A part of the following sentence is underlined. Choose the option that can replace the underlined part to improve the sentence. In case Options A, B and C are not found suitable, choose Option D: "No Improvement Required."
When scaling the Himalayas, the higher one ascends, the lesser oxygen is available.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Correct Answer
the less oxygen is available
Explanation
The sentence follows the correlative comparative structure "the + comparative..., the + comparative...", which is used to show that one change is directly related to another. Since the first part says "the higher one ascends," the second part should be "the less oxygen is available." The word "less" is the correct comparative form used with the uncountable noun "oxygen."
The other options are incorrect. "The least oxygen is available" uses the superlative form instead of the comparative. "The oxygen available is lesser" is grammatically incorrect because "lesser" is not normally used before uncountable nouns like "oxygen." "No improvement required" is incorrect because the original sentence contains a grammatical error.
Key Point
The pattern "the + comparative..., the + comparative..." is used to express a cause-and-effect relationship between two changing situations. For uncountable nouns such as water, oxygen, and money, use "less" as the comparative form, not "lesser."