As stated by a current study regarding customer spending on personal care items, increases in the sales of the 20 items were publicized most heavily accounts for almost half of the $10.5 billion increase in personal spending last quarter, the remainder of which came from sales of the 7,231 personal care items that companies did not advertise or advertised very little.
Meaning analysis:Original sentence doesn't convey intended meaning clearly.
But let's try to get something:
1. Something stated by current study
2. This something is - increase in sales of the 20 items
3. This sales were publicized or this 20 items were publicized not clear, but logically seems items not sales
4. Again sales (or items) account for almost half of the $10.5 billion increase
5. The remainder (of this increase) came from sales of the 7,231 personal care items
6. Items that companies did not advertise or advertised very little
Error analysis of the original sentence:Attachment:
A.PNG [ 52.4 KiB | Viewed 3643 times ]
The main issue is meaning and SV agreement, all modifiers are clear in meaning.
Subject "increase" have a verb "were publicized" but even if they agree in number it doesn't make any sense.
Also verb "accounts" doesn't agree with subject in number. (A) is clearly out.
POE:A. increases in the sales of the 20 items
were publicized most heavily accounts for almost half of the $10.5 billion increase in personal spending last quarter, the remainder of which came
B. increase in the sales of the 20
items was publicized most heavily
were what accounted for almost half of the $10.5 billion increase in personal spending last quarter
; the remainder of the increase coming
Here things get more complicated, we don't need semi-colon two split modifier from modifying sentence. C. increases in the sales of the 20 items that were publicized most heavily accounted for almost half of the $10.5 billion increase in personal spending last quarter, the remainder of the increase comingD. increase in the sales of the 20 items that were publicized most heavily
, accounting for almost half of the $10.5 billion increase in personal spending last quarter, while the remainder of the increase came
By comma + verb-ing we've lost our verb for the subjectE. increases in the 20 items sale that were publicized heavily
, which accounted for almost half of the $10.5 billion increase in personal spending last quarter
, with the remainder of it coming
whole sentence is nightmare, no verb, which as a modifier cannot go that far, with as a modifier here also vagueSeems only (C) does make sense.
Attachment:
C.PNG [ 47.03 KiB | Viewed 3678 times ]
(C) is the answer.