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Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
honchos wrote:
A recent survey showed that while many banks have service charges on interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing accounts with balances that are falling below a set minimum, some banks provide virtually free checking regardless of the account balance.
(A) with balances that are falling below
(B) whose balances fall below
(C) whose balances fall below that of
(D) that have balances falling below that of
(E) that have balances that fall below those of
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:Understanding the intended meaning of this sentence is key to solving the question; the intended meaning of the crucial part of this sentence is that many banks have service charges on interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing accounts whose balances fall below a set minimum.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Tenses + Pronouns + Tenses + Awkwardness/Redundancy• Information that is permanent in nature is best conveyed through the simple present tense.
• The simple present continuous tense is only used to refer to actions that are currently ongoing and continuous in nature.
A: This answer choice incorrectly uses the simple present continuous tense verb “are falling” to refer to information that is permanent in nature; please remember, information that is permanent in nature is best conveyed through the simple present tense, and the simple present continuous tense is only used to refer to actions that are currently ongoing and continuous in nature. Further, Option A uses the needlessly wordy phrase “that are falling below”, leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
B: Correct. This answer choice uses the phrase “whose balances fall below”, conveying the intended meaning – that many banks have service charges on interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing accounts whose balances fall below
the set minimum itself. Further, Option B correctly uses the simple present tense verb “fall” to refer to information that is permanent in nature. Additionally, Option B avoids the pronoun error seen in Options C and D, as it employs only one pronoun – “whose” – that has a logical referent in “accounts”. Besides, Option B is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.
C: This answer choice suffers from a pronoun error, as the pronoun “that” lacks a logical referent.
D: This answer choice incorrectly uses the present participle (“verb+ing” – “falling” in this sentence) to refer to information that is permanent in nature; please remember, information that is permanent in nature is best conveyed through the simple present tense. Further, Option D choice suffers from a pronoun error, as the pronoun “that” lacks a logical referent. Additionally, Option D uses the needlessly wordy phrase “that have balances”, leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
E: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “fall below those of “; the construction of this phrase illogically implies that many banks have service charges on interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing accounts whose balances fall below
the balances of a set minimum; the intended meaning is that many banks have service charges on interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing accounts whose balances fall below
the set minimum itself. Further, Option E uses the needlessly wordy phrase “that have balances that fall”, leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
Hence, B is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Simple Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
To understand the concept of "Simple Continuous Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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