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12 Days of Christmas 🎅 GMAT Competition with Lots of Questions & FunEarthquakes, the most frequent natural disaster in Japan, strike the 430 inhabited Japanese islands approximately 1,500 times per year, causing significant structural
damage, and they cost the nation $70 billion in repair costs and lost productivity every year.
(A) damage, and they cost the nation $70 billion in repair costs and lost
(B) damage, so as to cost the nation $70 billion in repair costs and lost
(C) damage and thus cost the nation $70 billion in repair costs and lost
(D) damage that costs the nation $70 billion in lost repair costs and
(E) damage, which thus costs the nation $70 billion in lost repair costs and
Experts' Global Official Explanation:
Meaning + Modifiers + PronounsUnderstanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of the crucial part of this sentence is that the earthquakes cause significant structural damage that costs the nation $70 billion dollars in repair costs and decreased productivity every year.
A. This answer choice suffers from pronoun ambiguity; it is unclear whether the pronoun “they” refers to the noun “earthquakes” or the noun “islands”.
B. This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “so as to”; the construction of this phrase incorrectly and illogically implies that the earthquakes cause damage for the purpose of costing the nation $70 billion in repair costs and lost productivity; the intended meaning of the sentence is that the earthquakes cause significant structural damage that costs the nation $70 billion dollars in repair costs and decreased productivity every year.
C. Correct. This answer choice correctly uses the phrase “and thus cost the nation” and correctly uses “lost” to modify “productivity”, conveying the intended meaning of the sentence- that the earthquakes cause significant structural damage that costs the nation $70 billion dollars in repair costs and decreased productivity every year. Further, Option C is free of pronoun ambiguity as it directly modifies “earthquakes” with the phrase “and thus cost the nation”. Further, the usage “and thus” aptly conveys the intended cause-effect relationship.
D. Trap. This answer choice incorrectly uses “lost” to modify “repair costs”, illogically implying that the damages contribute $70 billion to “lost repair costs and productivity”; the intended meaning of the sentence is that the earthquakes cause significant structural damage that costs the nation $70 billion dollars in repair costs and decreased productivity every year.
E. This answer choice incorrectly uses “lost” to modify “repair costs”, illogically implying that the damages contribute $70 billion to “lost repair costs and productivity”; the intended meaning of the sentence is that the earthquakes cause significant structural damage that costs the nation $70 billion dollars in repair costs and decreased productivity every year.
C is the best answer choice.____________________________
Video Explanation: