Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
BillyZ wrote:
Palladium prices have soared, with Russia restricting exports and because automakers have started using it to make the huge engines in sport utility vehicles and other light trucks.
(A) Palladium prices have soared, with Russia restricting exports and because automakers have started using
(B) Palladium prices have soared, with Russia restricting exports, in addition to automakers that have started to use
(C) Prices for palladium have soared as Russia has restricted exports and automakers have started using
(D) Prices for palladium have soared as Russia has been restricting exports, in addition to automakers starting to use
(E) Prices for palladium have soared because Russia is restricting exports, as well as automakers that have started using
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this question is that Palladium prices have soared because Russia has restricted exports and because automakers have started using it to make the huge engines of sport utility vehicles and other light trucks.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Parallelism + Verb Forms + Grammatical Construction• Any elements linked by a conjunction ("and" in this sentence) must be parallel.
• Information vital to the core meaning of the sentence cannot be placed between commas.
• Present perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “has/have”) is used to describe events that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present.
• The present perfect continuous tense (marked by "has/have been") is the correct tense to refer to actions that started in past and continue into the present.
• The simple present continuous tense is used to refer to actions that are currently ongoing and continuous in nature.
A: This answer choice fails to maintain parallelism between "with Russia restricting exports" and "because automakers have started using it...light trucks"; remember, any elements linked by a conjunction ("and" in this sentence) must be parallel.
B: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "in addition to automakers"; the construction of this phrase illogically implies that Russia has started to restrict exports and
has started to restrict automakers that have started using palladium to make the huge engines in sport utility vehicles and other light trucks; the intended meaning is that Russia has started to restrict exports, and
as a separate action automakers have started using palladium to make the huge engines in sport utility vehicles and other light trucks. Further, Option B incorrectly places information that is vital to the core meaning of the sentence - the fact that Russia is restricting exports - between commas; remember, information vital to the core meaning of the sentence cannot be placed between commas.
C: Correct. This answer choice uses the phrase "and automakers have started using", conveying the intended meaning - that Russia has started to restrict exports, and
as a separate action automakers have started using palladium to make the huge engines in sport utility vehicles and other light trucks. Further, Option C correctly uses the present perfect tense verbs "has restricted" and "have started" to refer to actions that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present. Additionally, Option C avoids the grammatical construction error seen in Option B as it places no information between commas. Besides, Option C maintains parallelism between "Russia has restricted exports" and "automakers have started using...light trucks".
D: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "in addition to automakers"; the construction of this phrase illogically implies that Russia has started to restrict exports and
has started to restrict automakers that have started using palladium to make the huge engines in sport utility vehicles and other light trucks; the intended meaning is that Russia has started to restrict exports, and
as a separate action automakers have started using palladium to make the huge engines in sport utility vehicles and other light trucks. Further, Option D incorrectly uses the present perfect continuous tense verb "has been restricting" to refer to an action that concluded in the past but continues to affect the present; please remember, present perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “has/have”) is used to describe events that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present, and the present perfect continuous tense (marked by "has/have been") is the correct tense to refer to actions that started in past and continue into the present. Additionally, Option D incorrectly uses the present participle ("verb+ing" - "starting" in this sentence) to refer to an action that concluded in the past but continues to affect the present; please remember, present perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “has/have”) is used to describe events that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present.
E: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "as well as automakers automakers"; the construction of this phrase illogically implies that Russia has started to restrict exports and
has started to restrict automakers that have started using palladium to make the huge engines in sport utility vehicles and other light trucks; the intended meaning is that Russia has started to restrict exports, and
as a separate action automakers have started using palladium to make the huge engines in sport utility vehicles and other light trucks. Further, Option E incorrectly uses the simple present continuous tense verb "is restricting" to refer to an action that concluded in the past but continues to affect the present; please remember, present perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “has/have”) is used to describe events that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present, and the simple present continuous tense is used to refer to actions that are currently ongoing and continuous in nature.
Hence, C is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Present Perfect Tense" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
To understand the concept of "Present Perfect Continuous Tense" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
To understand the concept of "simple COntinuous Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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