Last visit was: 19 Nov 2025, 05:45 It is currently 19 Nov 2025, 05:45
Home
GMAT
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Rewards
Chat
My Profile
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Back to Forum
Create Topic
Sub 505 Level|   Parallelism|                  
User avatar
bmwhype2
User avatar
Joined: 21 Jan 2007
Last visit: 08 Mar 2010
Posts: 1,338
Own Kudos:
5,433
 [25]
Given Kudos: 4
Location: New York City
Posts: 1,338
Kudos: 5,433
 [25]
Many policy experts say that shifting a portion of health-benefit cost Updated on: 20 Sep 2018, 23:19
Originally posted by bmwhype2 on 27 Jul 2007, 02:39.
Last edited by Bunuel on 20 Sep 2018, 23:19, edited 3 times in total.
Edited the question.
6
Kudos
Add Kudos
19
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
00:00
Start Timer
Pause Timer
Resume Timer
Show Answer
Hide
Show
History
C
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!

Difficulty:

5% (low)

Question Stats:

96% (00:55) correct 4% (00:55) wrong based on 3318 sessions

History

Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Many policy experts say that shifting a portion of health-benefit costs back to the workers helps to control the employer’s costs, but also helps to limit medical spending by making patients more careful consumers.


(A) helps to control the employer’s costs, but also helps

(B) helps the control of the employer’s costs, and also

(C) not only helps to control the employer’s costs, but also helps

(D) helps to control not only the employer’s costs, but

(E) not only helps to control the employer’s costs, and also helps
ShowHide Answer
Official Answer
C
Most Helpful Reply
User avatar
daagh
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Last visit: 16 Oct 2020
Posts: 5,264
Own Kudos:
42,418
 [5]
Given Kudos: 422
Status: enjoying
Location: India
WE:Education (Education)
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 5,264
Kudos: 42,418
 [5]
Many policy experts say that shifting a portion of health-benefit cost 18 Oct 2015, 22:03
3
Kudos
Add Kudos
2
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Quote:
briks 123 wrote
C.
But the second "helps" is unnecessary... none of the others work tho.
Show more

(C) not only helps to control the employer’s costs, but also to limit – What is on the right of ‘not only’ (helps to control) should be maintained on the right of ‘but also’ ( helps to limit); just to say but also ‘to limit’ distorts correlative conjunction parallelism
General Discussion
User avatar
briks123
User avatar
Joined: 08 Jul 2007
Last visit: 04 Aug 2007
Posts: 66
Own Kudos:
31
Posts: 66
Kudos: 31
Many policy experts say that shifting a portion of health-benefit cost 27 Jul 2007, 04:53
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
C.

But the second "helps" is unnecessary... none of the others work tho.
User avatar
DmitryFarber
User avatar
Manhattan Prep Instructor
Joined: 22 Mar 2011
Last visit: 08 Nov 2025
Posts: 3,020
Own Kudos:
8,563
 [2]
Given Kudos: 57
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT Focus 1: 745 Q86 V90 DI85
Posts: 3,020
Kudos: 8,563
 [2]
Many policy experts say that shifting a portion of health-benefit cost 30 Nov 2016, 01:53
2
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
The GMAT will often add commas in places where they aren't strictly necessary, usually to set off a modifier or add clarity to the sentence. Don't look for absolute rules there--you're not likely to find them!

With that in mind, I can see why you'd expect ", but" to follow an independent clause. However, in this case, the GMAT has added a comma to "reset" and nudge us to look back and find parallelism. The sentence would read fine without that comma, but we don't want to rule out C on that basis, especially since all the other choices either break parallelism or mistakenly contrast the two different forms of help.
User avatar
Skywalker18
User avatar
Retired Moderator
Joined: 08 Dec 2013
Last visit: 15 Nov 2023
Posts: 2,039
Own Kudos:
9,961
Given Kudos: 171
Status:Greatness begins beyond your comfort zone
Location: India
Concentration: General Management, Strategy
GPA: 3.2
WE:Information Technology (Consulting)
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 2,039
Kudos: 9,961
Many policy experts say that shifting a portion of health-benefit cost 04 Jan 2017, 22:48
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
To convey the idea that shifting a portion of health-benefit costs back to workers has two complementary effects, the correct sentence must use not only X but also Y

Answer C
User avatar
himanshurajawat
User avatar
Joined: 05 Aug 2018
Last visit: 11 Jan 2021
Posts: 32
Own Kudos:
13
Given Kudos: 138
Posts: 32
Kudos: 13
Many policy experts say that shifting a portion of health-benefit cost 02 Sep 2019, 22:22
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
What is wrong with 'A'? 'But also' can also be used independently [without the use of 'Not only']

GMATNinjaTwo MikeScarn GMATNinja hazelnut generis VeritasKarishma Bunuel
User avatar
AjiteshArun
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 15 Jul 2015
Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 5,949
Own Kudos:
5,080
Given Kudos: 732
Location: India
GMAT Focus 1: 715 Q83 V90 DI83
GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V169
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT Focus 1: 715 Q83 V90 DI83
GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V169
Posts: 5,949
Kudos: 5,080
Many policy experts say that shifting a portion of health-benefit cost 03 Sep 2019, 19:17
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
himanshurajawat
What is wrong with 'A'? 'But also' can also be used independently [without the use of 'Not only']

GMATNinjaTwo MikeScarn GMATNinja hazelnut generis VeritasKarishma Bunuel
Show more
Hi himanshurajawat,

But also alone leads to a meaning error. Not only X but also Y is like and. But also (alone) is more of a contrast. The intended meaning of the sentence is that something does A and B, not that something does A but also does B.
avatar
VPVG
avatar
Joined: 15 Dec 2020
Last visit: 31 Jan 2022
Posts: 1
Own Kudos:
3
 [3]
Posts: 1
Kudos: 3
 [3]
Many policy experts say that shifting a portion of health-benefit cost 28 Jan 2022, 10:06
3
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
bmwhype2
Many policy experts say that shifting a portion of health-benefit costs back to the workers helps to control the employer’s costs, but also helps to limit medical spending by making patients more careful consumers.


(A) helps to control the employer’s costs, but also helps

(B) helps the control of the employer’s costs, and also

(C) not only helps to control the employer’s costs, but also helps

(D) helps to control not only the employer’s costs, but

(E) not only helps to control the employer’s costs, and also helps
Show more


Many policy experts say that shifting a portion of health-benefit costs back to the workers helps to control the employer’s costs, but also helps to limit medical spending by making patients more careful consumers.


(A) helps to control the employer’s costs, but also helps-
Many experts say that doing something helps to control something and limit something else. There's no contrast here. Hence, it is incorrect to use the conjunction "but"; the correct conjunction to be used is "and".

(B) helps the control of the employer’s costs, and also
This means that the control is for two things.- helps the control of the employer’s costs (noun) and also Y. Y should also be a noun in this case. Instead, "and also" is followed by an infinitive structure. Also, "also" is unnecessary with the conjunction "and" here. Too many things out are of place! Get rid of this option.

(C) not only helps to control the employer’s costs, but also helps
Not only helps to control... but also helps to limit..
"helps" is NOT unnecessary after "but also". If we have to keep the verb common for both the things, we have to use the verb ("helps") before "not only"
In that case, the sentence would read- Many experts say that shifting a portion of health-benefit costs back to the workers helps not only to control the employer’s costs, but also to limit medical spending by making patients more careful consumers.
As we are using "helps" after not only, we have to repeat the verb after "but also".

(D) helps to control not only the employer’s costs, but
"not only.. but also" is the correct idiom. Eliminate.

(E) not only helps to control the employer’s costs, and also helps
Same as D. Eliminate.


Vishnupriya
GMAT Trainer
User avatar
VerbalBot
User avatar
Non-Human User
Joined: 01 Oct 2013
Last visit: 04 Jan 2021
Posts: 18,832
Own Kudos:
986
Posts: 18,832
Kudos: 986
Many policy experts say that shifting a portion of health-benefit cost 06 Feb 2023, 13:14
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7443 posts
GMATNinjaTwo
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
231 posts
miag
188 posts