Although the towers appear identical

[ParthJ26]

Dear Instructors,

Hi.

MGMAT 6th edition Sentence Correction Strategy Guide Pg 103 Q 13

1. Although the towers appear identical, the west tower is the tallest, standing 16ft. taller than the east tower. INCORRECT.

2. Although the towers appear identical, the west tower stands 16ft. taller than the east tower. CORRECT.

Explanation: since the sentence compares only two items - the west tower and the east tower - use the comparative form - taller rather than tallest.

I have a doubt here.

Why should I assume that there are only 2 towers?

My first thoughts on reading the question were :

1. There are many towers, and the west tower is the tallest among them.

2. East tower is the second tallest tower and the west tower is taller than the east tower by 16 feet.

Could this also be a correct interpretation? Please explain.

Would really like to know your thoughts on this.

Parth Jain

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

I agree that the error could be a little clearer in this sentence, perhaps mentioning 'two towers'. However, we need to be careful not to introduce our own assumptions that change the meaning of the sentence. There's no evidence of any more than two towers. And, if there were, we could by no means assume that the east tower is the second tallest.