Employment costs rose 2.8 percent in the 12 months

[RonPurewal]

Can did be replaced with had been in choice A?

no.

Moreover, is ,less than used here as appositive?

i have no idea what the correct terminology is.

as long as you understand how the modifier works, the terminology is irrelevant and cannot possibly help you understand how the sentences work (and can very possibly cause unnecessary confusion and difficulty).

[Crisc419]

"slightly less then they did..." must modify "rise" not "2.8 percent"

It's not necessary to make this distinction. As long as you understand that ...
... last year, they rose by 2.8%,
... this year, this rose by a lower percentage,
you're good.

The 2.8% is the amount of the "rise", so there's no point in trying to separate those two.

In this question, i can not figure out what "slightly less than....“ is modifying
1/ rose
2/2.8 percent

if "slightly less than....“ is modifying 2.8 percent, why choice D is wrong.

could you clarify for me?

thanks in advance

Cris

[RonPurewal]

In this question, i can not figure out what "slightly less than....“ is modifying
1/ rose
2/2.8 percent

^^ you literally quoted the answer to this.
but, if you need to stick that on something more exact, then realize that you can actually attach that modifier to "rose": the costs rose slightly less than...

that modifier STANDS FOR the 2.8-percent figure, but it's most directly modifying the word "rose", because it's saying how much the costs rose.

[Crisc419]

In this question, i can not figure out what "slightly less than....“ is modifying
1/ rose
2/2.8 percent

^^ you literally quoted the answer to this.
but, if you need to stick that on something more exact, then realize that you can actually attach that modifier to "rose": the costs rose slightly less than...

that modifier STANDS FOR the 2.8-percent figure, but it's most directly modifying the word "rose", because it's saying how much the costs rose.

Thanks a lot, Ron.

Cris

[RonPurewal]

you're welcome.

[NehaM981]

[redacted]

[RonPurewal]

• please do not post any OTHER problems on the thread for a specific problem. every problem should have its own thread.

• the problem you posted is from the Official Guide. please do not post ANY OG problems, or any parts thereof, on this forum—per express request of GMAC.

thank you.

[jabgt]

if choice D said 'less' it would be fine. the only problem with that choice is that 'lower' cannot modify actions.

Dear Ron Sir,

Thank you so much for the awesome explanations! I've been stuck in this problem for a couple of hours by trying understanding the reasons stated until I read this one -- I thought I have, each by each, followed all your explanations, which also inspire me to pay attention to certain key points I had missed, but meanwhile I knew I still lacked one puzzle so import that I would almost definitely fail the same kind problems next time. Thank you for being so patient to share your wisdom with us!

[RonPurewal]

you're welcome.

[ashish-mohan]

Hi Ron, in one of your posts above, you have mentioned that the following sentences are correct:

this number is lower than that other number
this percentage is lower than that other percentage (like the example here)
this interest rate is lower than that other interest rate

Can you confirm that we can also use "less" in each of these sentences?

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

No, we can't use less in these cases. When we measure something with a number (i.e. we could put it on a scale), then higher and lower are the comparative words we need to use. Less has a whole bunch of uses, but here are the main ones:
To compare uncountable nouns: There is less water in this glass than in that one.
To add to longer adjectives to make comparatives: The house is smaller and less comfortable than the other one.
To use with verbs to compare actions: Costs rose less this year than they did last year.

[ashish-mohan]

Thanks. This is very helpful.

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

[ashish-mohan]

Hi Sage Pearce-Higgins, a quick follow up. This is a correct sentence:

In 1979 lack of rain reduced India's rice production to about 41 million tons, nearly 25 percent less than the 1978 harvest.

Isn't this sentence comparing two numbers (rice production in two years). So, according to the discussion above, should it now have been "lower" (rather than "less")?

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

This comparison is a confusing one, making it a good trap on a GMAT question. If the sentence were a simple comparison between the numbers, then 'lower' would be correct:

41 is a lower number than 50.

If we were comparing amounts of rice, or using a verb, then less would be correct.

41 tons of rice is less than 50 tons.
This person works less than that person.

However, don't forget that 'less' has other uses. Here the comparison involves a percent, and we'd usually say '25 percent less', even if we're talking about numbers. For example:

60 is 40 percent less than 100.

However, note that GMAT isn't testing you on lower / less here, but a much cruder point. Also, although it's a good idea to understand why correct answers are correct, don't waste your time trying to prove the test wrong.