Bunuel
As people become more and more aware of the dangers of water-borne diseases, the demand for mineral water is increasing at a rapid rate, bottled mineral water providing both easy transportability and assured water quality.
(A) is increasing at a rapid rate, bottled mineral water providing both easy transportability and assured water quality
(B) has been increasing at a rapid rate, because of bottled mineral water both providing easy transportability and assuring water quality
(C) has increased at a rapid rate, since bottled mineral water provides both easy transportability and assures water quality
(D) will increase at a rapid rate because bottled mineral water provides both easy transportability and assured water quality
(E) increases at a rapid rate, with bottled mineral water providing both easy transportability and assuring water quality
Official Explanation
Answer: D
This sentence is testing you on your understanding of time periods. The non underlined part states that
as people become something. When will this happen? Obviously, in the future. So the effect—demand for mineral water—will also take place in the future.
(A) Incorrectly uses the present continuous tense (
is increasing) instead of the future tense.
(B) Incorrectly uses the present perfect continuous tense (
has been increasing) instead of the future tense. Also, the sentence incorrectly makes
providing parallel with
assuring.
Providing in fact is common to both the benefits of bottled water and, hence, should ideally be placed before
both.
(C) Incorrectly uses the present perfect tense (
has increased) instead of the future tense. The use of
assures as a verb is incorrect because
provides has already been used earlier.
(D) The correct answer.
(E) Incorrectly uses the simple present tense (
increases) instead of the future tense. Incorrectly makes
providing and
assuring parallel.