vyassaptarashi wrote:
The regents of the University of California system have recently acted on plans to add two new universities, which increases to ten the number of U.C. schools.
(A) universities, which increases to ten the number
(B) universities which increase the number to ten
(C) universities, increasing to ten the number
(D) universities, a plan which will have increased to ten the number
(E) universities to increase to ten the number
KAPLAN OFFICIAL EXPLANATION:
The final phrase (which increases to ten the number of U.C. schools) describes the plan. Answer choice (D) reintroduces the object (the plan) that's being described, but the certainly awkward expression will have increased, as well as the general wordiness of the choice, eliminates it from consideration. If you read (B) into the sentence, you'll notice that the sentence suddenly becomes even more awkward. Eliminate (B). And, while we're looking at the sentence as a whole, consider (E). It distorts the original meaning of the sentence, suggesting that the purpose of the plan was not to add two universities per se but to up the total number of universities to ten. That may be true, but it's not what the original sentence said and unnecessarily changes the sentence's meaning. Eliminate (E). Look at (A) and (С). (C) is the better choice because it's more direct, because it eliminates the unnecessary which, and because increasing makes the final phrase into a modifier as, for optimal clarity, it should be.