Rule

A comparison must compare like things: a population with a population, not a population with a city.

Question

Choose the sentence that makes a logical comparison.

Options

• (A) The population of Mumbai is larger than Delhi.
• (B) The population of Mumbai is larger than that of Delhi.
• (C) The population of Mumbai is larger than those of Delhi.
• (D) The population of Mumbai is larger than Delhi's population are.

Answer

(B) The population of Mumbai is larger than that of Delhi.

Solution

1. Option A compares a population with a city, which is illogical.
2. Option B uses that of Delhi, where that stands for the population, so like is compared with like.
3. Population is singular, so those in option C is wrong. Option D uses a plural verb with a singular subject.