E makes sense:

My POE would be as follows:

Option A:

1.Fear is not of insufficient supplies but rather that the supplies will be insufficient.
2.capable of meeting seems to modify supplies which implies the following meaning
there can be some other kind of supplies which have the attribute of meeting the demand.
which is nonsensical..rather the intended meaning is Fear that supplies would be insufficient.
3.Usage of word Forecasts: we can expect the would word in correct option as its hypothetical.

Option B

I would prefer a more direct for for expression
insufficient for meeting --insufficient to meet(preferred)

Option C:

Wrong tense
that are unable to meet-Its set in present whereas we are talking about forecast.

Option D,Option E

that there would be supplies insufficient for meeting

More direct ,concise and clear s option
that supplies would be insufficient to meet

So Option E clearly wins.


For people who are confused regarding usage of IDIOM fear and entered the wrong split because of that refer the below points.
X fears for Y.
Conveyed meaning:
X believes that Y is in danger.
Mary fears for John.
Conveyed meaning:
Mary believes that John is in danger.

X has a fear of Y.
Conveyed meaning:
Y scares X.
Mary has a fear of flying.
Conveyed meaning:
The act of flying scares Mary.

X fears that Y.
Conveyed meaning:
X is worried that the event described in the that-clause has happened, is happening, or will happen.
Mary fears that John will be late.
Conveyed meaning:
Mary is worried that John will be late.


Please Give Kudos if it helps !!

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 meeting

B. of supplies that would be insufficient for meeting

C. of insufficient supplies that are unable to meet

D. that there would be supplies insufficient for meeting

E. that supplies would be insufficient to meet

Only E expresses the correct intended meaning of the sentence.



Thanks,
GyM
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New to GMAT Club - https://gmatclub.com/forum/new-to-gmat-club-need-help-271131.html#p2098335

fears of supplies is like
He has a fear of dog.
Fear of something .. is like this something is modifying fear and representing what type of fear it is.

E has clear meaning. E shows what is their Fear that + clause ( what they fear about in future).

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 meeting
B. of supplies that would be insufficient for meeting
C. of insufficient supplies that are unable to meet
D. that there would be supplies insufficient for meeting
E. that supplies would be insufficient to meet

After 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!


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Dear EMPOWERgmatVerbal

Thanks for your effort to provide sufficient explanation.

In my highlighted part above, I think that 'insufficient for' is unidiomatic. I searched in many dictionaries like Cambridge and found it must be ''insufficient to'. So we can eliminate D.

Do you have any thoughts?