Hello Everyone!
GMAT questions that have the entire sentence underlined can be tricky, so let's dive in! First, we can take a closer look at the options and highlight any major differences we find in
orange:
While it costs about the same to run nuclear plants as other types of power plants, it is the fixed costs that stem from building nuclear plants that makes it more expensive for them to generate electricity.(A)
While it costs about the same to run nuclear plants
as other types of power plants,
it is the fixed costs that stem from building nuclear plants that makes it more expensive for them to generate electricity.
(B)
While the cost of running nuclear plants is about the same
as for other types of power plants,
the fixed costs that stem from building nuclear plants make the electricity they generate more expensive.
(C)
Even though it costs about the same to run nuclear plants
as for other types of power plants,
it is the fixed costs that stem from building nuclear plants that makes the electricity they generate more expensive.
(D) It costs about the same to run nuclear plants
as for other types of power plants,
whereas the electricity they generate is more expensive, stemming from the fixed costs of building nuclear plants.
(E) The cost of running nuclear plants is about the same
as other types of power plants,
but the electricity they generate is made more expensive because of the fixed costs stemming from building nuclear plants.
While there are a lot of differences between these options, a few key ones jump out that we can focus on to start:
1. while / even though / whereas / but (conjunctions to show contrast)
2. as / as for (idiom structure/parallelism)
3. it is the fixed costs / the fixed costs / the electricity they generate (parallelism)Whenever we see parallelism on our list, it's a good idea to start there. So let's focus on #3 on our list to start with. This sentence has two clauses:
Clause #1: Running nuclear power plants and other plants costs the same.
Clause #2: The cost of building nuclear power plants is higher, which is why they're more expensive than other.
Parallel structure will allow these two clauses to "flow" better because they will sound similar to the ear - and both English speakers and the GMAT love the easy flow of parallelism! So let's take a closer look at how both clauses are structured, and eliminate any that are confusing or not parallel:
(A)
While it costs about the same to run nuclear plants as other types of power plants,
it is the fixed costs that stem from building nuclear plants that
makes it more expensive for them to generate electricity.
This is
INCORRECT for a couple reasons. First, the two clauses aren't written using parallel structure. One clause starts with "it costs," but later uses "it is the fixed costs," which sounds overly complicated. We also have issues the pronouns "it" being vague and unnecessary - just say "the costs" instead of "it is the costs," which both mean the same thing. Also, there is a subject-verb disagreement problem with the plural subject "costs" and singular verb "makes."
(B) While
the cost of running nuclear plants is about the same as for other types of power plants,
the fixed costs that stem from building nuclear plants make the electricity they generate more expensive.
This is
CORRECT! Starting both clauses with "the cost" and "the fixed costs" is a great example of using parallelism to simplify and clarify a long-winded sentence!
(C) Even though
it costs about the same to run nuclear plants as for other types of power plants,
it is the fixed costs that stem from building nuclear plants that
makes the electricity they generate more expensive.
Just like option A, this one is
INCORRECT because it adds in the pronoun "it" for no reason, and there is also the subject-verb agreement problem with "costs" and "makes."
(D)
It costs about the same to run nuclear plants as for other types of power plants, whereas
the electricity they generate is more expensive, stemming from the fixed costs of building nuclear plants.
This is
INCORRECT because it doesn't use parallel structure. This sentence almost makes it sound like the writer is contrasting
the cost of running a nuclear power plant to
the electricity it generates, which are not parallel things. The wording of this sentence is just plain confusing, so let's rule it out.
(E)
The cost of running nuclear plants is about the same as other types of power plants, but
the electricity they generate is made more expensive because of the fixed costs stemming from building nuclear plants.
This is also
INCORRECT because it seems to be contrasting the costs with the electricity, which are not parallel items. I also don't like the phrase "is made more expensive" because it's overly wordy - just say "is more expensive" instead.
There you have it - option B is the correct choice! If you start with looking at parallel structure, it's easy to start eliminating options rather quickly. We were lucky this time that only one option used parallel structure successfully. In other questions, it will at least help you eliminate several options, making it easier to tackle what's left over!
Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.
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24 Sep 2016, 17:18
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