Some board game publishers have questioned the narrow nominee guidelines outlined by the Game of the Year committee because the pool of award nominees regularly push if not exceed the award guidelines.
Options A, B and C can be safelu eliminated because the use of verbs push and exceed are plural, whereas their subject - pool - is singular.
So, the verbs must be pushes/exceeds.
D) regularly pushes if not exceeds the award guidelines
— this is Correct. It conveys the intended meaning that publishers have questioned the narrow guidelines this time, because the pool of award nominees generally (reguarly) pushes or exceeds the guidelines.
E) pushes if not exceeds the regular award guidelines
— this changes the intended meaning. According to this choice, ‘regular’ acts as an adjective for award guidelines. The question stem doesn’t talk abouf a specific type of award guidelines. It just intends to say that generally (regularly) they push/exceed the guidelines, but this time, the scope seems very narrow.
Hence , D
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