HI anksm22,
Based on your answer choice, I think that you probably narrowed this question down to Answers A and B. The missing grammar rule that you needed is based on Parallelism rules. This sentence tells us 2 things about "the restaurant company" - those 2 things have to be written in Parallel "format."
The first thing in both answers is the same:
"the restaurant company HAS recently ADDED many new restaurants...."
The second thing must be parallel to the first. Consider the differences between Answers A and B. Which is parallel?
A: "and its sales HAVE INCREASED dramatically...."
B: "and its sales INCREASED dramatically...."
Answer A properly parallels both verbs, while Answer B does not.
Final Answer: A
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course
Redeem
Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand
Scott Woodbury-Stewart’s private virtual classroom — 400 hours of master-class video lessons for the GMAT Focus Edition.
- 715+ score guarantee — highest in the industry (99th percentile)
- 52 chapters · 1,500+ lessons · 4,000+ practice questions
- 400 hours of video · 1,500+ instructor-led HD smartboard lessons
- 300,000+ students accepted to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth & Sloan & more
- 24/7 live support + weekly Zoom office hours with GMAT instructors
- TTP AI Assist — 24/7 AI-powered virtual tutor for instant help
- 1,200+ flashcards + AI-powered study assistant & daily calendar
- OnDemand, LiveTeach & GMAT Bootcamp formats available
- Also: GRE, SAT Math & Executive Assessment courses
- MBA Admissions Consulting now available
- 🏆 2025 EdTech Breakthrough Award: Test Prep Solution Provider of the Year
- 200,000+ students served
- 5-day free trial — $0 to start, no auto-billing, cancel anytime
★★★★★
5.0
(559 reviews)
130-pt guarantee
$0 to start
then $127/mo
GMAT Prep question
Source: Beat The GMAT — Sentence Correction |
According to the sentence, two things have happened to the sales (of the restaurant company):
i) Its sales have increased dramatically
ii) its sales at restaurants open for more than a year have declined
Because have declined is present in the non-underlined portion, we should use have increased in the underlined portion, because both i) and ii) are in the same context.
Understanding this is important, because there is no rule that all part of the sentence should be in the same tense. However, in this case, since the context is the same, the tense used should be the same (in this case, perfect tense).
i) Its sales have increased dramatically
ii) its sales at restaurants open for more than a year have declined
Because have declined is present in the non-underlined portion, we should use have increased in the underlined portion, because both i) and ii) are in the same context.
Understanding this is important, because there is no rule that all part of the sentence should be in the same tense. However, in this case, since the context is the same, the tense used should be the same (in this case, perfect tense).
Ashish
MBA - ISB, GMAT - 99th Percentile
GMAT Faculty @ EducationAisle
www.EducationAisle.com
Sentence Correction Nirvana available at:
a) Amazon: Sentence Correction Nirvana
b) Flipkart: Sentence Correction Nirvana
Now! Preview the entire Grammar Section of Sentence Correction Nirvana at pothi
MBA - ISB, GMAT - 99th Percentile
GMAT Faculty @ EducationAisle
www.EducationAisle.com
Sentence Correction Nirvana available at:
a) Amazon: Sentence Correction Nirvana
b) Flipkart: Sentence Correction Nirvana
Now! Preview the entire Grammar Section of Sentence Correction Nirvana at pothi














