BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem
TTP OnDemand GMAT Video Course
Featured Course

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
Start Free 5-Day Trial Read 559 Reviews →

job seekers!

Expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1083
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:38 pmFollowed by: 14 members
Thanked: 127 times
by gmat_perfect » Mon Aug 02, 2010 10:38 am
Until quite recently, American economists have assumed that the unemployment rate being four per cent, there is a rough balance among jobs and job seekers.

(A) the unemployment rate being four per cent, there is a rough balance among jobs and job seekers
(B) should the unemployment rate be four per cent, there is a rough balance among jobs and job seekers
(C) were the unemployment rate four per cent, there is a rough balance between jobs and job seekers
(D) if the unemployment rate is four per cent, there is a rough balance between jobs and job seekers
(E) there is a rough balance among jobs and job seekers when there is an unemployment rate that is four per cent


I have come to the answer.

But I am not convinced with the explanation of the option C.

Would any one say why C is wrong?

I have assumed that were in C is wrong. Is there any other way to eliminate C?

Thanks.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Source: — Sentence Correction |
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:20 pmFollowed by: 4 members
Thanked: 74 times

by uwhusky » Mon Aug 02, 2010 10:41 am
nope.
Last edited by uwhusky on Tue Aug 03, 2010 9:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
Yep.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 48
Joined: Mon Dec 07, 2009 3:18 pm

by bichoo » Mon Aug 02, 2010 11:14 am
IMO D
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 406
Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:36 amFollowed by: 4 members
Location: Syracuse, NY
Thanked: 23 times
GMAT Score:740

by tomada » Mon Aug 02, 2010 11:46 am
You can eliminate choices A, B, and E since each of these includes the word "among" to describe the relationship between the jobs and job seekers. "Among" should only be used when there are more than 2 things/people but, in this case, there are only two items: "jobs" (1) and "job seekers" (2).
I'm really old, but I'll never be too old to become more educated.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 82
Joined: Thu May 27, 2010 12:23 pmFollowed by: 3 members
Location: Newyork
Thanked: 2 times

by selfmade » Mon Aug 02, 2010 12:27 pm
As said in earlier post - A, B and E can be eliminated since it uses "Among" to compare two items ( job and jobseekers).

Its a very close call between C and D . However the sentence starts with - Until very recently whoch shows the action in the past, so C is more appropriate. D starts with "If" and presents hypothetical situation, so it can be eliminated as well.

Answer should be C.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:20 pmFollowed by: 4 members
Thanked: 74 times

by uwhusky » Mon Aug 02, 2010 12:41 pm
yep.
Last edited by uwhusky on Tue Aug 03, 2010 9:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
Yep.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 406
Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:36 amFollowed by: 4 members
Location: Syracuse, NY
Thanked: 23 times
GMAT Score:740

by tomada » Mon Aug 02, 2010 12:43 pm
IMO D.
I'm really old, but I'll never be too old to become more educated.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1261
Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 3:46 am
Thanked: 27 times
GMAT Score:570

by reply2spg » Mon Aug 02, 2010 9:07 pm
'were' is not correct in C

IMO D
gmat_perfect wrote:Until quite recently, American economists have assumed that the unemployment rate being four per cent, there is a rough balance among jobs and job seekers.

(A) the unemployment rate being four per cent, there is a rough balance among jobs and job seekers
(B) should the unemployment rate be four per cent, there is a rough balance among jobs and job seekers
(C) were the unemployment rate four per cent, there is a rough balance between jobs and job seekers
(D) if the unemployment rate is four per cent, there is a rough balance between jobs and job seekers
(E) there is a rough balance among jobs and job seekers when there is an unemployment rate that is four per cent


I have come to the answer.

But I am not convinced with the explanation of the option C.

Would any one say why C is wrong?

I have assumed that were in C is wrong. Is there any other way to eliminate C?

Thanks.
Sudhanshu
(have lot of things to learn from all of you)
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1460
Joined: Tue Dec 29, 2009 1:28 amFollowed by: 7 members
Thanked: 135 times

by selango » Mon Aug 02, 2010 9:14 pm
IMO D.

"Assumed that if" is correct.
--Anand--
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 227
Joined: Wed Dec 16, 2009 1:15 am
Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Thanked: 3 times

by neha.patni » Tue Aug 03, 2010 3:41 am
gmat_perfect wrote:Until quite recently, American economists have assumed that the unemployment rate being four per cent, there is a rough balance among jobs and job seekers.

(A) the unemployment rate being four per cent, there is a rough balance among jobs and job seekers
(B) should the unemployment rate be four per cent, there is a rough balance among jobs and job seekers
(C) were the unemployment rate four per cent, there is a rough balance between jobs and job seekers
(D) if the unemployment rate is four per cent, there is a rough balance between jobs and job seekers
(E) there is a rough balance among jobs and job seekers when there is an unemployment rate that is four per cent


I have come to the answer.

But I am not convinced with the explanation of the option C.

Would any one say why C is wrong?

I have assumed that were in C is wrong. Is there any other way to eliminate C?

Thanks.

IMO D
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1083
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:38 pmFollowed by: 14 members
Thanked: 127 times

by gmat_perfect » Tue Aug 03, 2010 9:16 am
tomada wrote:IMO D.
Would you please explain why answer choice C is incorrect?

Thanks.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1261
Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 3:46 am
Thanked: 27 times
GMAT Score:570

by reply2spg » Tue Aug 03, 2010 9:31 am
is "Assumed that if" idiom?
selango wrote:IMO D.

"Assumed that if" is correct.
Sudhanshu
(have lot of things to learn from all of you)
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 364
Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2010 5:13 amFollowed by: 3 members
Thanked: 31 times

by FightWithGMAT » Tue Aug 03, 2010 10:26 am
gmat_perfect wrote:
tomada wrote:IMO D.
Would you please explain why answer choice C is incorrect?

Thanks.
"were" is coupled with "would". That is why C is wrong.

In conditional clause if past form of TO BE is used, associated clause must have "would".
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 645
Joined: Mon Jul 26, 2010 12:42 pmFollowed by: 227 members
Location: US
Thanked: 527 times

by e-GMAT » Tue Aug 03, 2010 10:43 am
gmat_perfect wrote:
tomada wrote:IMO D.
Would you please explain why answer choice C is incorrect?

Thanks.
I will take a stab at explaining why Choice C is incorrect.

Lets read the original sentence and understand the intent:

"Until quite recently, American economists have assumed that the unemployment rate being four per cent, there is a rough balance among jobs and job seekers."

The sentence presents an assumption made by the American economists. The assumption is presented in form of a condition which states that if the unemployment rate is 4%, then there is rough balance between jobs and job seekers.

Now lets concentrate on choice C

"were the unemployment rate four per cent, there is a rough balance between jobs and job seekers"
In this construction, use of "were" gives an impression that this is a hypothetical condition. And this by itself changes the intent of the sentence. The "unemployment rate of 4%" is not a hypothetical condition per the original sentence.

Let me know if this makes sense.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 406
Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:36 amFollowed by: 4 members
Location: Syracuse, NY
Thanked: 23 times
GMAT Score:740

by tomada » Tue Aug 03, 2010 10:48 am
Please bear with me if my reasoning is incorrect, but I eliminated 'C' because I thought that "were" (plural) was inconsistent with "rate" (singular).
I'm really old, but I'll never be too old to become more educated.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Post new topic Locked