MNH review C question

[mike-lassen]

I am doing some self studying using Minna no Nihongo (second edition) and I have some trouble with a question in review section C.

In the sentence:

サントスさんはマリアさん___料理が上手です。

I need to find a particle after “マリアさん” that makes sense. サントス is the last name of マリア.
Is anybody able to help?

[Leebo]

You think that both names refer to the same person? That seems unlikely to me.

I don’t have Minna no Nihongo, so I can’t look at it myself.

I can think of a particle that works in that case, but it would strike me as an unnatural sentence.

[Shadkat]

I’m guessing this is a comparison sentence, if that helps narrow down your options any.

[trunklayer]

I’d say it’s より
サントスさんはマリアさんより料理が上手です。
“Santos’s cooking is better than Maria’s”
However, I’m still a beginner, so my advice doesn’t count for much…

[Kaholin]

That’s the right answer.

@mike-lassen
I looked it up in my copy of MNN. You can find the solutions to all sections at the end of the book (p.53 of the solutions).

[mike-lassen]

Thanks for the answer - that makes perfect sense . I find the thing with using “より” for comparisons a bit difficult to get into my brain.

I will look for the answer book, so I can check my answers.