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605-655 Level|   Conjunctions (FANBOYS)|   Parallelism|   Subject Verb Agreement|                     
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It is well known in the supermarket industry that how items are placed 24 Mar 2022, 05:28
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prince11goyal
GMATNinja and any other GMAT tutors out reading this

Like most people, I was able to narrow it down to D and E. Between D and E, meaning doesn't seem to be much different to me. After reading all the explanations and thinking over my analysis when I attempted it, I am not able to process how to get fresh questions such as this one correct on actual exam. The only explanation I have been able to come up with is to maybe differentiate the meaning of the sentence based on "often" VS "can be".
Can you provide help me improve my thought process here?
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Hello prince11goyal,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, the difference in meaning you have identified here is, indeed, the main criterion for eliminating D.

Further, Option D is also less concise and less direct due to its use of the phrase "how frequently is the inventory turned over".

We hope this helps.
All the best!
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It is well known in the supermarket industry that how items are placed 29 Mar 2022, 11:10
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prince11goyal
GMATNinja and any other GMAT tutors out reading this

Like most people, I was able to narrow it down to D and E. Between D and E, meaning doesn't seem to be much different to me. After reading all the explanations and thinking over my analysis when I attempted it, I am not able to process how to get fresh questions such as this one correct on actual exam. The only explanation I have been able to come up with is to maybe differentiate the meaning of the sentence based on "often" VS "can be".
Can you provide help me improve my thought process here?
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Let's start with choice (E), where we're given a list of two things that can be crucial to profits:

    1) "how items are placed on shelves" can be crucial to profits
    2) "how frequently the inventory turns over" can be crucial to profits

In (D), the structure of the second item is a bit different: "how frequently is the inventory turned over." Notice that this wording looks more like a question ("How frequently is the inventory turned over?") while the wording in (E) looks more like a noun -- a thing that is crucial to profits ("how frequently the inventory turns over").

To illustrate that point, consider the following answers to the question, "What is crucial to profits?":

    (based on D) "How frequently is the inventory turned over is crucial to profits."
    (based on E) "How frequently the inventory turns over is crucial to profits."

"How frequently the inventory turns over" makes more sense as a THING that is crucial to profits. "How frequently is the inventory turned over" sounds more like question, not a THING that is crucial to profits. And that's why the parallelism is better in (E).

For more on that, check out this post from earlier in the thread.

I hope that helps a bit!
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It is well known in the supermarket industry that how items are placed 02 Jun 2022, 04:34
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I understand the correct parallelism in Option E. But, I have a doubt on options A and B, as none of the explanations seem to explain this.

Why cannot we break the parallel sentences in options A and B as below?

Consider option A:

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 profits

This implies:
It is well known in the supermarket industry that HOW items are placed on shelves;
AND
It is well known in the supermarket industry that HOW the frequency of inventory turnovers can be crucial to profits

Similarly Option B can be broken down. What is wrong with this interpretation?

AndrewN - Can you please guide?

grad_mba
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 profits.


(A) the frequency of inventory turnovers can be

(B) the frequency of inventory turnovers is often

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

(D) how frequently is the inventory turned over are often

(E) how frequently the inventory turns over can be
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It is well known in the supermarket industry that how items are placed 02 Jun 2022, 08:26
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Pankaj0901
I understand the correct parallelism in Option E. But, I have a doubt on options A and B, as none of the explanations seem to explain this.

Why cannot we break the parallel sentences in options A and B as below?

Consider option A:

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 profits

This implies:
It is well known in the supermarket industry that HOW items are placed on shelves;
AND
It is well known in the supermarket industry that HOW the frequency of inventory turnovers can be crucial to profits

Similarly Option B can be broken down. What is wrong with this interpretation?

AndrewN - Can you please guide?

grad_mba
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 profits.


(A) the frequency of inventory turnovers can be

(B) the frequency of inventory turnovers is often

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

(D) how frequently is the inventory turned over are often

(E) how frequently the inventory turns over can be
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Hello, Pankaj0901. Any time you find yourself bending over backwards to justify an option, you are almost certainly missing something simpler (and correct). If you disfavor an explanation invoking grammatical parallelism, consider a similar explanation based on logical predication. Here, items are physical objects, whereas a frequency is not. However, inventory is a collective noun that refers to goods, so it is, in a sense, another physical object. (I can reach out and touch the inventory at a grocery store.) Hence, we should look to either (D) or (E) to deliver on the logical pairing of X, physical objects, with Y, other physical objects (even if they are grouped under a singular collective noun).

Perhaps the issue makes more sense now. Thank you for thinking to ask.

- Andrew
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It is well known in the supermarket industry that how items are placed 04 Aug 2022, 23:55
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MartyTargetTestPrep
I have a doubt on options A and B

Why cannot we break the parallel sentences in options A and B as below?

