Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
wild_desperado wrote:
Added to the increase in hourly wages requested last July, the railroad employees are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits.
(A) Added to the increase in hourly wages requested last July, the railroad employees are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits.
(B) Added to the increase in hourly wages which had been requested last July, the employees of the railroad are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits.
(C) The railroad employees are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits added to the increase in hourly wages that were requested last July.
(D) In addition to the increase in hourly wages that were requested last July, the railroad employees are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits.
(E) In addition to the increase in hourly wages requested last July, the employees of the railroad are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits.
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Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this sentence is that in addition to the increase in hourly wages that they requested last July, the employees of the railroad are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits.
Concepts tested here: Subject-verb Agreement + Modifiers + Meaning + Redundancy/Awkwardness • In a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun; this is one of the most frequently tested concepts on GMAT sentence correction.
• When the chronology is clear because of terms such as "before/after/when/earlier/later"…or because of clear mention of dates, use past perfect tense is not required, though not incorrect either.
A: This answer choice incorrectly uses “Added to the increase in hourly wages requested last July” to modify “the railroad employees”, illogically implying that the railroad employees were added to the increase in hourly wages; the intended meaning of this sentence is that in addition to the increase in hourly wages that they requested last July, the employees of the railroad are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits; remember, a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.
B: This answer choice incorrectly uses “Added to the increase in hourly wages which had been requested last July” to modify “the employees of the railroad”, illogically implying that the railroad employees were added to the increase in hourly wages; the intended meaning of this sentence is that in addition to the increase in hourly wages that they requested last July, the employees of the railroad are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits; remember, a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun. Further, Option B redundantly uses the past perfect tense verb "had been requested" alongside the phrase "last July"; remember, when the chronology is clear because of terms such as "before/after/when/earlier/later"…or because of clear mention of dates, use past perfect tense is not required, though not incorrect either. Additionally, Option B uses the needlessly wordy phrase "which had been requested", leading to further awkwardness.
C: This answer choice incorrectly uses the plural verb “were” to refer to the singular noun “increase”. Further, Option C uses the passive voice construction “expanded program of retirement benefits added to the increase in hourly wages”, rendering it needlessly indirect.
D: Trap. This answer choice incorrectly uses the plural verb “were” to refer to the singular noun “increase”. Further, Option E uses the needlessly wordy phrase “that were requested last July”, leading to awkwardness.
E: Correct. This answer choice correctly uses the singular verb “requested” to refer to the singular noun “increase”. Further, Option E avoids the modifier error seen in Options A and B by using “In addition to the increase in hourly wages requested last July” to modify the clause “the employees of the railroad are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits”, conveying the intended meaning of the sentence- that in addition to the increase in hourly wages that they requested last July, the employees of the railroad are now seeking an expanded program of retirement benefits. Additionally, Option E is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.
Hence, E is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Phrase Comma Subject" and "Subject Comma Phrase" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
To understand the concept of "Past Perfect Tense" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team