BTGmoderatorDC wrote: ↑

Tue May 02, 2023 12:55 am

Researchers discovered that the failure of legislation passed in 1936 in France to improve the working conditions of bakers was due more to the fear that large conglomerates would gain footholds in small communities than to any inherent problem in the legislation.

(A) more to the fear that large conglomerates would gain footholds in small communities than to any

(B) to the fear that large conglomerates could gain footholds in small communities than to any

(C) because of the fear that large conglomerates could gain footholds in small communities and also because there were

(D) more to fearing that large conglomerates could gain footholds in small communities than any

(E) because there was more of a fear that large conglomerates could gain footholds in small communities than to any


OA A

Source: Princeton Review

I need to choose the correct phrasing to complete the sentence. I'm torn between options A and B. Option A says "more to the fear," while option B says "to the fear."

I feel like the word "more" makes it sound stronger, so I'm leaning towards option A. But I'm not sure what the actual rule is.

Any insights would be really helpful.

Let's analyze why answer choice (A) is correct:

(A) "more to the fear that large conglomerates would gain footholds in small communities than to any"

This choice effectively communicates the intended meaning and maintains parallel structure. The phrase "more to" is correctly followed by the noun "fear," and "than to any" appropriately concludes the comparison. The use of "would gain" implies potentiality, which fits the context of the sentence.

Now, let's discuss why the other options are incorrect:

(B) "to the fear that large conglomerates could gain footholds in small communities than to any"

While this choice uses "to the fear," it changes "would" to "could," altering the meaning slightly. Additionally, "could gain" suggests a possibility but lacks the specificity of "would gain," which is more appropriate in this context.

(C) "because of the fear that large conglomerates could gain footholds in small communities and also because there were"

This option introduces unnecessary complexity with the phrase "and also because there were." Additionally, "because of" does not fit well in the sentence structure and makes the sentence less concise.

(D) "more to fearing that large conglomerates could gain footholds in small communities than any"

This choice uses "fearing" instead of "the fear," which changes the meaning and structure of the sentence. Additionally, "than any" lacks clarity and does not provide a clear comparison.

(E) "because there was more of a fear that large conglomerates could gain footholds in small communities than to any"

Similar to (D), this option introduces unnecessary complexity with "there was more of a fear." Additionally, "than to any" is not as concise and clear as "than to any" used in (A).

Overall, (A) maintains clarity, conciseness, and parallel structure, making it the correct choice.

Bernard Baah
MS '05, Stanford
GMAT and GRE Instructor
MapAdvantage Prep
https://mapadvantagegmat.com