i believe the answer is E/5.

the answer to your question is fairly easy. if you eliminate sentences with errors in them i.e. A, B, C, then you are automatically left to choose from D and E. in effect, the choice is made for you.

when i read the stem, i too wasn't sure between company earnings and company's earnings, but then the process of elimination made my choice easier.

hope that helps.

niraj_a wrote:i believe the answer is E/5.

the answer to your question is fairly easy. if you eliminate sentences with errors in them i.e. A, B, C, then you are automatically left to choose from D and E. in effect, the choice is made for you.

when i read the stem, i too wasn't sure between company earnings and company's earnings, but then the process of elimination made my choice easier.

hope that helps.

it would have been great if you also added WHAT kind of errors there are in A,B,C. cheers.

Exceeding even the figures predicted by the most optimistic financial analysts..... you have to ask yourself, what exceeded the figures of the financial analysts???

company's earnings exceeded the figures of the FA
company's sales exceeded the figures of the FA
company's complaints exceeded the figures of the FA
company's staff exceeded the figures of the FA
and so on......

If you would have said - The automobile company exceeded the figures of the most optimistic of Financial Analysts then the question remains, what figures did the company exceed?

imo 5

ddo wrote:Exceeding even the figures predicted by the most optimistic financial analysts, the automobile company had earnings in the first quarter that more than doubled the previous quarter

1-
2- company earned more than double in the first quarter what they were in
3- company had first quarter earnings that more than doubled those in
4- company's earnings in the first quarter were more than double
5- company's earnings in the first quarter were more than double those of

The first clause should modify automobile company or automobile company's earnings??

Thks[/list]

1,2 and 3

Opening modifier "Exceeding even the figures predicted by the most optimistic financial analysts" modifes earnings and not company...

how to find this..

One way-Company exceeeds the figures predicted by analysts-Illogical comparison...

Other way- See the word "figures" ...so for logical comparison, we need other thing which can be expressed in figures...and thats " earnings" and not comany for sure

so eliminate them


4-

Comparison is between "company's earnings in the first quarter " and "previous quarter"...Illogical...

5

Comparison is between "company's earnings in the first quarter " and "those of previous quarter"..Pronoun those correctly refers the unique antecedent "earnings" and in right agreement and case

Ans is E..with no doubts

as rohan explained ...same reasoning..
IMO E.
OA pls

I would have said E (lucky me) but I was not sure about C...however thanks a lot for the explaination about the connection - Earnings / Exceeding...

sorry about that perlejj

my reasoning would be the same as others have posted.