SAT Reading & Writing: Faulty (Illogical) Comparisons
20+ practice questions in Praczo
The concept, explained
- 1
You can only compare logically equivalent things: apples to apples. You cannot compare a person to a book, or an action to an object.
- 2
"Jane's writing style is similar to Charles Dickens" compares a style to a person. It must be "similar to Charles Dickens's writing style" or "similar to that of Charles Dickens."
- 3
Look for the words "than," "like," and "as" — they signal comparisons. Immediately check what two things are on either side.
- 4
Use "that of" (singular) or "those of" (plural) to fix faulty comparisons elegantly when you want to avoid repeating the noun.
- 5
Check the number as well: "The wings of a bat are larger than a sparrow" (wings to a bird). Correct: "than those of a sparrow."
- ✗ Comparing a characteristic of something to the thing itself: "The temperature in Miami is higher than Chicago." (Temperature vs. City).
- ✗ Using "that of" for plural comparisons instead of "those of."
SAT-style practice
Which sentence makes a logical comparison?
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