TOEFL Structure Explanations

All questions and explanation were written by Erin Billy and are copyright Erin Billy.

Original TestMagic Question

221. The farther an object from the surface of a planet, ______ .

O it weighs the lesser
O the less it weights
O the less its weight
O it weighs less

C is the best answer.

TestMagic Explanation

Remember this sentence to help you remember the rule:

The bigger, the better.

This question is testing you on the "the + comparative... the + comparative..." pattern.

• Please note that this is the only type of sentence that appears on the TOEFL Structure section that does not contain a verb.
• the less it weighs would also be correct (if we had that as an answer choice).

C is incorrect because it lacks the the, which is a necessary part of this grammar pattern. C would be correct if it were rewritten like this: the less it weighs.

A is incorrect first because the order of the words is wrong, and second, because lesser is the wrong word to use in this sentence with this meaning. lesser means inferior.

Finally, B is incorrect because it uses the noun weight instead of the verb weighs. B would be correct if it were rewritten like this: the less it weighs.

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