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Attacking This GMAT Prep SC Question

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After several years of rapid growth, the health care company became one of the largest health care providers in the Metropolitan area, while it then proved unable to handle the increase in business, falling months behind in its payment to doctors and hospitals

(A) while it then proved unable to handle the increase in business, falling months behind in its payment to
(B) while it then proved unable to handle the increase in business and fell months behind in its payment to
(C) but then it proved unable to handle the increase in business, falling months behind in its paying
(D) but then proving unable to handle the increase in business, falling months behind in paying
(E) but then proved unable to handle the increase in business, falling months behind in paying

It's in Gmatprep, one of the hardest questions I have ever faced. Who can have the clearest answer ? I think it's all about meaning, which is sometimes above my knowledge

P?S: with each post, I will pose question against your explanation until I meet a stronger one than mine

OA is E

Here's how I went about it:

Step 1) While vs but then

I knew that the "healthcare company became one of the largest"---and then the part where it says "unable to handle the increase in business"---implies that the transition word we need is something that implies "however"

The idea is the company became really bit...BUT THEN...it couldn't handle being big.

So that's what I saw in (C), (D), and (E). I crossed off (A) and (B) for now.

Step 2) It proved Vs proving Vs proved.......
"Proving" in (D) doesn't make sense here. "but then proving unable to do blah blah blah, [something here]"
But that's not the sentence structure we see. So we know (D) is no good.

As far as "it proved" vs "proved in choices (C) and (E)---it's hard to say definitively so I keep reading the sentence.

Step 3) Looking closer at (C) and (E).
Then I notice they're trying to test me on "In its paying doctors" Vs "In paying doctors"

Well, "in its paying doctors" sounds kind of awkward. "In paying doctors" is much simpler and gets to the point

So there we have it--answer (E) but just doing a few simple thought processes the GMATPill way.

Hope that helps!

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  1. Subashri Chandramouli Subashri Chandramouli

    E is the answer: firstly because we need a contrast – huge growth, reduced sustainability – and secondly, falling behind in What? in paying

    Using interactive questions to draw the connect between units helps.
    It’s more about understanding the scenario.

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