Hello Everyone!
While this may look like an easy question to answer, short underlines can often be tricky! Let’s break down what’s different about each option so we can narrow it down to the right one!
Heating oil and natural gas futures rose sharply yesterday, as long-term forecasts for much colder temperatures in key heating regions raised fears
of insufficient supplies capable of meeting the demand this winter.
A.
of insufficient supplies capable
of meetingB.
of supplies that would be insufficient
for meetingC.
of insufficient supplies that are unable
to meetD.
that there would be supplies insufficient
for meetingE.
that supplies would be insufficient
to meetAfter a quick scan through each option, here are the major differences I noticed:
1. Their endings: of meeting / to meet / for meeting
2. Their beginnings: of / that
If we start with #2 on our list: beginning the phrase with “of” versus “that.” This is a quick way to eliminate 2-3 options right away, so let’s start there. There is a subtle difference between being “afraid
of X” and “afraid
that Y”:
Afraid of X = you are afraid of a noun (person, place, thing, or idea) OR event that starts with an gerund (an –ing verb)
I am afraid of
spiders.
The students are afraid of
failing their history exam.
Afraid that Y = you are afraid of an event might happen; the phrase after "that" MUST be an independent clause
I am afraid that
Simon will make fun of me.The settlers were afraid that
their house might burn down.Since we are talking about people being
afraid that an event might happen (not having enough oil/gas to stay warm in the winter), we know it doesn’t work to say that people are afraid OF supplies. They’re not afraid of gas or oil – they’re afraid that they will be cold without enough supplies.
This means we can eliminate answers A, B, and C right away!Now we’re left with D and E, so let’s focus on the differences between the two:
D. that there would be supplies insufficient for meeting
This is
INCORRECT for a couple reasons. First, it’s overly wordy. Why would you say “that there would be supplies insufficient” when you can just say “that supplies would be insufficient?” Another red flag is the gerund phrase “for meeting the demand this winter.” The GMAT doesn’t like gerund phrases unless they are absolutely necessary. In this case, it’s not.
E. that supplies would be insufficient to meet
This is
CORRECT because it’s clear and concise for readers. There is no mistaking what the people are afraid of here!
There you have it - option E is the correct answer!Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.
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77% (01:13) correct 
