It is well known in the supermarket industry that how items are placed

I do not how many times that I have answered wrong this in 2-3 years but here is the easy way :

how items are placed = Order how+noun+verb

D) how frequently is the inventory turned over are often = How + verb + noun
(E) how frequently the inventory turns over can be = how + noun + verb

Therefore D out . E is right.

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 core meaning of this sentence is that how items are placed on shelves and how frequently the inventory turns over can be crucial to profits.

Concepts tested here: Subject-Verb Agreement + Meaning + Parallelism + Awkwardness/Redundancy

A: This answer choice fails to maintain parallelism between "how items are placed on shelves" and "the frequency of inventory turnovers"; please remember, any elements linked by a conjunction ('and" in this sentence) must be parallel.

B: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun phrase "how items are placed on shelves and the frequency of inventory turnovers" with the singular verb "is"; please remember, two singular nouns joined by “and” function as one plural noun. Further, Option B alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "is often"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that how items are placed on shelves and how frequently the inventory turns over is frequently crucial to profits; the intended meaning is that how items are placed on shelves and how frequently the inventory turns over is possibly crucial to profits. Additionally, Option B fails to maintain parallelism between "how items are placed on shelves" and "the frequency of inventory turnovers"; please remember, any elements linked by a conjunction ('and" in this sentence) must be parallel.

C: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun phrase "how items are placed on shelves and the frequency with which the inventory turns over" with the singular verb "is"; please remember, two singular nouns joined by “and” function as one plural noun. Further, Option C alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "is often"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that how items are placed on shelves and how frequently the inventory turns over is frequently crucial to profits; the intended meaning is that how items are placed on shelves and how frequently the inventory turns over is possibly crucial to profits. Additionally, Option C fails to maintain parallelism between "how items are placed on shelves" and "the frequency with which the inventory turns over"; please remember, any elements linked by a conjunction ('and" in this sentence) must be parallel. Besides, Option C uses the needlessly wordy phrase "the frequency with which the inventory turns over", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.

D: Trap. This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "are often"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that how items are placed on shelves and how frequently the inventory turns over is frequently crucial to profits; the intended meaning is that how items are placed on shelves and how frequently the inventory turns over is possibly crucial to profits. Further, Option D uses the needlessly wordy phrase "how frequently is the inventory turned over", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.

E: Correct. This answer choice correctly refers to the plural noun phrase "how items are placed on shelves and how frequently the inventory turns over" with "can", which can refer to both plural and singular nouns. Further, Option E uses the phrase "can be", conveying the intended meaning - that how items are placed on shelves and how frequently the inventory turns over is possibly crucial to profits. Additionally, Option E maintains parallelism between "how items are placed on shelves" and "how frequently the inventory turns over". Besides, Option E is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.

Hence, E is the best answer choice.

To understand the concept of "And" vs "Other Conjunctions" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):



All the best!
Experts' Global Team

My pick E

between D & E.
D -> says how frequently is the inventory turned over are often

Thus D is NOT the correct.

According to OG 10, explanation for the question is given by:

Choice E the best answer, grammatically and clearly makes the statement "x and y can be crucial," in which x and y are parallel clauses, each introduced by the conjunction how. This parallelism is preferable to the use of noun phrase the frequency in A, B and C. Furthermore, the frequency of inventory turnovers in A and B is less clear than how frequently the inventory turns over. In B and C is often does not agree with the plural compound subject. Choice D ungrammatically reverses the subject-verb order with is the inventory

Can some one explain why it is not D and the correct one is E. 'how items are placed' and 'how frequently inventory turned over' seems more parallel against 'turns over'

maintains ||ism, conveys the intended meaning

Opening must be with "how" to keep ||ism intact. so D, E- "how items are" is || to "how frequently the inventory turns" (in option D- it just go little off the mark!)

We have to make the clauses parallel. D and E are contenders.

The given construction is how items are placed. Subject +Verb

So the clause to be made parallel should also follow the same structure.

