129 comments

  • Sunday, Feb 8

    my brain hurts after all of these skill builders

    20
  • Monday, Dec 30, 2024

    For the 4th problem, I essentially flipped the things being compared and the quality by which they are being compared. I put the two things being compared as more sophisticated instruments versus what is currently available, and they are being compared on which is required to detect planets outside our solar system better. Does this still work?

    17
    Thursday, Jan 16, 2025

    I did the exact same thing lol

    1
  • Wednesday, May 14, 2025

    5/5 I ate lowkey :)

    15
  • Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024

    For question 4, "detecting planets outside our solar system requires more sophisticated instruments than are currently available", I came up with this answer:

    1) Sophisticated instruments currently available vs. sophisticated instruments currently unavailable

    2) Which one will detect planets outside our solar system

    3) Sophisticated instruments currently unavailable.

    I know it was mentioned that the answer could be broken down in multiple ways, so would this be considered correct or incorrect? It'd be great to hear from someone who got something similar or, like, an admin or something.

    15
    Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024

    that's how i broke it down. i think honestly, so long as you get the "correct" winner, it should be fine.

    6
    Sunday, Dec 29, 2024

    Oh good I did the exact same thing.

    0
    Saturday, Jan 11, 2025

    This is how I broke it down too.

    0
    Tuesday, Jun 3, 2025

    i interpreted it this way too. pretty sure this is good,

    1
  • Monday, Dec 8, 2025

    I 100% understood question 3 but it was very difficult to word this comparison using the 3 step process. I had the same issue with number 4 but my interpretation of this comparison aligned more with the second comparison.

    12
  • Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

    I don't know about others, but negative comparisons are tough for me so I like to think about it like this:

    Artists are no less politically insightful than non-artists.

    1. Acknowledge there could be a tie

    2. Switch out "no less" with "more"

    3. Then you know artists COULD be the winner

    I don't know why I just have a hard time identifying who the winner could be and if they are on the "more" or "less" side. Not sure if this makes sense to other people but wanted to put it here to see if it might help someone. :)

    12
  • Sunday, Jul 12

    I think Q4 was written SO POORLY. I interpreted it so differently. First I found there referential (are) and the referent is "the instruments that are).

    Then i read it as "Detecting planets outside our solar system requires more sophisticated instruments than [the instruments that are] currently available.

    so then I asked myself, what is the quality/characteristic? "which kind of instrument will detect planets outside our solar system?" which brings us to compare the two different kinds of instruments mentioned: more sophisticated instruments (not available) and current (less sophisticated) instruments that are already available.

    so my final answer was written like this:

    1) instruments currently available vs. more sophisticate instruments

    2) which will detect planets outside our solar system?

    3) more sophisticated instruments.

    11
    Monday, Jul 13

    @AlenaKane that's exactly what i put too, honestly i'm still confused by it

    2
    Friday, Jul 17

    @AlenaKane same here :/

    1
  • Tuesday, Jul 21

    My brain hurts

    10
    Saturday, Jul 25

    @dromadery_camel66

    ...mine too.

    1
  • Thursday, Sep 4, 2025

    Why does this not work for number 4?

    1. current instruments vs more sophisticated instruments

    2. which can detect planets outside our solar system?

    3. more sophisticated instruments

    8
    Sunday, Sep 28, 2025

    @OliviaPare This is what I had thought as well.

    1
    Thursday, Oct 16, 2025

    @OliviaPare because you're using the quality as the object of comparison. You're trying to figure out which instruments are more sophisticated. There is no quality in 'can detect planets outside our solar system' (the quality being less or more). The quality is found in 'more sophisticated', so you have to compare two objects to figure out which one wins the 'more sophisticated' contest.

    4
    Sunday, Jan 11

    @jhlaier Using numbers from the instructions: Detecting planets outside our solar system requires 2.(more sophisticated) 1.3.(instruments) than 1.(are currently available.)

    1
    Friday, Jan 16

    @OliviaPare I also had the same analysis as you! It doesn't make sense to me that it is comparing which is more sophisticated, because that is already a stated fact--the currently available instruments are less sophisticated (otherwise more sophisticated instruments wouldn't even be possible). I would love an instructor to weigh in on our thoughts!

    1
  • Tuesday, Jul 15, 2025

    When will John Thomas miss

    8
  • Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024

    'murica god bless

    8
    Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024

    VS. other shitty nation. Lmao

    6
  • Wednesday, Sep 18, 2024

    Please present the answers!

    8
  • Tuesday, Jul 1, 2025

    question 4 anyone identify A and B as " sophisticated instruments available" vs "sophisticated instruments not available" then the comparative elements would be "which can detect planets outside the solar system"

    and the "winner" was="those instruments not available

    would all this be a correct interpretation of question 4? Thank you!

    7
    Friday, Jul 11, 2025

    @lagata it seems as if there are many valid comparisons to be made in these questions. I put the same thing, I think it is an acceptable answer but it lacks level of detail that was put forth in the 7sage response. I hope someone can further explain to us if our response is plausible and if not, why so?

    0
    Tuesday, Jul 15, 2025

    @Sagacious_Saxon0424 I believe I put the same answer as you and OP—framing the comparison around their ability to detect planets outside their solar system. But after watching the explanatory video and thinking on it more, I realize that “detecting planets outside the solar system” is actually more of a conclusion we draw from the level of sophistication of each instrument.

    In other words, the real point of comparison in the stimulus seems to be how sophisticated the instruments are—not directly their ability to detect planets. That ability is just evidence of one being more advanced than the other. Definitely a subtle distinction, but a helpful one for these kinds of comparative reasoning questions.

