeiting is more difficult than it was at the time of the Civil War, when it was estimated that one-third of all currency in circulation was counterfeit.

Despite widely available technology such as high-resolution scanners and printers, counterfeiting is more difficult than at the time of the Civil War, when it was estimated that one-third of all currency in circulation was counterfeit.

Today, despite widely available technology such as high-resolution scanners and printers, counterfeiting is more difficult than when it was estimated that one-third of all currency in circulation was counterfeit at the time of the Civil War.

Today, because of widely available technology such as high-resolution scanners and printers, counterfeiting is more difficult than it was at the time of the Civil War, when it was estimated that one-third of all currency in circulation was counterfeit.


[spoiler]Source MGMAT test
OA: A. My answer (E)
As a non-native speaker, my understanding is that 'despite' is used as a counter-reasoning mechanism. eg. Despite our repeated efforts to save the tiger, extensive poaching has continued.
However, in the above sentence, I am confused about the use of 'despite'. To me it would have made more sense if the sentence sounded as:
Despite new methods, counterfeiting has become more prominent than it was previously. Please correct if my understanding is wrong.[/spoiler]

IMO A

Nice question.

Clearly A and E are the contenders.

Only difference between them is "despite" and "because of".

Now ask yourself whether the sentence's 1st part intends "contrast" or "causation" .

Counterfeiting is more difficult than it was at the time of the Civil War, because of widely available technology such as high-resolution scanners and printers.

Today's technology is compared with that of Past during Civil War. It is nonsensical to conclude that Today's technology made counterfeiting more difficult during Civil war.

Certainly, NO causal relation between the 1st part and the 2nd part, but rather "contradiction" is intended.

What is the difference between options A and B? Clearly, the position of "today"
was flipped further in B, paraphrased below.

A Today, despite situation X, situation Y is more difficult than it was at the time of the Civil War...
B: Despite situation X today, situation Y is more difficult than it was at the time of the Civil War...

gmatdriller wrote:What is the difference between options A and B? Clearly, the position of "today"
was flipped further in B, paraphrased below.

A Today, despite situation X, situation Y is more difficult than it was at the time of the Civil War...
B: Despite situation X today, situation Y is more difficult than it was at the time of the Civil War...

Here it is :

[b]Manhattan Gmat Forum[/b] wrote: (B) Despite widely available technology such as high-resolution scanners and printers today, counterfeiting is more difficult than it was at the time of the Civil War, when it was estimated that one-third of all currency in circulation was counterfeit.

The placement of modifier "today" is not great. It is "technology widely available today." Not just "scanners and printers today," as this seems to say. In contrast, in (A), we can appropriately read "despite widely available...scanners and printers" as an inessential modifier, and see "Today," as a modifier of the main clause "counterfeiting is (i.e. today) more difficult..."

So the error in (B) is primarily a Misplaced Modifier.

And though this is a bit of a stretch, the placement of "today" makes the parallelism in the main clause less ideal in (B) than in the original:
counterfeiting is more difficult than it was at the time of the Civil War

"was" has a time modifier to explain exactly when: "at the time of the Civil War"
"is" no longer does, now that "today" doesn't attach as cleanly to the main clause.
_________________
Emily Sledge
Instructor
ManhattanGMAT

Thanks smack.. but I am still confused! Still need help

I would also go with A because we need a contrast as latter part of the sentence says that during the war counterfeiting was possible and initial part of the sentence needs to be counter to he same,therefore we require usage of despite

However, in the above sentence, I am confused about the use of 'despite'. To me it would have made more sense if the sentence sounded as:
Despite new methods, counterfeiting has become more prominent than it was previously. Please correct if my understanding is wrong.

The sense of the sentence is "despite things which should have made counterfeiting easier, counterfeiting is now harder." The items listed are things you use to produce copies (printers and scanners), not to detect false copies.

imo A

Thanks Jim. Now I get it. I was understanding this in exactly opposite sense even after reading it a million times.

Jim@Grockit wrote:

However, in the above sentence, I am confused about the use of 'despite'. To me it would have made more sense if the sentence sounded as:
Despite new methods, counterfeiting has become more prominent than it was previously. Please correct if my understanding is wrong.

The sense of the sentence is "despite things which should have made counterfeiting easier, counterfeiting is now harder." The items listed are things you use to produce copies (printers and scanners), not to detect false copies.