KAPLAN OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Step 1: Read the Original Sentence Carefully, Looking for Errors
Whenever the subject or predicate verb of a sentence is underlined, we need to check for subject-verb
agreement. In this sentence, the predicate verb, “suggest,” is underlined. The subject of that
verb is “rise,” which is singular, so we need a singular verb. However, “suggest” is plural. We’ve
discovered a subject-verb agreement error, and the right answer will correct it.

Step 2: Scan and Group the Answer Choices
(A), (B), and (C) retain the error; all use “suggest.” (D) and (E) change the verb to “suggests.”

Step 3: Eliminate Choices Until Only One Remains
Because (A), (B), and (C) all make the same subject-verb agreement mistake, we can eliminate them.
The answer will be either (D) or (E). Choice (D) adds the word “that” to the end of the underlined
part of the sentence, which changes the meaning. According to the original sentence, the only
thing suggested by the rise in housing starts is that the sluggish economy will continue to recover.
Adding the word “that” makes it sound as if the rise in housing starts also suggests that weak
job growth continues to worry some economists, which is not what the original sentence implied.
Because the correct choice will retain the meaning of the original sentence, (D) is incorrect, and
(E) is the correct answer