AbdurRakib wrote:
GMAT® Official Guide 2018 Practice QuestionQuestion No.: SC 726
Page: 691
Making things even more difficult
has been general market inactivity lately, if not paralysis, which has provided little in the way of pricing guidance.
(A) has been general market inactivity lately, if not paralysis, which has provided
(B) there is general market inactivity, if not paralysis, lately it has provided
(C) general market inactivity, if not paralysis, has lately provided
(D) lately, general market inactivity, if not paralysis, has provided
(E) is that lately general market inactivity, if not paralysis, which provides
(A) Making things even more difficult has been general market inactivity lately,
if not paralysis,
which has provided little in the way of pricing guidance.if not paralysis is an interjection. It adds color to the sentence.
which has provided little in the way of pricing guidance is a modifier. It tells us more about INACTIVITY
If we ignore the interjection and the modifier, we get:
Making things even more difficult has been general market inactivity latelyHere's a similar sentence:
Standing on the corner has been Joe. While we can say
Joe has been standing on the corner, the sentence
Standing on the corner has been Joe illogically makes the modifier (Standing on the corner) the subject of the sentence.
Answer choice A shares the same illogical construction.
ELIMINATE A
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Answer choice B is a total word salad. I doubt many students choose B
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(E)Making things even more difficult is that lately general market inactivity, if not paralysis,
which provides little in the way of pricing guidance. if not paralysis is an interjection. It adds color to the sentence.
which provides little in the way of pricing guidance. is a modifier. It tells us more about INACTIVITY
If we ignore the interjection and the modifier, we get:
Making things even more difficult is that lately general market inactivityThis sentence is incomplete. Where's the verb that should accompany the noun ACTIVITY?
ELIMINATE E
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We're left with C and D
With answer choice D we get: Making things even more difficult lately, general market inactivity, if not paralysis, has provided little in the way of pricing guidance.
Here, we start with a modifier
Making things even more difficult lately,,
When a sentence begins with a with noun modifier (as it does in the above sentence), stop at the
comma and ask the question that the modifier raises.
So, once we read,
Making things even more difficult lately, we should stop and ask . . . WHAT is making things more difficult lately?
Keep reading.... general market inactivity
Ah! general market inactivity is making thing more difficult.
Make perfect sense
Keep D.
With answer choice C we get: Making things even more difficult general market inactivity, if not paralysis, has lately provided little in the way of pricing guidance.
It LOOKS like we're starting the sentence with the modifier
Making things even more difficult but the omission of a comma tells us that this, alone, is not the modifier.
Keep going until the comma...."
Making things even more difficult general market inactivity, "
What?!?!
ELIMINATE C
Answer: D
Cheers,
Brent