Hello Everyone!
Let's tackle this question, one issue at a time, and narrow it down to the right answer! To begin, here is the original question, with any major differences between the options highlighted in
orange:
The results of the company's cost-cutting measures are evident in its profits, which increased five percent during the first three months of this year after it fell over the last two years.
(A)
which increased five percent during the first three months of this year after
it fell(B)
which had increased five percent during the first three months of this year after
it had fallen(C)
which have increased five percent during the first three months of this year after
falling (D)
with a five percent increase during the first three months of this year after
falling(E)
with a five percent increase during the first three months of this year after
having fallenAfter a quick glance over the options, there are a few key differences we can focus on:
1. which vs. with (modifiers)
2. increased / had increased / have increased (verb tense/subject-verb agreement)
3. it fell / it had fallen / falling / having fallen (verb tense/pronouns)Since we're dealing with a modifier here, let's start with #1 on our list. This will determine if we should start the modifier with "which" or "with." Here is how each type of modifier works:
,which = noun modifier (
the modifier must refer back to the noun right before the comma)
,with = adverbial modifier (
the modifier must refer back to the clause before the comma)
Let's take a look at each option and determine if we need to use "which" or "with" here:
(A) The results of the company's cost-cutting measures are evident in its
profits,
which increased five percent during the first three months of this year after it fell
(B) The results of the company's cost-cutting measures are evident in its
profits,
which had increased five percent during the first three months of this year after it had fallen
(C) The results of the company's cost-cutting measures are evident in its
profits,
which have increased five percent during the first three months of this year after falling
(D)
The results of the company's cost-cutting measures
are evident in its profits,
with a five percent increase during the first three months of this year after falling
(E)
The results of the company's cost-cutting measures
are evident in its profits,
with a five percent increase during the first three months of this year after having fallen
After looking more carefully, it makes more sense to use the noun modifier beginning with "which" because it clearly refers back to what it's modifying: profits. Using the word "with" here changes the meaning! It says that the results increased five percent, not the profits!
Therefore, we can eliminate options D & E because they use an adverbial modifier that isn't clear or logical to use here.Now that we have 3 options left, let's move on to #3 on our list: whether or not to use the pronoun "it." The first thing we need to ask ourselves when it comes to pronouns is "do they agree in number?" In this case, the pronoun "it" is referring back to the word "profits." So - do they agree in number?
NO! The word "profits" is
plural, and the pronoun "it" is
singular.
(A) which increased five percent during the first three months of this year after
it fell(B) which had increased five percent during the first three months of this year after
it had fallen(C) which have increased five percent during the first three months of this year after
fallingWe can eliminate options A & B because they have a pronoun-antecedent agreement problem. This leaves us with C as our correct option!Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.
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