SAT Grammar Question (Sentence Improvement)

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1

Employment statistics indicate that the percentage of [workers who found jobs in the fall quarter is lower than the spring].

The answer is “workers who found jobs in the fall quarter is lower than the equivalent percentage in the spring”

I marked “workers that found jobs in the fall quarter is lower than the percentage in the spring”

Why do we need the word “Equivalent”? And, doesn’t “that” in the second sentence correctly refer to “percentage”?
I’m a little confused.
Thanks!

2

without equivalent it would be a faulty comparison

3

Why a faulty comparison? The percentage in fall is being compared to the percentage in spring right?

4

If you have a moment, can you post the entire question? And where is it from?

5

@pckeller This question was given to me by a friend haha sorry don’t know where it is from. Do you know the reason for the answer though?

6

Hmm…it seems to me that:

“Employment statistics indicate that the percentage of workers who found jobs in the fall quarter is lower than the percentage in the spring”

and

“Employment statistics indicate that the percentage of workers who found jobs in the fall quarter is lower than the equivalent percentage in the spring”

would in fact both be correct. So I would be surprised if they were both actual options on a real college board question. But maybe the verbal experts here can enlighten us…

7

In reading the original post, we are given two possible answers, the one the OP says is marked correct and the one the OP says is what he feels could also be correct but is not. The one that is not correct says "workers THAT . . . " where the one that is correct says "workers WHO . . . ". The one that is correct also throws in the word “equivalent” and that word is not in the answer that is incorrect.

I think the WHO vs. THAT is the crux of the issue that made one answer wrong and one answer right.

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/who-versus-that

8

@adlgel oh okay, thanks! The use of the word “equivalent” confuses me though because it gives me the notion that the two percentages are equal :confused: