management decisions.

[vishubn]

One study found that although government policy and the industrial sector in which a company operates can influence its productivity and financial strength, management decisions have at least as great an impact on a company’s performance.

management decisions have at least as great an impact

decisions by management have a great impact

manager decisions impact greatly

decisions by a company’s management impact greatly

what a company’s management decides has a greater impact

Answer explanation mentions about "at least as great an impact". is this ok?

[ashish.jere]

(A)

watch for answer choices that end with ''impact". that is what we need.

[ronak_svit]

Comparison is needed. So its between A and E.
I prefer E than A. OA and OE pls?

[wsypinero]

The sentence states that management decision is greater than or equal to gov policy and industry sector. E, states that management decision is greater than gov policy and industry sector. The answer should be a.

[RonPurewal]

One study found that although government policy and the industrial sector in which a company operates can influence its productivity and financial strength, management decisions have at least as great an impact on a company’s performance.

management decisions have at least as great an impact

decisions by management have a great impact

manager decisions impact greatly

decisions by a company’s management impact greatly

what a company’s management decides has a greater impact

Answer explanation mentions about "at least as great an impact". is this ok?

yep, this is a valid form of writing comparisons in which two things have equal magnitude: "as ADJ a NOUN".
that book really moved me emotionally; in the twenty years since i read it, no other book has had as powerful an effect on me.

is this your only question regarding this problem?

[anoo.anand]

what is wrong with (E) -- is it just removed beacus it is little wordier ?

[gorav.s]

Ron,

Generally we use the whole expression - "as great as" or "as much as ". Hence A was looking not as promising earlier.

Although I can see if we use this expression here , sentrence will be complex.

Please clarify.

[RonPurewal]

what is wrong with (E) -- is it just removed beacus it is little wordier ?

it is wordy and awkward, yes. but there's also the issue of changed meaning.

the original says "at least as great". that's the equivalent of saying ">" in mathematical symbols.
choice (e) says "greater than", which is like saying ">".
these aren't the same; that's a fatal shift in meaning.

[SofronieD789]

Hello experts,
I encountered this problem in CAT EXAM #5.
I don't understand the usage of "although" in correct choice A.

According to Collins Dictionary, there are 4 sorts of usage of "although".
1. CONJUNCTION
You use although to introduce a subordinate clause which contains a statement which contrasts with the statement in the main clause.
Although he is known to only a few, his reputation among them is very great.
Although the shooting has stopped for now, the destruction left behind is enormous.
2. CONJUNCTION
You use although to introduce a subordinate clause which contains a statement which makes the main clause of the sentence seem surprising or unexpected.
Although I was only six, I can remember seeing it on TV.
Although he was twice as old as us, he became the life and soul of the company.
3. CONJUNCTION
You use although to introduce a subordinate clause which gives some information that is relevant to the main clause but modifies the strength of that statement.
He was in love with her, although he did not put that name to it.
4. CONJUNCTION
You use although when admitting a fact about something which you regard as less important than a contrasting fact.
Although they're expensive, they last forever and never go out of style.
Although not ideal, this attitude is not entirely destructive.

I cannot find any of these fit the usage of "although" in choice A.

In addition, according to SC strategy 6th of Manhattan:
Pay attention to the meaning of the chosen word. If the word indicates a contrast, for example, then make sure the sentence actually conveys a contrast: Wrong: Although the economy is strong, the retail industry is doing well.

My question is:
How can "although" introduce a comparison in same direction and without contrast?

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

To be clear, the word 'although' introduces a subordinate clause:

One study found that although government policy and the industrial sector in which a company operates can influence its productivity and financial strength, management decisions have at least as great an impact on a company’s performance.

I would say that this example fits neatly into type 4 of your definitions (admitting a fact about something which you regard as less important than a contrasting fact).

In simpler terms, the sentence is saying that government policy and the industrial sector have an influence on companies, but management decisions also have an influence that is the same or bigger. Here's another example of that use of 'although': Although I really like chocolate, my favorite dessert is lemon cheesecake.

[SofronieD789]

Hi Sage,
Thanks for your help, but I am still confused.

In type 4, we still have "a contrasting fact." I can get the contrasting ideas in the examples provided by you and Collins.
Although I really like chocolate, my favorite dessert is lemon cheesecake.
Although they're expensive, they last forever and never go out of style.
Although not ideal, this attitude is not entirely destructive.

But in this question, we have "although A and B do something, C also does so". I can't get any "contrasting idea" here.
That two people/things do same thing is a similarity not contrast, right?
We use "and", "also", "like", "likewise", "in addition to" etc. to express a similarity, not "but", "otherwise", "however", "nevertheless" etc., right?

If the usage of "correct choice" is correct, why is "although the economy is strong, the retail industry is doing well" wrong? (given we have same structure "although the economy does something, the retail industry does so" here.)

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

No need to quote my post in your reply.

Yes, the use of 'although' can be quite subtle. It rests on the expectations that the reader might have. For example (correct):
Although it was raining, we went to the park.
Here, we might imagine that if it was raining, then we'd stay at home or do something inside. However, we actually went to the park, some sort of surprise given the weather. I'll let you think about what sort of contrast we've got here.

In the GMAT problem above, we're told that 'government policy and the industrial sector in which a company operates can influence its productivity and financial strength'. Okay, we've got two influences on the company. We might think that these external factors are the most important influences on a company. However (and here's the "contrast"), these factors are actually equal or less important to 'management decisions'. In this scenario, we can imagine the reader thinking 'which factor has the biggest influence on a company?'. I agree that the contrast is not a really strong one: the sentence would be okay something like this: 'There are several factors that influence a company's performance: ....'

This is kind of similar to what you see in Critical Reasoning with 'counterpoint' in an argument. The form 'Although X, Y.' gives some evidence (X) against Y, then says that the evidence isn't very strong. For example, 'Although he's very good at soccer, he didn't make the team.' The first part 'he's very good at soccer' makes the reader expect he might make the team, i.e. it's evidence against (counterpoint) the second part.

In the example "although the economy is strong, the retail industry is doing well", the first part is actually evidence for the second part. If the economy is strong, then we'd expect the retail industry to do well. So the word 'although' doesn't work here; it would be more logical to use 'because'.

[SofronieD789]

Hi saga,

Thanks for your patient explanation. I got my scorce 720 (Q50 V35) today in China. Thank you, thank Ron, thank Manhattan.

I finished Manhattan CAT #1-5, and I kept V36+ with 80+ percentile. I am not satisfied with my real verbal score, which is just in the 76 percentile, since I thought I could get V40+.

Nevertheless, 720 is enough for me to apply for European programs. All in all, this journey of GMAT is over.

Once again, thank you, thank Ron, thank Manhattan.

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

That's great news - congratulations! I'm really glad to hear that. All the best for your applications and future studies.