egmat wrote:
At the heart of euro crisis is Mrs. Merckel’s lack of quick or bold reaction, the reason for lack of halting of the downward spiral of the euro.

A. Mrs. Merckel’s lack of quick or bold reaction, the reason for lack of halting of the downward spiral of the euro
B. Mrs. Merckel, whose lack of quick or bold reaction is the reason that the downward spiral of the euro has not halted
C. the lack of quick or bold reaction by Mrs. Merckel, the reason that the downward spiral of the euro has not halted.
D. Mrs. Merckel, whose lack of quick or bold reaction is the reason of lack of halting of the downward spiral of the euro.
E. the lack of quick or bold reaction by Mrs. Merckel, resulting in the downward spiral of the euro.

Here is the official explanation for this question:

Understand the Meaning of the Original Sentence

The sentence presents a few facts
1. Mrs. Merckel’s lack of quick or bold reaction is at the heart of euro crisis.
2. Her lack of bold reaction is the reason for lack of halting of the downward spiral of the Euro
a. This is rather confusing expression. It intends to say that her lack of bold reaction is the reason why downward spiral of Euro has not halted or stopped.

Find the Errors in the Original Sentence

• At the heart of euro crisis is Mrs. Merckel’s lack of quick or bold reaction, the reason for lack of halting of the downward spiral of the euro.

This sentence has only 1 clause with inverted SV order. Grammatically this sentence appears to be ok but it is not written in concise manner. The expression – “lack of halting of …” is overly complicated and confusing as discussed in meaning analysis.

Review Answer Choices to do POE

Choice B – This choice changes the meaning of the sentence. It now states that Mrs. Merckel is at the heart of Euro crisis. Per the original sentence, her lack of quick or bold decision is at the heart of Euro crisis.

Choice C – Correct Choice.

Choice D – This choice repeats the errors of Choice B

Choice E – This choice is grammatically correct. But it changes the intended meaning of the sentence. Now it implies that lack of bold reaction is the reason behind the downward spiral of the Euro. This is not correct. Note that per the intended meaning – downward spiral of Euro is already happening. Mrs. Merckel is not taking a quick or bold decision. This indecisiveness results in continuation of the downward spiral. Thus, its not like this indecisiveness results in the downward spiral of Euro. It results in not being able to stop this downward spiral.

TAKE AWAYS

1. Understand the intended meaning of the sentence and then select the choice that correctly communicates that meaning. Understand the role of each modifier in the sentence and note for any changes in the placement of these modifiers.