Bunuel wrote:
The manufacturer’s announcement of a partnership with electronics company raised expectations
that they will be able to release the next generation of kitchen appliances before their competitors are doing so.
A. that they will be able to release the next generation of kitchen appliances before their competitors are doing so
B. that it will have the ability to release the next generation of kitchen appliances before their competitors can do this
C. that the manufacturer will have the ability to release the next generation of kitchen appliances before its competitors can do so
D. that the manufacturer will be able to release the next generation of kitchen appliances before their competitors can do this same thing
E. of their ability to release the next generation of kitchen appliances before their competitors can do this
Magoosh Official Explanation:
ANSWER: C.
Split #1: pronounsThe manufacturer is presumably a company with a large number of employees, but as a noun it is a singular collective noun and requires a singular adjective. The plural adjectives “they” and “their” are incorrect. Choice (A) uses “they,” choice (E) uses “their ability, and choices (B) & (D) use “their competitors, so these choices are incorrect.
Even though that choice is enough to isolate one correct answer, I will continue to explore other issues in this question.
Split #2: repeating a predicateSuppose in the first part of the sentence we describe an action using a verb for the action, and then we want to refer to someone else doing the same action—how do we do that? The correct construction is “do so,” as in “A does X before B can do so.” Choices (A) & (C) employ this correct constructions. Mistake patterns include “can do this” in choice (B), “can do the same thing” in choice (D), and “can do this” in choice (E): those three choices are incorrect.