A decade after initiating the nation's most comprehensive

A decade after initiating the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program, per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined from over 125 packs annually per person to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as in the nation as a whole.

A. per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined from over 125 packs annually per person to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as

B. annual per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined from over 125 packs to about 60, more than twice as great as that

C. California's annual per capita consumption of cigarettes declined from over 125 packs per person to about 60, more than twice as great as the drop

D. California has seen per capita consumption of cigarettes decline from over 125 packs annually to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as that

E. California has seen annual per capita consumption of cigarettes decline from over 125 packs per person to about 60, more than twice as great as that

Source : Brutal SC's

Important: When a sentence begins with a with noun modifier (as it does in the original sentence), stop at the comma and ask the question that the modifier raises

So, once we read, A decade after initiating the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program, we should stop and ask . . .

"Who or what initiated the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program?"

If the sentence is properly constructed, the part that immediately follows the comma will answer that question in a logical manner.

Reading on we get...

(A) per capita consumption ...
Makes no sense. per capita consumption can't initiate an anti-smoking program.
ELIMINATE A

(B) annual per capita consumption ...
Makes no sense. annual per capita consumption can't initiate an anti-smoking program.
ELIMINATE B

(C) California's annual per capita consumption
Makes no sense. annual per capita consumption can't initiate an anti-smoking program.
ELIMINATE C

(D) California ...
Great. California could, indeed, initiate an anti-smoking program.
KEEP D for now

(E) California ...
Great. California could, indeed, initiate an anti-smoking program.
KEEP E for now

We've narrowed it down to D or E. Let's check each one.

(D) California has seen per capita consumption of cigarettes decline from over 125 packs annually to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as that
Looks fine.

(E) California has seen annual per capita consumption of cigarettes decline from over 125 packs per person to about 60, more than twice as great as that
Redundancy issue.
per capita means the same as per person
ELIMINATE E

Answer: D

Cheers,
Brent

A and B put the oer capita as a subject and this has no sense at all. After comma you need always the real subject of the sentence, who play the main role of the story

C and E have both in the sentence: per capita and per person and that is redundant.

D is the best

per capita and per person sounds repetitive...so A, C, E out.
Between B and D, D sounds more convincing...so IMO D is the answer

A decade after initiating the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program, per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined from over 125 packs annually per person to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as in the nation as a whole.

Lets break the sentence:
Phrase 1: A decade after initiating the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program
Clause 1: per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined from over 125 packs annually per person to about 60, - Per capita consumption is subject and no verb, Notice that decline is verb-ed modifier instead of a verb. A, B and C are out due to this reason. Moreover per capita consumtion did not initiated the program . So this sentence has modifier error as well.
Phrase 2 : a drop more than twice as great as in the nation as a whole
a drop..... is noun + noun modifier and can modify any entity

Per capita and per person are same and are redundant if used in same sentence to convey same thing

A. per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined from over 125 packs annually per person to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as

B. annual per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined from over 125 packs to about 60, more than twice as great as that

C. California's annual per capita consumption of cigarettes declined from over 125 packs per person to about 60, more than twice as great as the drop

D. California has seen per capita consumption of cigarettes decline from over 125 packs annually to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as that - Correct Choice

E. California has seen annual per capita consumption of cigarettes decline from over 125 packs per person to about 60, more than twice as great as that

A clever question by the test maker knowing that students will be tired after AWA, IR, Quant and lots of passages and CR in verbal.
It is hard to read all the verbal diarrhoea in this question and it is also easy to get confused.
But the correct answer can be revealed in under 30 seconds
We need a Noun that is being addressed to or modified by the starting phrase "A decade after initiating the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program,===> NOUN
Option A and B are out because they are not starting with a noun (Per capita is not a noun)
Option C,D,E can be correct because they are starting with a noun (California is a noun)
Now option C and E has error of repetition :- per capita and per persion implies the same thing.
Only D is left
CORRECT ANSWER IS D

A decade after initiating the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program, per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined from over 125 packs annually per person to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as in the nation as a whole.
A) per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined from over 125 packs annually per person to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as
B) annual per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined from over 125 packs to about 60, more than twice as great as that
C) California's annual per capita consumption of cigarettes declined from over 125 packs per person to about 60, more than twice as great as the drop
D) California has seen per capita consumption of cigarettes decline from over 125 packs annually to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as that
E) California has seen annual per capita consumption of cigarettes decline from over 125 packs per person to about 60, more than twice as great as that

I agree with the OA.
"A decade after initiating", so we need to look for someone or something initiating the program, hence rule out ABC.
Between D and E.
D is better because E is redundant.

