Comparison Contrast Texts

Respuesta correcta: A) Cycling is inexpensive but unsuitable for long distances

• A) Cycling is inexpensive but unsuitable for long distancesThe text pairs the advantage of cycling with its limitation, which is the contrast the whole sentence set builds.
• B) Buses are more frequent than carsThe text states that buses run less often, which is the opposite of this claim.
• C) Cars are cheaper than busesCost is never compared between cars and buses in the text.
• D) Parking is easier for cyclists than for driversThe amount of parking at the destination is mentioned, but nothing compares its convenience.

Respuesta correcta: D) However

• A) Therefore'Therefore' introduces a consequence and would not signal opposition.
• B) For example'For example' introduces an illustration of the point just made.
• C) As a result'As a result' introduces a result, which is not the relation between the two clauses.
• D) However'However' introduces a contrast between two feeding habits after a sentence establishing similarity.

Respuesta correcta: B) The markets differ in hours and in numbers of visitors but not in price

• A) The afternoon market opens earlier and charges moreThe afternoon market opens later and prices are equal, so both halves of the last option are wrong.
• B) The markets differ in hours and in numbers of visitors but not in priceThe option captures both stated differences and the one stated similarity in prices.
• C) The morning market is cheaper and busier than the afternoon oneThe prices are the same, and the morning market has fewer visitors rather than more.
• D) The two markets are identical in every respectThe markets clearly differ in opening hours and in attendance.

Respuesta correcta: B) A difference from the version being compared with

• A) A comparison of pricesPrice is not mentioned in the sentence.
• B) A difference from the version being compared with'Unlike' sets this version apart from the previous one, which is the function of the word.
• C) A similarity between the two versionsA similarity would be introduced by 'like' or 'similarly'.
• D) A cause of one of the differencesNo causal relation is expressed between the versions.

Respuesta correcta: C) The effect of the programme was sustained in one school but not in the other

• A) The programme succeeded in both schoolsThe second school's result plateaued, which is not the same as sustained success.
• B) The schools had identical resultsThe two patterns are clearly not identical.
• C) The effect of the programme was sustained in one school but not in the otherContinuous gains and an initial rise followed by a plateau are different patterns, so the durability of the effect differed.
• D) The programme failed in both schoolsOne school improved throughout, so a claim of failure everywhere is wrong.

Respuesta correcta: D) It presents each as strong on one dimension and weak on another, leaving the choice open

• A) It declares the bus the better option without qualificationThe advantage of the train over the bus is stated explicitly, which rules out an unqualified verdict for buses.
• B) It claims that the two options are equivalentThe text states differences rather than equivalence.
• C) It shows that the train serves the whole networkThe train is said to serve only two lines, which is the opposite of the last option.
• D) It presents each as strong on one dimension and weak on another, leaving the choice openCoverage and speed are given as advantages of different options, so neither is presented as simply better.

Respuesta correcta: D) It marks a limit to the similarity established in the first sentence

• A) It confirms the similarity with further examplesA confirming marker would be 'indeed' or 'likewise', not 'however'.
• B) It introduces a reason for the similarityNo causal link between the two samples is asserted.
• C) It summarises both sentencesA summary would gather the content rather than oppose it.
• D) It marks a limit to the similarity established in the first sentenceThe contrast shows that agreement on small samples does not extend to larger ones.

Respuesta correcta: D) It compares duration and expresses the improvement as a ratio

• A) It compares cost and expresses the improvement as a percentageNo cost figure appears in the text at all.
• B) It compares reliability and expresses the improvement as a marginAccuracy and error margins are not discussed.
• C) It compares popularity and expresses the improvement as a rankingNo measure of popularity is mentioned.
• D) It compares duration and expresses the improvement as a ratioBoth figures are times, and the ratio between four hours and ninety minutes is the basis of the comparison.

Respuesta correcta: B) To show that the answer depends on which measure is used

• A) To prove that the wet forest is richer in every respectThe dry forest recovered faster, so the last option does not follow.
• B) To show that the answer depends on which measure is usedWhen two valid measures point in opposite directions, a single verdict depends on the reader's choice of indicator.
• C) To demonstrate that the two forests are identicalThe text reports different results, which is the opposite of identity.
• D) To suggest that one of the measurements was wrongNothing suggests that any measurement was faulty.

Respuesta correcta: B) Treating figures from the two periods as directly comparable

• A) Using the figures from after March onlyDiscarding the later figures would remove the very period the text is discussing.
• B) Treating figures from the two periods as directly comparableDifferent areas in the two periods mean the counts are not measuring the same thing.
• C) Publishing any figures for the yearThe caution is about comparability, and the text still supplies figures for the year.
• D) Redrawing the boundaries againNo suggestion to change the boundaries appears in the passage.

Respuesta correcta: B) The extra teaching hours were the main factor associated with the larger gain

• A) Three hours a week is the ideal amount of teaching everywhereOne instance cannot establish an ideal amount for every school.
• B) The extra teaching hours were the main factor associated with the larger gainWith materials and training held constant, the one varying feature is the extra hours, so the difference points to them.
• C) The school with better teaching is always more successfulA general claim about teaching quality is broader than a comparison between two schools.
• D) The materials were of no use in either schoolBoth schools received the same materials, so their value is untested rather than shown to be nil.

Respuesta correcta: A) To evaluate both options using stated criteria without selecting one

• A) To evaluate both options using stated criteria without selecting oneWeighing stated factors while declining to choose is the standard form of an evaluative conclusion in a comparison.
• B) To announce the better option after presenting bothA declared winner is explicitly excluded by the description.
• C) To repeat the description of the first modelThe final section evaluates rather than redescribes.
• D) To explain how the two models were builtConstruction details belong to an earlier section, and the described final section does not address them.

Respuesta correcta: C) The stated pairwise contrasts are accurate, and a third factor decides the choice

• A) The text argues that comfort matters more than price and speedThe text reports how users decided rather than arguing that comfort should dominate.
• B) The text shows that price and speed are the only criteria consideredThe final sentence explicitly introduces a factor beyond price and speed.
• C) The stated pairwise contrasts are accurate, and a third factor decides the choiceThe two sentences form a consistent cost and speed trade-off, and the last sentence adds a criterion outside it.
• D) The text is self-contradictory because it gives two comparisonsTwo comparisons of different dimensions are consistent rather than contradictory.

Respuesta correcta: A) It acknowledges the one case where the advantage was least, which strengthens the claim

• A) It acknowledges the one case where the advantage was least, which strengthens the claimNoting the smallest margin where the gain is smallest shows the writer checked the claim in every case rather than selecting favourable ones.
• B) It undermines the claim by showing that the model failed at one siteA small margin is still an advantage and does not amount to failure.
• C) It explains why the first model was replacedNothing in the sentence explains why one model was replaced.
• D) It reports a statistical test that failedNo statistical test is mentioned anywhere in the text.

Respuesta correcta: C) The two comparisons may not be based on the same meaning of the term, so they may not be comparable

• A) The text repeats the same evidence twiceRepetition would be a stylistic issue and is not described here.
• B) The text should have used more technical vocabularyTechnical vocabulary is not a requirement of a valid comparison.
• C) The two comparisons may not be based on the same meaning of the term, so they may not be comparableIf the defining terms shift between the two comparisons, the results belong to different questions and cannot simply be set beside each other.
• D) The second comparison is too long to be read carefullyLength is a reading concern rather than a logical defect in the comparison.

Respuesta correcta: C) It establishes that the legal texts are similar and leaves open whether the longer application has worked better

• A) It shows that the two countries chose the law for the same reasonsNo reasons for either decision appear in the text.
• B) It establishes that the law will work better in this countryNothing in the passage predicts future performance here.
• C) It establishes that the legal texts are similar and leaves open whether the longer application has worked betterThe similarity of the legal texts is stated, and the difference in duration is given without any outcome evidence.
• D) It establishes that the policy has succeeded here because it worked elsewhereA comparison of texts says nothing about results, since no outcome from the other country is reported.

Respuesta correcta: D) By contrasting uniformity with variation across the province

• A) By contrasting the wet season with the dry seasonThe dry season appears only as the reference point for the wet one, not as the second item of the contrast.
• B) By contrasting the north with the southThe regional difference is a detail within the wet season rather than the contrast itself.
• C) By contrasting the length of the two seasonsNo duration of either season is given anywhere in the text.
• D) By contrasting uniformity with variation across the provinceThe dry season is treated as starting uniformly while the wet season varies by region, and that difference is the contrast being drawn.

Respuesta correcta: A) That demand and staffing both rose, and that the text does not say whether they rose together

• A) That demand and staffing both rose, and that the text does not say whether they rose togetherTwo figures presented without comment permit only a description of both, not a relation between them.
• B) That the clinic became badly understaffed during the periodBoth figures rose, so a claim of understaffing is not supported.
• C) That the additional family was caused by the new member of staffA causal link in that direction requires evidence the text does not supply.
• D) That staffing levels are unrelated to demandThe text neither establishes nor denies a relationship, and it certainly does not state one.

Respuesta correcta: C) A quantitative contrast within a shared feature

• A) A temporal contrast between an earlier and a later versionNo dates or order of release appear in the text.
• B) A contrast of tone between the two versionsNothing in the passage concerns tone or writing style.
• C) A quantitative contrast within a shared featureBoth share the same feature, and the difference is the numerical limit applied to it.
• D) A contrast between two entirely different applicationsThe two versions perform the same function and differ only in detail, so they are not different applications.

Respuesta correcta: A) The conclusion follows from the praise but ignores any difference between the two cases

• A) The conclusion follows from the praise but ignores any difference between the two casesIf both films are described almost identically, no dimension has been offered on which one could differ.
• B) The review praises two films and therefore cannot be balancedDescribing two films in similar terms is exactly what supports the conclusion, so it is not a criticism of balance.
• C) The review should have chosen one film instead of describing bothA comparison requires both cases to be described, and the review does that.
• D) The word 'negligible' is not an acceptable English word'Negligible' is a standard English word meaning too small to matter.