As the housing affordability gap widens, middle-income families are es

Question

As the housing affordability gap widens, middle-income families are especially hard-hit,  and these families can no longer qualify to buy homes, and  rising rental rates force them to use far more than the standard 25 percent of their incomes for housing, leaving them with no equity or tax write-offs to offset the expenditures.

(A) and these families can no longer qualify to buy homes, and

(B) since these families can no longer afford to buy homes, furthermore

(C) for these families can no longer afford to buy homes, yet

(D) and these families can no longer afford to buy homes; however,

(E) and these families can no longer afford to buy homes, for

sayantanc2k · Accepted Answer

However, therefore, furthermore etc. are not true conjunctions and are called conjunctive adverbs - comma + conjunctive adverb cannot join two independent clauses as co-coordinating conjunctions (e.g. and, but, yet, so etc.) do. A semicolon is required in case of conjunctive adverbs.

He studied hard, so he scored high... correct 
He studied hard, therefore he scored high... wrong (run-on sentence)
He studied hard; therefore he scored high...correct

"Yet" is a coordinating conjunction, and "furthermore" is a conjunctive adverb. Therefore B is a run-on sentence, but C is alright.

fluke · Answer

As the housing affordability gap widens, middle-income families are especially hard-hit, since these families can no longer afford to buy homes, furthermore rising rental rates force them to use far more than the standard 25 percent of their incomes for housing, leaving them with no equity or tax write-offs to offset the expenditures.

*since these families can no longer afford to buy homes: In GMAT SC, since is not used to describe causation; since should be followed by time/date
*As the housing affordability gap widens, middle-income families are especially hard-hit, since these families can no longer afford to buy homes
This is an entire clause. The next independent clause that follows after comma starts with furthermore, which is not a coordinating conjunction. Making the entire sentence a run-on.

As the housing affordability gap widens, middle-income families are especially hard-hit, for these families can no longer afford to buy homes, yet rising rental rates force them to use far more than the standard 25 percent of their incomes for housing, leaving them with no equity or tax write-offs to offset the expenditures.

As the housing affordability gap widens, middle-income families are especially hard-hit-Independent clause
, for these families can no longer afford to buy homes-Independent clause properly connected with coordinating conjunction "for". "for" here is used as because.

,yet rising rental rates force them to use far more than the standard 25 percent of their incomes for housing-Again two Independent clauses connected by coordinating conjunction
Also, "contrast" is very much needed.

Firstly, those middle class can't afford to buy homes due to the rising rate of the houses. 
And to make matter worse(Yet), they have to pay >25% of the income in rent, this entire sequence of events is resulting in: "leaving(present participle is required to convey the effects of events previously described) them with no equity or tax write-offs to offset the expenditures."

GMAT888 · Answer

I think it should be either B or C, cuz we have to explain why they have been hard hit.

When it comes to choosing from B or C, I say it's C, since furthermore doesnt really fit there. I think yet is more proper.

gorupruthi · Answer

Why B is incorrect.
Yet in C is making contrast that is not required.

bidmanager · Answer

Please explain why E is incorrect.

fluke · Answer

The middle-class people are not able to buy homes because of the increased housing affordability gap, not because they have to pay high rent.

Increased housing affordability gap causes two main things:
1. Make the middle-class less likely to buy homes.
2. And also, make them pay high rents.

In E, the cause and effect are reversed.

vad3tha · Answer

"and" is not the right usage in this context. " For" or " since" clarify the meaning. Left with choice B and C. "Yet" is better choice again to emphasize the contradiction in the two sentences. 
I go with C

daagh · Answer

140. As the housing affordability gap widens, middle-income families are especially hard-hit, and these families can no longer qualify to buy homes, and rising rental rates force them to use far more than the standard 25 percent of their incomes for housing, leaving them with no equity or tax write-offs to offset the expenditures.
(A) and these families can no longer qualify to buy homes, and
(B) since these families can no longer afford to buy homes, furthermore
(C) for these families can no longer afford to buy homes, yet
(D) and these families can no longer afford to buy homes; however,
(E) and these families can no longer afford to buy homes, for

Let’s revisit this thread from the meaning point of view. Choice A, C, D and E are all grammatically correct; Only B is a run-on. 
The point here is that, since the middle-income group has to shell out a hell of a lot of money on rentals, they don’t have enough for the up-front payment to buy a house. In other words, high rents are the reason of their inability. One can see a thread of causation here and per se, we need to bring in a transitional conjunction such as 'for' or 'because, into the picture to draft the high rentals. ‘And’ in A is a mere same direction affirmative conjunction and is out. ‘Yet’ in C and ‘however’ in D introduce an unwarranted contrast; only E seeks to justify the causation by putting up the required causative conjunction ‘for’.

