The use of "equivalent" and "equal"---Ca

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The use of "equivalent" and "equal"---Ca

by amysky_0205 » Wed Dec 12, 2012 7:20 pm
According to a study by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, companies in the United States are providing job training and general education for nearly eight million people, about equivalent to the enrollment of the nation's four-year colleges and universities.

(A) equivalent to the enrollment of
(B) the equivalent of those enrolled in
(C) equal to those who are enrolled in
(D) as many as the enrollment of
(E) as many as are enrolled in

OA: E

can someone explain this in detail!!! thank u so much (:

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by GMATGuruNY » Thu Dec 13, 2012 5:24 am
According to a study by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, companies in the United States are providing job training and general education for nearly eight million people, about equivalent to the enrollment of the nation's four-year colleges and universities.
(A) equivalent to the enrollment of
(B) the equivalent of those enrolled in
(C) equal to those who are enrolled in
(D) as many as the enrollment of
(E) as many as are enrolled in
OA is E . Can someone explain this ?
In A and B, equivalent is the wrong word. EQUIVALENT means equal in value. Eight million people cannot be equal in value. Eliminate A and B.

In C, eight million PEOPLE cannot be equal. A NUMBER can be equal; the people themselves cannot. Eliminate C.

In D, an enrollment cannot be MANY. Many can refer only to a noun that is countable. An enrollment is an AMOUNT -- a non-countable noun. Eliminate D.

The correct answer is E.

The OA employs ELLIPSIS, the omission of words whose presence is understood:
Companies in the United States are providing job training for nearly eight million people, about as many [PEOPLE] as [ARE] enrolled in the nation's four-year colleges and universities.
The bracketed words are omitted, but their presence is understood.

For more on the use of equivalent, check my post here:

https://www.beatthegmat.com/equivalent-o ... 98380.html
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by aman88 » Thu Dec 13, 2012 7:20 am
Cool explanation, Mitch. I've jotted it down in my 'SC essentials' notebook. Thanks for all the help. :)