well i picked D for the reason that construction in D is perfect !! .usage of "instead" is good enough
C is wrong for the modifier "compared to the previously $7 per year" is wrongly modifying "year"

just few things
1 kindly underline the sc
2 put questions in a way so as we dont have to copy paste in a word document and they r readable
3 kindly use spoiler to hide answers

"previously paying $7 per year" should refer to the students, which would make it a noun modifier, which is required to be placed next to the noun it modifies. It isn't. Incorrect.

B) this time the phrase isn't even clear - "for which was previously paid" makes no sense

C) "previously" is an adverb and should refer to a verb, but $7 is a noun - you'd need the adjective "previous" here. And really you'd want to say something like "compared to the previous requirement of $7 per year"

D) I'm not a huge fan of this source. I assume the reason to eliminate this one is non-specification that the $7 per year required previously was specifically required for higher education. But I don't think the real test would make this the only distinction. They might also try to claim something's wrong with "instead of" (rather than "as opposed to" in answer E), but instead of can properly refer to a noun, as it does here... so it's fine.

Can anyone please explain me that what is wrong with the choice E.

I'm unable to understand.

Any expert can help.

I have encountered this question on my GMAT Prep 2 (Exam Pack)

Thank You

In my opinion, choice E is wrong because of 3 reasons.
1. The correct idiom is 'contribute to', not 'contribute for'.
2. 'As opposed to' isn't sound appropriate to compare things. For me, it signals something like contradiction.
3. 'required previously for the cost of higher education' seems to modify only the $7 per year, without modifying $330 a year.

Hi,

Can an expert help me understand what kind of modifier is "previously paying..." in option A?

I thought it's verb+ing modifier that should modify the clause and make sense with the subject i.e Law in this case. Hence, I marked this incoorect.
But I see in some of the solutions above that it's referred as noun modifer. How can I make out which kind of modifier is it?

Thanks,
Shobhit

Most of Portugal's 250,000 university students boycotted classes in a one-day strike to protest a
law that requires them to contribute $330 a year toward the cost of higher education, previously
paying $7 per year.
A. year toward the cost of higher education, previously paying $7 per year
B. year toward the cost of higher education, for which was previously paid $7 per year
C. year, compared to the previously $7 per year, toward the cost of higher education
D. year toward the cost of higher education, instead of the $7 per year required previously
E. year as opposed to the $7 per year required previously for the cost of higher education

Could experts please reply to the question?