Today, despite widely available technology

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Today, despite widely available technology

by nahid078 » Tue Jan 31, 2017 10:56 pm
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.

A) 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.

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.

C) 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.

D) 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.

E) 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.



I picked the correct answer as I found wrong in other options, but i still wonder is it not possible to compare time in this problem?

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

C would be correct if "today" weren't omitted, right?

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by fiza gupta » Wed Feb 01, 2017 3:09 am
whats OA?
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by Ali Tariq » Wed Feb 01, 2017 10:18 am
nahid078 wrote:T


I picked the correct answer as I found wrong in other options, but i still wonder is it not possible to compare time in this problem?

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

C would be correct if "today" weren't omitted, right?


No. C would still be incorrect.

Context shifts the timeframe from present to past.
This situation mandates that you repeat the verb that can express this shift appropriately.

If verb is not repeated second time in comparisons( comparitive situations), then the second part (of comparison) takes the same verb that was used in the first part of comparison.
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by Ali Tariq » Wed Feb 01, 2017 10:32 am
In short, repeat verb in appropriate tense.
Tense is determined by context.
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by Ali Tariq » Wed Feb 01, 2017 12:04 pm
However, today can be omitted from OA, and the omittion will have no effect on meaning at all.
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.
is same as
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.
In GMAT, you won't face a situation in which two answer choices differentiate on the fact that has nothing to do with grammar or meaning
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