Pack 15 Q2: Complicating things even more has been an overall...

I guess it is D .

Complicating things even more has been an overall decline in consumer spending lately, if not cessation, which has given little in the way of determining true value.

Meaning An overall decline in consumer spending has been Complicating things even more lately.
This overall decline in consumer spending, if not session, has given little in the way of determining true value.


A. has been an overall decline in consumer spending lately, if not cessation, which has given


1.Choices A has meaning issue.. The way this choice is written.. it says Complicating things has been an overall decline ..providing illogical meaning.
2.Modifier which must refer to 'decline in consumer spending' however it is modifying to situation..


B. there is an overall decline in consumer spending, if not cessation, lately it has given


1.Two independent clauses disconnected by just a comma .. Incorrect .


C. an overall decline in consumer spending, if not cessation, has lately given


1. Without a comma after Complicating things even more puts an illogical meaning . .. Incorrect .


D. lately, an overall decline in consumer spending, if not cessation, has given

1. Correct . Opening phrase Complicating things even more lately acts as a modifier to an overall decline in consumer spending . Which is correct meaning wise . Overall the sentence is clear .

E. is that an overall decline in consumer spending, if not cessation, which gives


1. Tense issue .
2. Meaning issue .
3. clause that ...spending doesn't have a verb .


D is the best choice .
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Official Explanation

Complicating things even more has been an overall decline in consumer spending lately, if not cessation, which has given little in the way of determining true value.

A. has been an overall decline in consumer spending lately, if not cessation, which has given

B. there is an overall decline in consumer spending, if not cessation, lately it has given

C. an overall decline in consumer spending, if not cessation, has lately given

D. lately, an overall decline in consumer spending, if not cessation, has given

E. is that an overall decline in consumer spending, if not cessation, which gives

There are two issues in this text:

1. The first is the use of the interjection or non-essential phrase, “if not cessation.” We need to make sure that what comes after the interjection is concise, and we also need to make sure that the interjection doesn’t cause any other problems, like dangling modifiers, fragments, or run-on sentences.

2. The second is the correct word placement after the modifier “Complicating things even more.” It needs to be clear that this is a modifier, and what comes after it needs to make sense.

To make problems easier to spot, we’ll add in the non-underlined portions.

A. Complicating things even more has been an overall decline in consumer spending lately, if not cessation, which has given little in the way of determining true value.
This is INCORRECT. The phrase “has been an overall decline in consumer spending lately” doesn’t have any punctuation to separate it from the modifier “Complicating things even more,” which isn’t ideal. The portion of the sentence after the interjection is also too wordy (“...which has given little in the way of determining true value.”).

B. Complicating things even more there is an overall decline in consumer spending, if not cessation, lately it has given little in the way of determining true value.
This is INCORRECT. This is a run-on sentence! The interjection “if not cessation” is being used to separate two independent clauses, which is not grammatically correct. To separate the two clauses, the sentence would need a semicolon or split into two separate sentences.

C. Complicating things even more an overall decline in consumer spending, if not cessation, has lately given little in the way of determining true value.
This is INCORRECT. This sentence does not properly separate the subject from the modifier. To be correct there needs to be a comma between the modifier “Complicating things even more,” and the subject “an overall decline in consumer spending.” It also doesn’t make sense to put the adverb “lately” in between “has...given.” It should be part of the modifier (the “lately” is referring to “complicating,” not “giving”).

D. Complicating things even more lately, an overall decline in consumer spending, if not cessation, has given little in the way of determining true value.
This is CORRECT. This sentence uses both the modifier and interjection correctly. It is also the most concise option.

E. Complicating things even more is that an overall decline in consumer spending, if not cessation, which gives little in the way of determining true value.
This is INCORRECT. It is a wordy fragmented sentence. We have a subject “an overall decline in consumer spending,” but no verb! By adding in the interjection and a longer “which” modifier, it tricks readers into thinking it’s a complete sentence.

There you have it - option D is the clearest, most concise option!

Don’t study for the GMAT. Train for it.
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Well done, DasAshishAshutosh! You cracked the code on this one - kudos to you!
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Complicating things even more has been an overall decline in consumer spending lately, if not cessation, which has given little in the way of determining true value.

A. has been an overall decline in consumer spending lately, if not cessation, which has given - we have a mashup of two incompatible verb tense in the context of this passage: ''Complicating'' (a present progressive tense verb) does not complement the timeline for the verb ''has been'' (a present perfect verb).

B. there is an overall decline in consumer spending, if not cessation, lately it has given - the pronoun ''it'' has several possible antecedents: decline, spending, cessation.

C. an overall decline in consumer spending, if not cessation, has lately given - what precedes the underlined portion is a modifier clause. Hence, it must be separated from the main subject (the ''overall decline'') by a comma. (C) does not have such a comma.

D. lately, an overall decline in consumer spending, if not cessation, has given - has no error. Therefore, (D) is the right answer choice.

E. is that an overall decline in consumer spending, if not cessation, which gives - the ''that'' clause is not a complete clause since what succeeds it is just a combination of modifier phrases.

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