(D) how frequently is the inventory turned over are often - Verb + Subject
(E) how frequently the inventory turns over can be - Subject +Verb

E follows the required pattern and hence correct.

D is wrong because is not Parallel to original sentence structure. "Frequently" is used as a noun here. Its an adverb, not a noun.

First part: How items are placed on shelves -> How + noun + verb --Original
D -> How frequently is the inventory turned over -> How + noun + verb + noun + verb --Not In Parallel
E -> How frequently the inventory turns over -> How + noun + verb --In Parallel

Parallelism:
It is....that how X are placed....and how Y turns over....

It is well known in the supermarket industry that how items are placed on shelves and the frequency of inventory turnovers can be crucial to profi ts.

(A) the frequency of inventory turnovers can be
Wrong.

(B) the frequency of inventory turnovers is often
Wrong.

(C) the frequency with which the inventory turns over is often
Wrong.

(D) how frequently is the inventory turned over are often
Wrong.
(1) In the declarative sentence, you always put auxiliary verb after subject.
(2) "Inventory turns over" is correct. Passive voice form is wrong. Because the inventory can turn by itself.

(E) how frequently the inventory turns over can be
Correct.

Hope it helps.

Can 'How + Noun' and 'How + Adverb' be parallel?

I think in Choice D the meaning is also getting changed , with the usage of are instead of can as used in option A

Well, both are Adverb clauses (how items are placed on shelves, and how frequently the inventory turns over can be).

Please note that when looking for parallelism, don't look for word on word similarity.

"The frequency of inventory turnover" is a noun phrase, not a clause (noun+verb).

(A) the frequency of inventory turnovers can be
is not parallel to "how items are placed". The subordinate clause that is underlined does not have a verb.

(B) the frequency of inventory turnovers is often
same error as in A. Furthermore "can be" is changed with "is", changing the "possibility" to "certainty"

(C) the frequency with which the inventory turns over is often
same error as in A. The frequency is not parallel to "how.."

(D) how frequently is the inventory turned over are often
Although this choice corrects the error present in A, B, and C, it changes the meaning of the sentence. Now it implies that "someone turns over" the inventory. This is clearly not the intended meaning. Hence, the answer choice is incorrect.

(E) how frequently the inventory turns over can be
This is the correct answer. The parallelism error has been corrected. It changes as well turnovers (adj) to turns over (verb). Now the subordinate underlined clause has a subject + verb.

A few other people have mentioned it, but I still haven't seen it addressed - this looks like a flawed question.

Choice A is correct, except that it's not parallel.
Choice E is correct, except that it's not passive. I've seen several people cite this as a point in E's favor, but even GMAT grammar doesn't blindly dictate that "active is better than passive". It depends on who is doing the action. Here, inventory doesn't turn over on it's own. The boxes don't walk off the shelves so the part "the inventory turns over" is technically wrong. "How frequently the inventory is turned over can be" would be correct.

No, yes, why?

I completely agree; D is irredeemably wrong.
What you say is correct is the same as what I said: "how frequently the inventory is turned over".

However, E puts it in the active voice "the inventory turns over", meaning the inventory is moving itself on and off the shelf. I understand GMAT accepts E as the best answer. They apparently prefer errors in voice (E) over errors in parallelism (A).

I'm just confirming, this is an error in voice? Or, is there an idiomatic thing where we can say the inventory "turns" when it's really being acted on rather than acting?

Dalinar

Here the idiom turn over (used in active voice) means to be replaced by something of the same kind. This is an idiomatic usage - changing to passive voice no longer retains its meaning.

The idiom turn over may be used to express quite a few other meanings - in most of these cases changing to passive voice is acceptable:
to start: The engine turned over.... The engine was turned over.
to earn revenue: The company turns over 6 billion dollars ...... 6 billions dollars are turned over by the company.

Although some think that GMAC prefers active to passive, I cannot recollect coming across any example which is wrong solely because of use of passive.