Consider option A:

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 profits

This implies:
It is well known in the supermarket industry that HOW items are placed on shelves;
AND
It is well known in the supermarket industry that HOW the frequency of inventory turnovers can be crucial to profits

Similarly Option B can be broken down. What is wrong with this interpret
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It is well known in the supermarket industry that how items are placed 05 Aug 2022, 05:15
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saby1410
MartyTargetTestPrep
I have a doubt on options A and B

Why cannot we break the parallel sentences in options A and B as below?

Consider option A:

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 profits

This implies:
It is well known in the supermarket industry that HOW items are placed on shelves;
AND
It is well known in the supermarket industry that HOW the frequency of inventory turnovers can be crucial to profits

Similarly Option B can be broken down. What is wrong with this interpret
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Hello saby1410,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, your suggested breakdown could be viable were it not for the word "that"; the construction "known that how something is done" is unidiomatic and fails to convey a logical meaning.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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It is well known in the supermarket industry that how items are placed 16 Dec 2022, 23:22
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ExpertsGlobal5
Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
grad_mba
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 profits.


(A) the frequency of inventory turnovers can be

(B) the frequency of inventory turnovers is often

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

(D) how frequently is the inventory turned over are often

(E) how frequently the inventory turns over can be

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
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Why is C not parallel? "the frequency with which the inventory turns over" is a clause so "and" connects two clauses
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It is well known in the supermarket industry that how items are placed 16 Dec 2022, 23:29
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yogesh1984
grad_mba
445)
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 profits.


(A) the frequency of inventory turnovers can be
(B) the frequency of inventory turnovers is often
(C) the frequency with which the inventory turns over is often
(D) how frequently is the inventory turned over are often -
(E) how frequently the inventory turns over can be
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!)
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why is the "How" necessary to have a proper parallelism? I thought just having two clauses is sufficient
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It is well known in the supermarket industry that how items are placed 16 Dec 2022, 23:31
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Caas
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
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"the frequency of inventory turnovers in A and B is less clear than how frequently the inventory turns over. "

Why is that?
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It is well known in the supermarket industry that how items are placed 20 Dec 2022, 20:48
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Dalinar
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?
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Exactly my question. In Option E, it looks like the inventory turns over by itself. I am still struggling to understand how that is correct.
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It is well known in the supermarket industry that how items are placed 20 Dec 2022, 23:47
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grad_mba
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 profits.


(A) the frequency of inventory turnovers can be

(B) the frequency of inventory turnovers is often

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

(D) how frequently is the inventory turned over are often

(E) how frequently the inventory turns over can be
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This is a very nice question so thought of sharing my thought on this.

The correct answer would be to use parallel structure comparisons. Clearly, options A,B & C are not parallel and hence eliminated.

Now focusing on D & E.

Option D sounds awkward and wrong in a meaningful sense. It says "The inventory turned over" some past tense but this should be a general statement as per the meaning. Plus it use "Are Often" which is not the intended meaning. Hence D is out and E is the correct answer.
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It is well known in the supermarket industry that how items are placed 23 Dec 2022, 14:47
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Redwhite387
Dalinar
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?


Exactly my question. In Option E, it looks like the inventory turns over by itself. I am still struggling to understand how that is correct.
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Imagine you saw the following:

    "Tim wanted to buy an Easy Bake Oven for his daughter, only to learn that the item had sold out in 1989."

You don't read that and think, "Wait. Easy Bake Ovens are selling themselves? Have machines become conscious? The techno-apocalypse is upon us!" Rather, you'd use context to understand that when an item sells out, it means the store has sold its entire stock.

Same deal with inventory turning over. It's common enough usage that we can interpret it to mean that someone has sold the inventory. That's fine.

More importantly, we always want to start by eliminating concrete errors. As others have noted, (A), (B), and (C) all have parallelism problems. And if you have concerns about the meaning in (E), you'd have the same concerns about (D), so the deciding factor must be some other element.

I hope that clears things up!
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It is well known in the supermarket industry that how items are placed 22 Apr 2025, 04:24
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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 profits.

The EA (or the earlier GMAT) would prefer the functional and structural parallelism.

(A) the frequency of inventory turnovers can be - While "how items are placed on shelves" and "the frequency of inventory turnovers" are functionally parallel: both are noun phrases. But they are not structurally parallel: they are not same kind of noun phrases: one has a noun and a verb, and other one has just a noun. Not good enough.

(B) the frequency of inventory turnovers is often - SV mismatch. X and Y is - wrong.

(C) the frequency with which the inventory turns over is often - SV mismatch

(D) how frequently is the inventory turned over are often - in the first noun phrase we have noun + verb structure and in the 2nd noun phrase we have a verb + noun structure. Not good enough.

(E) how frequently the inventory turns over can be - ok. Now here "turns" act as verb for the 2nd phrase.
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