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Read the Original Sentence Carefully, Looking for Errors:

This underlined portion contains a long descriptive phrase that separates the subject of the sentence, "the number," from its verb, "have greatly increased." The GMAT repeatedly uses long intervening phrases to mask any errors with subject-verb agreement. "The number" requires a singular verb, so "have" is incorrect.

Scan and Group the Answer Choices:

Using the verb at the end of each choice, group the choices into a 3-2 split. (A) and (B) end with “have” while (C), (D), and (E) end with “has.”

Eliminate Wrong Answer Choices:

Eliminate (A) and (B). The subject of the clause for the verb “have” is “the number.” The word “number” can be used two ways: “a number of things” is plural while “the number of things” is singular. Since this sentence uses “the number of patients” in the non-underlined portion, the plural verb “have” is incorrect.

Examine the three remaining choices for another split. (C) uses "that"; (D) and (E) use "as." The construction "such..." in the non-underlined portion of the sentence must be followed by "...as...." Furthermore, the use of "that" makes the sentence say that illnesses use alternative treatments, which doesn't make sense. Eliminate (C).

(D) introduces an ambiguous modifier, another common error on the GMAT, with the phrase “using alternative, often homeopathic treatments.” As written, the phrase seems to modify "suffering." However, the intention of the sentence is that the patients are using the treatments to, presumably, alleviate suffering. Eliminate (D).

(E) uses the singular verb “has” and clarifies that the patients are using the treatments. It fits perfectly into the original sentence and is the correct answer.

TAKEAWAY: The construction "... such ... as ..." is a frequently tested idiom on the GMAT. Also, mentally strip a long sentence down to its essential components—subject and predicate—to quickly identify errors obscured by intervening words.
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Looking at the differences in the answer choices we can see the last part of the sentence contains 'have' and 'has'. This refers to 'the number of patients'.
'The number' is singular and should be referred to using 'has' -> So A and B can be eliminated.
Option C construction 'such life-threatening illnesses that .. use alternative and often homeopathic.. ' refers to the illness, illogically implying that illnesses use the treatments.
Option D has 'using alternative, often homeopathic, treatments' immediately after 'the number of patientssuffering such life-threatening..', which incorrectly implies that suffering is because of usage of treatments.
Option E correctly uses 'who' to refer to the patients and 'such as' to give example of life threatening illnesses.
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apoorv1031
Even as success rates for surgical intervention increase, the number of patients suffering such life-threatening illnesses as liver disease to breast cancer, who use alternative, often homeopathic, treatments, have greatly increased.

A. illnesses as liver disease to breast cancer, who use alternative, often homeopathic, treatments, have
B. illnesses, from liver disease to breast cancer, that use alternative, often homeopathic, treatments, have
C. illnesses that, ranging from liver disease and breast cancer, use alternative and often homeopathic treatments, has
D. illnesses as liver disease and breast cancer, using alternative, often homeopathic, treatments, has
E. illnesses as liver disease and breast cancer, who use alternative, often homeopathic treatments, has


the number of patients takes singular verb , so A and B are out
in C such as should be used
in D using modifying breast cancer which is wrong
in E who modifies patients correctly
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