According to scientists human expansion and the human appropriation

Hello Everyone!

Let's tackle this question, one thing at a time, and narrow down our options quickly so we know how to answer questions like this when they pop up on the GMAT! To begin, let's take a quick look at the question and highlight any major differences between the options in orange:

According to scientists, human expansion and the human appropriation of Earth's finite resources is the cause of what may be the most sweeping wave of species extinctions since the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

A) expansion and the human appropriation of Earth's finite resources is

B) expansion and human appropriation of Earth's finite resources are

C) expansion and its appropriation of Earth's finite resources is

D) expansion, along with their appropriation of Earth's finite resources, is

E) expansion, along with its appropriation of Earth's finite resources, are

After a quick glance over the options, we have 2 main differences we can focus on:

1. and the / and / and its / along with their / along with its (Construction & Pronouns)
2. is / are (Agreement)

Since #2 on our list is a clear either/or split, let’s start there! No matter which one we choose, we’ll eliminate 2-3 options rather quickly! How many different causes do scientists cite as causing species extinction? Two! Let’s make sure that the verb we choose reflects the plural antecedent:

A) expansion and the human appropriation of Earth's finite resources is

B) expansion and human appropriation of Earth's finite resources are

C) expansion and its appropriation of Earth's finite resources is

D) expansion, along with their appropriation of Earth's finite resources, is

E) expansion, along with its appropriation of Earth's finite resources, are

We can eliminate options A, C, & D because they all use the singular “is” to refer to 2 causes, which doesn’t match up. Now that we have our options narrowed down to only 2, let’s tackle #1 on our list:

B) expansion and human appropriation of Earth's finite resources are
This is our CORRECT choice! The meaning is concise and clear, the correct verb “are” matches the plural antecedent, and there are no vague pronouns.

E) expansion, along with its appropriation of Earth's finite resources, are
This is INCORRECT because the pronoun “its” is too vague. It’s not clear what “its” is referring to. Even if it were referring to “humans,” that’s a plural term and should therefore use a plural pronoun anyway!

There you have it - option B is our winner! By focusing on the either/or split first, we were able to eliminate several options, giving us more time to focus on more complex grammatical issues!

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