Who has initiated the nations's most comprehensive antismoking program? California. So it is clear that the dependent clause is modifying California, whic should follow after the comma. Only D and E have this. D correctly modifies the change that has taken place (the drop from 125 packs to 60 packs). Hence it is the correct answer.

A decade after initiating the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program, per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined from over 125 packs annually per person to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as in the nation as a whole.

Meaning analysis :
A decade after the program
per capita consumption of cigarette in California has been declined.

Error analysis :
A decade after initiating the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program,
per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined from over 125 packs annually per person to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as in the nation as a whole.
Error :1.program started in past , but its effect apparent now => present perfect tense required.
2. it is not clear that comparison betn a drop and (?) in the nation .

A) per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined[/b]from over 125 packs annually per person to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as :wrong
B) annual per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined[b] from over 125 packs to about 60, more than twice as great asthat wrong
C) California's annual per capita consumption of cigarettes declined from over 125 packs per person to about 60, more than twice as great as the drop wrong
D) California has seen per capita consumption of cigarettes decline from over 125 packs annually to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as that :correct
E) California has seen annual per capita consumption of cigarettes decline from over 125 packs per person to about 60, [s]more than twice as great as :that[/s] :wrong

(A decade after)
initiating
(the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive anti-smoking program),
per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined
from over 125 packs annually per person to about 60,
a drop more than twice as great as in the nation as a whole.

After cutting the fluff:
initiating antismoking program, per capita consumption of cigarettes declined
from over 125 packs annually per person to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as in the nation as a whole.

Issues:
initiaing -> "ing modifier" needs California (noun) as subject and not "per capita" or "california's".
D vs E:
E:more than twice as great as that -. What does more point to 60 or drop.Also whats "that" refer back point to?
Wrong
D: Ambiguity of E is fixed by D by adding "a drop" which is referred back by that.
Correct.

A decade after initiating the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program, per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined from over 125 packs annually per person to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as in the nation as a whole.

(A) per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined from over 125 packs annually per person to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as

(B) annual per capita consumption of cigarettes in California declined from over 125 packs to about 60, more than twice as great as that

(C) California's annual per capita consumption of cigarettes declined from over 125 packs per person to about 60, more than twice as great as the drop

(D) California has seen per capita consumption of cigarettes decline from over 125 packs annually to about 60, a drop more than twice as great as that

(E) California has seen annual per capita consumption of cigarettes decline from over 125 packs per person to about 60, more than twice as great as that


The first part of the sentence says that - A decade after initiating the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program,
Who/ What initiated the nation’s most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program- Is it California or is it per capita consumption of cigarettes in California? It’s the former. Hence it has to be placed right after the modifier. Hence A, B, and C are out.

Option D- Correct

Option E- California has seen annual per capita consumption of cigarettes decline from over 125 packs per person to about 60, more than twice as great as that. - Redundancy, "more than twice as great as that" what does this refer to- It should be- a drop, more than twice as ..
Incorrect

Vishnupriya
CrackVerbal Prep Team

Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

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 a decade ago, California initiated the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program and has seen per capita consumption of cigarettes decline from over 125 packs annually to about 60, and this drop is more than twice as great as that in the nations a whole.

Concepts tested here: Meaning + Modifiers + Comparisons + Awkwardness/Redundancy

• In the “phrase + comma + noun” and “noun + comma + phrase” constructions, the phrase must correctly modify the noun; this is one of the most frequently tested concepts on GMAT sentence correction.
• Comparisons can only be made between similar things.

A:
1/ This answer choice incorrectly uses "A decade after initiating...program" to modify "per capita consumption of cigarettes in California", illogically implying that the per capita consumption of cigarettes in California initiated the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program; the intended meaning is that California, itself, initiated the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program; in the “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.
2/ Option A incorrectly compares the "drop" in annual per capita cigarette consumption in California to the prepositional phrase "in the nation as a whole"; remember, comparisons must always be made between similar things.
3/ Option A redundantly uses the phrase "per capita" alongside the phrase "per person", rendering it awkward and needlessly wordy; this usage is redundant, as both phrases convey the same meaning.

