Unbiased third-party "clean" teams can protect sensitive data while

Unbiased third-party "clean" teams can protect sensitive data while assessing the business rationale of a deal, helping to develop an integrated business plan, and supporting negotiations.


A. while assessing the business rationale of a deal, helping to develop an integrated business plan, and supporting

B. while also assessing the business concerns for a deal, as well as helping the development of an integrated business plan, and to support the

C. and assess the rationale of a deal from a business perspective, help the development of an integrated business plan, and supporting relevant

D. while facilitating the assessment of a business rationale of a deal, help to develop a business plan of integration, and supporting the

E. and assist the assessment of the deal’s business rationale, helping to develop an integrated plan for the business, and support

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

The original sentence begins with a simple present tense statement, “clean teams can protect sensitive data” that is followed by three verb phrases that are logically parallel in the sentence, and so should be structurally parallel as well. The sentence maintains a parallel construction, using the “-ing” form of each verb (assessing, helping, supporting). Finally, the sentence is clear and concise.

(A) CORRECT. The first choice is correct as it repeats the original sentence.

(B) This sentence unnecessarily introduces the connecting phrases “while also” and “as well as”; these phrases are wordy, not grammatically required, and do not improve the clarity of the sentence. The concluding phrase “to support the negotiations” is not parallel with the earlier verb phrases, and incorrectly uses the article “the,” which is unclear given that negotiations were not referenced earlier.

(C) The conjunction “and” joins the first verb phrase with the original statement, which changes the original meaning of the sentence; the correct "while" indicating that the teams can protect sensitive data even while using it. The first and second verb phrases use the simple present tense (“assess" and "help"). However, the last phrase “and supporting relevant negotiations” completely breaks the parallelism and is thus incorrect. Also, this choice is unnecessarily wordy in two ways: It uses the phrase “the rationale of a deal from a business perspective” as opposed to “business rationale” in earlier choices, and it introduces the word “relevant” which adds no meaning, as clearly only relevant negotiations are to be supported.

(D) The second verb phrase, “help to develop a business plan of integration” is structurally not parallel to the equivalent phrases that begin with "facilitating" and "supporting." Also, that phrase is wordier without making the meaning clearer. In addition, this choice incorrectly uses the article “the,” which is unclear given that negotiations were not referenced earlier. Finally, this choice is unnecessarily wordy in its use of “facilitating the assessment” in place of simply “assessing.”

(E) Here, “helping to develop an integrated plan for the business” is not parallel to "assist" and "support," as it must be. Also, the first verb phrase is awkward in its use of “assist the assessment” and “the deal’s business rationale” where no particular deal is being discussed.