Estimated damages caused by Hurricane Katrina amounted to a sum of $81

Question

Estimated damages caused by Hurricane Katrina amounted to a sum of $81.2 billion.

A. Estimated damages caused by Hurricane Katrina amounted to a sum of $81.2 billion
B. Hurricane Katrina caused estimated damages that amounted to a sum of $81.2 billion
C. Hurricane Katrina estimated damages that amounted to $81.2 billion
D. Hurricane Katrina caused estimated damages amounting to $81.2 billion
E. Estimated damages amounting to the sum of $81.2 billion were caused by Hurricane Katrina

rohitrawat9990 · Answer

A 
amounted to a sum is redundant

B same as A
D is correct
C changes the intended meaning
E same as A

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vishnusivathej · Answer

Can someone please explain why A and E are incorrect and Why D is correct.. 
I am unable to understand this sentence.

Kurtosis · Answer

A. Estimated damages caused by Hurricane Katrina amounted to a sum of $81.2 billion - Incorrect. Using amount and sum is redundant. Also the option is in passive form.

B. Hurricane Katrina caused estimated damages that amounted to a sum of $81.2 billion - Incorrect. Redundancy.

C. Hurricane Katrina estimated damages that amounted to $81.2 billion - Incorrect. Illogical. Hurricane Katrina did not estimate damages.

D. Hurricane Katrina caused estimated damages amounting to $81.2 billion - Correct.

E. Estimated damages amounting to the sum of $81.2 billion were caused by Hurricane Katrina - Incorrect. Same errors as in A.

Answer: D

garima0814 · Answer

I initially thought of D since 'amounting to' and 'sum of ' is redundant. But still have a doubt whether writing caused- estimated damages is correct. 
Caused- damages that estimated sounds more apt. Can the experts give their inputs please.

Kurtosis · Answer

The cost of damages amounted to $81.2b. The cost of damages was not estimated to be $81.2b.

arvind910619 · Answer

The answer is D 
 
 This question tests on redundancy and causal relationship.
Amounted to and sum both convey the same meaning therefore only one is required.

Only C and D remain 
C changes the meaning as it suggests that Hurricane Katrina estimated damages .This is nonsensical 
So D is the clear answer

rekhabishop · Answer

Shouldn't A be correct?

In D, "amounting" refers to the subject Hurricane Katrina.
Hurricane Katrina is not amounting to $81.2bn

Rv7622 · Answer

A B and E all have the same redundancy. ‘Amount to a sum’.
C changes the sentence to mean that the hurricane estimated the damage. Not only is that not the intended meaning… it makes no sense.
 
So, D is clearly the right answer.

Stanindaw · Answer

Could an expert please tell that in option D how can we say that Katrina caused estimated damages, we can say that Katrina caused damages, which estimated to 81.2 billion

TheBipedalHorse · Answer

Hurricane Katrina caused estimated damages... ? Is that grammatically correct?

Akhilshah · Answer

Please explain the exact error here?

AndrewN · Answer

Hello,  Stanindaw  and  TheBipedalHorse . You are both correct that something is amiss about the phrasing in answer choice (D). To convey an idea most clearly, you generally want modifiers to be as close as possible to what they modify. In the sentence at hand, Hurricane Katrina is understood to have caused damage. The estimate surrounds the dollar figure attributed to those damages. In professional English, the kind you would see in a high-quality news source, you would probably see the following (keeping as close to the OA as I can):

Hurricane Katrina caused damages amounting to an estimated $81.2 billion.

That said, answer choice (D) is the best of this lot, and your goal with SC questions is always to select the least debatable answer. Since all five answer choices say  estimated damages , you have to look to other considerations.

Best of luck with your studies.

- Andrew

Estimated damages caused by Hurricane Katrina amounted to a sum of $81

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GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

Estimated damages caused by Hurricane Katrina amounted to a sum of $81

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