tryingtoberich wrote:
Can anyone explains the use of decreasing is correct instead of full verb decrease?
Hello,
tryingtoberich. (I like the amusing name.) The answer to your question is based on the five answer choices presented. To be clear,
and decrease would be parallel with the infinitive
increase from earlier in the sentence, but we would need a sentence that resembled the following:
The new crime legislation, introduced by Senator Gladstone in response to the Alkaline Scandal, would increase police databases, funding for neighborhood watch groups, and programs to rehabilitate at-risk youth, and [would] decrease the parole possibilities for violent convicts.The first three items in the list are understood to
increase, so, in order to separate the third item in that list from the
decrease that will follow, we need an
and to introduce that final item. Otherwise, we anticipate a fourth item that will increase as well, and the sentence proves confusing to read—i.e.
would increase A, B, C, and decrease D. Since no answer choices with
and [would] decrease place the crucial (list-ending)
and in the correct place, we do not even need to worry about the
decrease/decreasing split.
I hope that helps. If you have further questions, feel free to ask. Good luck with your studies.
- Andrew
_________________
I am no longer contributing to GMAT Club. Please request an active Expert or a peer review if you have questions.