Despite the increasing popularity among financial analysts of "operati

Question

Despite the increasing popularity among financial analysts of "operating cash flow" as a measure of a company's viability, a combination of six more conventional measures  has been shown to be more accurate to predict business failure .

(A) has been shown to be more accurate to predict business failure

(B) has been shown to predict business failure more accurately

(C) were shown to be more accurate to predict business failure

(D) have been shown to more accurately predict business failure

(E) have been shown to predict business failure more accurately

I wonder why choice A is incorrect. Thank you

venksune · Accepted Answer

A has this construction '.....combination......to be more accurate to predict..'

B has '.....combination......predict...accurately'

The subtle difference is, it is not the 'combination' which is more accurate...it is the way the combination can  predict  is more accurate. 

We are not modifying 'combination' beyond 'has been' in the sentence. We are modifying 'predict'. IMO This is a classic adverbial modifer situation. How well the combination can predict? well, 'more accurately'.

pqhai · Answer

Hello ahmed

C, D, and E are wrong because "a combination of six more conventional measures" is singular. Main subject is " a combination ", NOT " measures ".

Hope it helps.

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

This question is based on Subject-Verb agreement and Construction.

A vertical scan of the options shows us that all the options begin with a verb. In such cases, we should first do a check for subject-verb agreement and tense.

The subject of the verb is the compound subject “a combination of six more conventional measures”.

When it comes to  such subjects that are made up of a noun/pronoun + preposition + noun/pronoun, it is the first noun/pronoun that is the actual subject under discussion.  
E.g.: The   interest  for such deposits  is   very low.

The exception to this rule is when such compound subjects begin with nouns that convey quantity or quantitative adjectives such as ‘some’, ‘any’, ‘none’, ‘most’, ‘all’, ‘percentage’, ‘majority’, ’fractions’ etc. In such cases, the verb agrees with the second noun/pronoun. 
E.g.:  Some of the  money   has   been spent. 
 Some of the  boys are   still playing.

In the given sentence, the subject is ‘combination’.  
 Since this is a singular subject, the verb must also be singular. 
 On the basis, of this rule, we can rule out Options C, D, and E since they contain plural verbs.

Between Options A and B,  Option A can be eliminated on the basis of the construction. The order of words in Option A does not convey the intended meaning. Furthermore, the adjective ‘accurate’ is generally followed by a preposition and a participle rather than the infinitive. So, the more appropriate usage would be – accurate in predicting business failure.

The construction of Option B makes it a clearer option. It also maintains subject-verb agreement.  Therefore, B is the most appropriate option.

Jayanthi Kumar.

venksune · Answer

I will go with B on this one.

'combination' - singular subject and hence 'has'

adverb 'accurately' rightly modifies the verb 'predict'

venksune · Answer

a  combination   of six more conventional measures  

the prepostional phrase starting with 'of' is a middleman that is seperating the subject 'combination'. Its still one measure which is combination of other measures.

ahmed1988 · Answer

why not E? Shouldn't it be have rather than has?

SeregaP · Answer

a combination -> C,D,E
A is wrong because of adj accurate incorrectly modifies a combination, when we need to modify predict, therefore, we need an adverb, B is fits well

nktmehra02 · Answer

i read somewhere
'A mix of different liquids' is plural why not combination of six different measures is plural

DmitryFarber · Answer

nktmehra02  In your example, "a mix" would be the subject, so it's singular.

viphaneev · Answer

I've got stuck between A and B.
A.) to be more accurate to predict ....
B.) to predict ... more accurately

My best guess is that choice A needs an end to the comparison. to be more accurate to predict X than Y

viphaneev · Answer

I think the difference between A and B is the meaning. 
'more accurate' in A modifies 'show' -----> shown to be more accurate
'more accurately' in B clearly modifies 'predict' ------> predict more accurately

Adnani · Answer

After eliminating on the basis sv agreements and awkwardness..my answer is B

Posted from my mobile device

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

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 the crucial part of this sentence is that a combination of six more conventional measures has been shown to be more accurate in predicting business failure.

Concepts tested here: Subject-Verb Agreement + Meaning + Tenses

• The present perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “has/have”) is used to describe events that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present. 
• The simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past.

A: 
1/ This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "to predict business failure"; the construction of this phrase leads to an incoherent meaning; the intended meaning is that a combination of six more conventional measures has been shown to be more accurate in predicting business failure.

B:   Correct. 
1/ This answer choice correctly refers to the singular noun "combination" with the singular verb "has been shown". 
2/ Option B uses the phrase "to predict business failure more accurately", conveying the intended meaning - that a combination of six more conventional measures has been shown to be more accurate in predicting business failure.
3/ Option B correctly uses the present perfect tense verb "has been shown" to refer to an action that concluded in the past but continues to affect the present.

C: 
1/ This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "a combination" with the plural verb "were shown".
2/ Option C alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "to predict business failure"; the construction of this phrase leads to an incoherent meaning; the intended meaning is that a combination of six more conventional measures has been shown to be more accurate in predicting business failure.
3/ Option C incorrectly uses the simple past tense verb "were shown" to refer to an action that concluded in the past but continues to affect the present; remember, the present perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “has/have”) is used to describe events that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present, and the simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past.

D: 
1/ This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "a combination" with the plural verb "have been shown".

E: 
1/ This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "a combination" with the plural verb "have been shown".

Hence, B is the best answer choice.

To understand the concept of "Simple Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATNTtugB9fM

To understand the concept of "Present Perfect Tense" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNmT9obXukI

All the best!
Experts' Global Team

Despite the increasing popularity among financial analysts of "operati

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GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

Despite the increasing popularity among financial analysts of "operati

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