B:
1/ This answer choice incorrectly uses "A decade after initiating...program" to modify "annual per capita consumption of cigarettes in California", illogically implying that the per capita consumption of cigarettes in California initiated the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program; the intended meaning is that California, itself, initiated the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program; in the “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.
2/ The sentence formed by Option B incorrectly modifies "60 (packs)" with the phrase "more than twice as great as that in the nation as a whole", illogically implying that "60 packs" of cigarettes is more than twice as great as the drop in cigarette consumption in the nation as a whole; the intended meaning is that the drop in consumption from 125 packs to about 60 packs is more than twice as great as the drop in cigarette consumption in the nation as a whole; remember, in the “noun + comma + phrase” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.

C:
1/ This answer choice incorrectly uses "A decade after initiating...program" to modify "California's annual per capita consumption of cigarettes", illogically implying that the per capita consumption of cigarettes in California initiated the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program; the intended meaning is that California, itself, initiated the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program; in the “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.
2/ The sentence formed by Option C incorrectly modifies "60 (packs)" with the phrase "more than twice as great as the drop in the nation as a whole", illogically implying that "60 packs" of cigarettes is more than twice as great as the drop in cigarette consumption in the nation as a whole; the intended meaning is that the drop in consumption from 125 packs to about 60 packs is more than twice as great as the drop in cigarette consumption in the nation as a whole; remember, in the “noun + comma + phrase” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.
3/ Option C redundantly uses the phrase "per capita" alongside the phrase "per person", rendering it awkward and needlessly wordy; this usage is redundant, as both phrases convey the same meaning.

D: Correct.
1/ This answer choice correctly uses "A decade after initiating...program" to modify "California", conveying the intended meaning - that California, itself, initiated the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program.
2/ The sentence formed by Option D correctly modifies "decline from over 125 packs annually to about 60" with the absolute phrase "a drop more than twice as great as that in the nation as a whole", conveying the intended meaning - that the drop in consumption from 125 packs to about 60 packs is more than twice as great as the drop in cigarette consumption in the nation as a whole.
3/ Option D correctly compares the "drop" in annual per capita cigarette consumption in California with the "that in the nation as a whole".
4/ Option D is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.

E:
1/ This answer choice incorrectly modifies "60 (packs)" with the phrase "more than twice as great as that in the nation as a whole", illogically implying that "60 packs" of cigarettes is more than twice as great as the drop in cigarette consumption in the nation as a whole; the intended meaning is that the drop in consumption from 125 packs to about 60 packs is more than twice as great as the drop in cigarette consumption in the nation as a whole; remember, in the “noun + comma + phrase” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.
2/ Option E redundantly uses the phrase "per capita" alongside the phrase "per person", rendering it awkward and needlessly wordy; this usage is redundant, as both phrases convey the same meaning.

Hence, D 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):



All the best!
Experts' Global Team

Eliminate A,B and C quickly because the sentence starts with "A decade after.....". In A, B and C it's not clear who started this program.

Left with D and E. Eliminate E as it repeats information about per capita and 125 packs per person. Left with D.

IMO it should be C , why is C wrong , C is concise in the sense it says California's annual per capita consumption instead of per capita consumption of cigarettes in California

D
"A decade after initiating the nation's most comprehensive and aggressive antismoking program" needs to modify a noun, which is "California".
(You can't use "California's annual per capita consumption", since California's consumption cannot initiate an antismoking program)

This leaves only D and E as potential answers.
In E, in "...from over 125 packs per person to about 60, more than twice as great as that", what is more than twice as great? From this it looks like 60 is more than twice as great. No way, it's the drop that's more than twice as great.
Hence the answer is D.

Try reading the "Modifiers" chapter from Manhattan's Sentence Correction book, it will help.

I went with E..but after reading through I would have to agree with that D is the right answer. by changing the position of "a drop more than twice as great as that" ... changed the meaning of the sentence.

I was stuck between D and E... i now see the redundancy of per capita and per person.... very nice.