MGMAT SC from CAT

[student22]

Like other performance indicators, the growth rate of a start-up business is generally related to the amount of time and resources dedicated to the endeavor.

1. Like other performance indicators, the growth rate of a start-up business is generally related to the amount of time and

2. Just like other performance indicators, the growth rate of a start-up business is generally related to the amount of time and

3. Like other performance indicators are, the growth rate of a start-up business is generally related to the amount of time and number of

4. As other performance indicators are, the growth rate of a start-up business is generally related to the amount of time and

5. As other performance indicators are, the growth rate of a start-up business is generally related to the amount of time and number of

OA: E


Basically, I picked A, but the explanation that MGMAT gives is that resources needs "number of" since they're countable. But I disagree with that statement, resources are not countable.

Resource is a very abstract concept like time or food. You can't say "a number of food", so how can you say "a number of resources". Or you can't go into a store and say, give me "ten resources". Can anybody clarify?

[grockit_andrea]

You can't say "a number of food," but you CAN say "a number of foods," plural, to indicate that there were many kinds of food. E.g., "There were a number of foods at the banquet: salads, prime rib, pie..." The same is true of resources; you wouldn't say "number of resource," but you would say, for example, "He devoted a number of resources, such as time, energy, and technical skills..." The implication is not that there is a great amount of some specific resource, but that there are numerous different resources.

[student22]

Thanks andrea, that makes more sense than how the official explanation worded it. I didn't differentiate between food/foods and resource/resources, when as your example sentences showed, I should have.