I cannot see how C could be good enough to merit the OA. It is evident from the serial No 140 that the question is from the not so authentic 1000 series, perhaps the reason for the wrong OA.

Gomze · Answer

I am not sure why C is better than B.Can anybody explain this to me?

leanhdung · Answer

Hi  sayantanc2k

Can you elaborate on the usage of  As  at the beginning of this sentence (does  As   mean because? and does  As   function as a coordinating conjunction?) and the usage of two coordinating conjunctions  for  and  yet  in two adjacent clauses in C?

fluke  said in his post that "In GMAT SC, since is not used to describe causation; since should be followed by time/date". Is  fluke 's reasoning right?

Many thanks!

sayantanc2k · Answer

1. No, here "as" means "at the same time". 
2. No, it is a subordinating conjunction (introduces a dependent clause).
3. I am not sure about your question - by the term "usage" do you like to know which clauses these conjunctions add? Please elaborate your third query.
4. Usage of "since": I have not found anything of this sort in any official guide.

abhi2707 · Answer

Hi 
Really troubled with the OA.
Choice C has an awkward contrast that doesn't seem necessary
Choice E seems to decently convey the right meaning (Best possible)

Can somebody throw light on this...

B is wrong: because of conjunctive modifier (needs a semi colon), so true conjunctions (FANBOYS) or subordinators should follow the first main clause. We need one 'reasoning' conjunction (e.g. for). That is why I chose E

kd1895 · Answer

C is wrong. Yet is used for a contrast here when it is not needed. Furthermore makes more sense since it is another problem being listed at the end and not a contrast. B should be the answer.

LeopardLiu · Answer

As the housing affordability gap widens, middle-income families are especially hard-hit, and these families can no longer qualify to buy homes, and rising rental rates force them to use far more than the standard 25 percent of their incomes for housing, leaving them with no equity or tax write-offs to offset the expenditures.
(A) and these families can no longer qualify to buy homes, and
(B) since these families can no longer afford to buy homes, furthermore
(C) for these families can no longer afford to buy homes, yet
(D) and these families can no longer afford to buy homes; however,
(E) and these families can no longer afford to buy homes, for

I think the correct one is C. The OA is correct. E is saying that middle-income families cannot afford to buy house because of the high rent. But the intended meaning is that as the affordability gap widens, middle-income families are hard-hit, because they don't have sufficient money for housing expenditure. And what makes the situation worse is that the expenditure on rental is driven higher because of the rising housing price. using 'yet' to emphasize the worsen situation.

brianmontanaweb · Answer

A uses "no longer qualify to buy" which is wordy compared to other options. Multiple conjunctions with the same intent makes this sentence read like a run on.

B, D, and E all use a word that is not a conjunction, changing the meaning of the original statement. "furthermore", "however", and "for" require a different phrasing.

C adjusts the conjunction from "and" to "yet", so it connects better. Resolving the issue.

TheGraceful · Answer

Very crisp and clear explnation.

But no explanation here points out anything wrong in option A (and I have ended up with A).
Can you please help...?

sectionpedia · Answer

As the housing affordability gap widens, middle-income families are increasingly feeling the pinch. They're having to make tough decisions about how much they can afford to spend on rent, and whether it's worth moving to a new community or neighborhood.

The problem is especially acute for buyers who want to live in areas that offer good schools and other amenities. In many cases, such communities are also very expensive — and so middle-class families may have to settle for less-desirable neighborhoods or homes.

Housing affordability has become a major concern for Americans of all income levels as home prices have risen faster than wages over the past few years. The gap between what people earn and what they can afford to pay for housing has widened significantly since the Great Recession, according to research by economists at Zillow Group Inc., which provides real estate information and services.

TheGraceful · Answer

Nice explanation of the premise and passage. But am looking for reasoning to eliminate other options.

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Hello  TheGraceful ,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, Option A alters the meaning of the sentence through the use of the clauses "and these families can no longer qualify" and "rising rental rates force them...housing"; the use of "and" incorrectly implies that middle-income families are especially hard-hit, and   as a separate action   these families can no longer qualify to buy homes, and   as a separate action   rising rental rates force them to use far more than the standard 25 percent of their incomes for housing; the intended meaning is that middle-income families are especially hard-hit   because   these families can no longer qualify to buy homes,   but   rising rental rates force them to use far more than the standard 25 percent of their incomes for housing.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team

As the housing affordability gap widens, middle-income families are es

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As the housing affordability gap widens, middle-income families are es

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