Partly as a result of Proposition 13, which severely limits property

Hello Everyone!

Let's tackle this question, one thing at a time, and narrow down our options quickly so we know how to answer questions like this when they pop up on the GMAT! To begin, let's take a quick look at the question and highlight any major differences between the options in orange:

Partly as a result of Proposition 13, which severely limits property tax increases, California has come more and more to rely on personal income taxes for its revenues; income taxes have increased from 18 percent of the state's general fund in 1962 to 48 percent by 2002.

A) have increased from 18 percent of the state's general fund in 1962 to 48 percent by 2002

B) have increased from 18 percent of the state's general fund in 1962 to being up to 48 percent by 2002

C) have increased from 18 percent of the state's general fund in 1962, and by 2002 were up to 48 percent

D) increased from 18 percent of the state's general fund in 1962, and by 2002 were 48 percent

E) increased from 18 percent of the state's general fund in 1962 to 48 percent by 2002

After a quick glance over the options, there are 2 key differences we can focus on:

1. have increased / increased (Verb Form)
2. to 48 percent / to being up to 48 percent / were up to 48 percent / were 48 percent (Idioms)

Since #1 on our list is an easy either/or split, let’s start there! No matter which one we choose, we’ll eliminate 2-3 options rather quickly. This is a matter of choosing the correct verb form for the sentence’s intended meaning:

have increased = the increase started in the past, and it is continuing to increase today
increased = the increase started in the past, and it stopped increasing at some later point in the past

Since the sentence is talking about an increase that occurred between 1962-2002, we need to choose the verb form that best conveys that:

A) have increased from 18 percent of the state's general fund in 1962 to 48 percent by 2002

B) have increased from 18 percent of the state's general fund in 1962 to being up to 48 percent by 2002

C) have increased from 18 percent of the state's general fund in 1962, and by 2002 were up to 48 percent

D) increased from 18 percent of the state's general fund in 1962, and by 2002 were 48 percent

E) increased from 18 percent of the state's general fund in 1962 to 48 percent by 2002

We can eliminate options A, B, & C because the verb “have increased” doesn’t convey the intended meaning. Now that we have it narrowed down to only 2 options, let’s tackle #2 on our list. This is an idiom issue. The idiom we’re using here is “from X to Y.” Let’s see how our options handle this idiom:

D) increased from 18 percent of the state's general fund in 1962, and by 2002 were 48 percent
This is INCORRECT because it doesn’t follow the “from X to Y” idiom structure.

E) increased from 18 percent of the state's general fund in 1962 to 48 percent by 2002
This is CORRECT! It uses a clear verb form and idiom structure!

There you have it - option E is our winner! By focusing on the either/or split first, we were able to eliminate several options, leaving us plenty of time to focus on more complex issues!

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