    4
  • Thursday, Jun 26, 2025

    For question 1, why couldn't the comparison be "the winter months now" vs. "the winter months previously" (as in last winter season). I know "previously" is a very ambiguous word so how are we to decipher a previous month vs a previous series of months (last years winter season)

    7
  • Monday, Mar 10, 2025

    Question 2 stated "some artists are equally insightful as some of the non-artists -- or some of the non-artists are less politically insightful than some artists." However, I came to this conclusion: "Some artists could be equally as politically insightful or more politically insightful that some well educated persons who were not artists." Would this be the same conclusion?

    7
  • Tuesday, Apr 28

    For Q4 I did:

    Detecting planets outside our solar system requires [more sophisticated instruments than are currently available.]

    things being compared: instruments currently available vs. instruments currently unavailable

    quality being compared: more sophisticated

    the "winner": instruments currently available

    This shows that detecting planets outside our solar system requires instruments more sophisticated than currently available. Is this wrong?

    6
    Saturday, May 2

    @PowerUp_Tutoring Hi :) I put the "winner" as sophisticated instruments! I did this because to detect plants outside our solar system we would need more sophisticated instruments then those currently available. Just my thought process. I am sure there are multiple ways to break down the "winner"

    3
  • Monday, Apr 28, 2025

    I feel like this prompt leaves room for inference in a big way. I went with instruments of the future.

    Detecting planets outside our solar system requires more sophisticated instruments than are currently available.

    TBC: instruments of the future v. instruments that are currently available now

    QOC: ability to detect planets outside our solar system

    W: sophisticated instruments of the future.

    Please inlcude thoughts on this.

    6
    Sunday, May 11, 2025

    i said the same thing...this seems fair to me. maintains the truth that we do not have the ability to detect planets with what we currently have. only issue is that maybe it doesnt address the MORE sophisticated part as much. I guess that's what we're supposed to focus on here

    0
    Saturday, Jun 7, 2025

    I said the same thing, as this reminded me of question 5 of Skill Builder Comparatives 2, where we were asked to differentiate between "accustomed" and "now".

    0
  • Monday, Apr 6

    Hi! This is what I did for Q1 & Q4.

    Q1:

    1. during the winter months now vs. during the winter months in the past 

    2. during the winter months, more people frequented public places such as libraries and community centers and, on the average, spent considerably longer periods in them....

    3. people spend longer periods in "them" now 

    I thought it was referring to the winter months now, and the winter months in the past.

    Q4:

    1. sophisticated instruments vs. currently available instruments 

    2. Detecting planets outside our solar system requires (which is higher)

    3. sophisticated instruments 

    This comparison makes the most sense to me. Would this work?

    5
  • Thursday, Mar 26

    can #3 be thought of in this way?

    1. nation that has retaliatory force vs nation that has a greater retaliatory force 

    2. which maintains maximum deterrence from aggression by other nations

    3. nation that has a greater retaliatory force 

    5
  • Friday, Jan 30

    Is someone able to better explain 3 and 4? I have been doing so well with comparatives, but these have really confused me.

    5
  • Thursday, May 1, 2025

    #feedback Could the following be another way to answer Question3?

    Maintaining maximum deterrence from aggression by other nations requires that a nation maintain a retaliatory force greater than that of any other nation.

    1. Greater retaliatory force vs Lesser retaliatory force

    2. Maintaining maximum deterrence from aggression by other nations.

    3. A nation with GREATER retaliatory force

    5
    Monday, May 12, 2025

    Also curious about this. I answered it the same way.

    1
    Tuesday, May 13, 2025

    Yes I replied the same way too

    0
    Sunday, May 18, 2025

    /

    0
    Saturday, May 24, 2025

    I literally answered the same way.

    0
  • Friday, Mar 20
    1. A v. B: more sophisticated instruments v. currently available instruments

      Quality - which is required for detecting planets outside our solar system?

      Winner - more sophisticated instruments

    Could this work?

    4
    Tuesday, Mar 24

    @Sunnieqw22 This is what I put, I don't know if it's right or not but I think since this is an inferred comparison it's okay if what you pull isn't precisely what the example pulls

    1
    Monday, Apr 6

    @Sunnieqw22 That's exactly what I did and this makes the most sense to me!

    2
  • Monday, Feb 9

    ahhh number 1 got to me. The previous skill builder comparative question that dealt with a implied comparison between "what they were accustom to" and the implied "now" made me think that the comparison for number 1 was of similar usage. I was thinking "previously" compared to "now" not realizing that the "previously" is reference to the "winter months" instead implying "the months before winter months."

    4
    Saturday, Feb 21

    @DouglasNeumeyer thank you for this explanation, I was confused as well

    2
  • Friday, Jan 16

    This is how I responded to number 3, which makes the most sense to me, but it is not the same as the answer: 

    1. retaliatory force equal or less than any other nation vs retaliatory force greater than any other nation

    2. which allows for maintaining maximum deterrence from aggression

    3. have a retaliatory force greater than any other nation

    4
    Wednesday, Feb 11

    @BarbWoodward I had the same issues with question 3 and 4 too and I got the winner right in both, but my wording was off a little. I've found my wording not as specific. Although I've still considered my answers correct, since I agree and understand the video explanation.

    0
  • Friday, Jul 18, 2025

    For Question . How would one know whether "previously" refers to months before winter (like fall), or winter months in previous years? i get that its an inference but i feel like "previously" is so ambiguous it could go either way.

    4
    Friday, Jul 18, 2025

    @Nadiagvolz for Question 1

    0
    Monday, Jul 21, 2025

    @Nadiagvolz 100% agree. I struggled with this too. Would I compare other previous years versus winter months of the same year? Or is the time period decades, centuries, every 5 years? Very ambiguous

    0

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