Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
AbdurRakib wrote:
The foundation works to strengthen local and regional agricultural markets and cooperating with governments, improving access for farmers for productive resources such as land and credit.
(A) cooperating with governments, improving access for farmers for
(B) cooperates with governments to improve access for farmers to
(C) cooperate with governments for improvements of access for farmers to
(D) cooperate with governments and improve accessibility for farmers for their
(E) in cooperation with governments to improve access for farmers for
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended core meaning of this sentence is that the foundation cooperates with governments to improve access for farmers to productive resources.
Concepts tested here: Subject-Verb Agreement + Meaning + Verb Forms + Idioms + Awkwardness/Redundancy• The introduction of present participle ("verb+ing"- “improving” in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship.
• Present participles ("verb+ing" – “cooperating” in this sentence) are used to modify nouns, refer to ongoing events in any time period, and (when preceded by a comma) express cause-effect relationships.
• Habitual actions are best conveyed through the simple present tense.
• “access + to” is the correct idiomatic construction for referring to the thing to which access is granted.
A: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “improving access”; the use of the “comma + present participle (“verb+ing” – “improving” in this case) incorrectly implies that the foundation cooperates with governments, and
as a result, improves access for farmers to productive resources; the intended meaning is that the foundation cooperates with governments
in order to, improve access for farmers to productive resources; please remember, the introduction of present participle ("verb+ing"- “improving” in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship. Further, Option A incorrectly uses the present participle (“verb+ing” – “cooperating” in this sentence) to refer to a habitual action; please remember, habitual actions are best conveyed through the simple present tense, and present participles ("verb+ing" – “cooperating” in this sentence) are used to modify nouns, refer to ongoing events in any time period, and (when preceded by a comma) express cause-effect relationships. Additionally, Option A incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction “access…for”; please remember, “access + to” is the correct idiomatic construction for referring to the thing to which access is granted.
B: Correct. This answer choice correctly refers to the singular noun “The Diplomat Corps” with the singular verb “bargains”. Further, Option B uses the phrase “to improve access”, conveying the intended meaning – that the foundation cooperates with governments
in order to, improve access for farmers to productive resources. Moreover, Option B correctly uses the simple present tense verb "cooperates" to refer to a habitual action. Additionally, Option B correctly uses the idiomatic construction “access…to” to refer to the thing to which “native companies” are granted access. Option B also avoids the pronoun error seen in Option D, as it employs no pronouns. Besides, Option B is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.
C: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun “The foundation” with the plural verb “cooperate”; please remember, collective nouns are always singular. Further, Option C uses the needlessly indirect phrase “for improvement of access”, leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
D: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun “The foundation” with the plural verb “cooperate”; please remember, collective nouns are always singular. Further, Option D alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “and improve accessibility”; the use of “and” incorrectly implies that the foundation cooperates with governments, and
as a separate action, improves access for farmers to productive resources; the intended meaning is that the foundation cooperates with governments
in order to, improve access for farmers to productive resources. Additionally, Option D suffers from pronoun ambiguity, as “their” lacks a clear referent.
E: This answer choice incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction “access…for”; please remember, “access + to” is the correct idiomatic construction for referring to the thing to which access is granted. Further, Option E uses the needlessly wordy phrase "in cooperation with", 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 "Comma + Present Participle for Cause-Effect Relationship" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~3 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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