Sentence Correction

Hi everyone. This is my first post, and I am very excited to get some help.

391. In large doses, analgesics that work in the brain as antagonists to certain chemicals have caused psychological disturbances in
patients, which may limit their potential to relieve severe pain.

(A) which may limit their potential to relieve
(B) which may limit their potential for relieving
(C) which may limit such analgesics’ potential to relieve
(D) an effect that may limit their potential to relieve
(E) an effect that may limit the potential of such analgesics for relieving


The answer is E. But, is it ok to use potential for relieving sth? Aren't potential to V and potential for N the only right usage. And...can you explain why choice C is wrong? Thx a lot!

The answer seems correct. "E"

ok what i consider we are talking about the

1..POTENTIAL OF ANALGESICS to reduce severe pain.

2..ANAGESICS HAVE A POTENTIAL TO reduce severe pain..

in this sentence we have the the usage as point 1.

Analgesics potential to is wrong wording..hope you get it..

i think this question should also be removed from "sahil's grammar" notes.

Bad question - don't study it. But do realize that "which" indicates a noun modifier and noun modifiers are required to be placed next to the noun they modify.

"which may limit their potential to relieve" is not referring to patients - it's referring to the phenomenon or effect described earlier in the sentence. That is, this effect is what is limiting the potential to relieve.

That eliminates A, B, and C, but D and E also have grammar problems. So don't study this one overall.



Stacey in reply to your explanation, could you please help me in understanding this question.

Here before the use of the word 'which', a comma is present and that indicates that the modifier 'which' is not modifying patients but it is modifying the overall first part or the circumstance presented in the sentence...
So please tell me, why eliminate options A,B and C.

Because of that my answer is C and not E. Please explain with examples....