Crystal W wrote:Noting that the Federal Reserve had raised a key short-term interest rate against last month, analysts said that they expected orders for durable goods to decline soon because rising interest rates makes it more expensive to buy them on credit.

(A) rising interest rates makes it more expensive to buy them on credit
(B) rising interest rates make buying on credit more expensive
(C) a rise in interest rates make it more expensive to buy on credit
(D) a rise in interest rates make buying on credit more expensive
(E) a rise in interest rates makes it more expensive for them to be bought on credit

In choice E, it instead to be bought on credit and to be bought on credit is the object.

I do not think the referent of them has problem because orders and durable goods are the same thing radically.

GMATGuruNY wrote:

Crystal W wrote:Noting that the Federal Reserve had raised a key short-term interest rate against last month, analysts said that they expected orders for durable goods to decline soon because rising interest rates makes it more expensive to buy them on credit.

(A) rising interest rates makes it more expensive to buy them on credit
(B) rising interest rates make buying on credit more expensive
(C) a rise in interest rates make it more expensive to buy on credit
(D) a rise in interest rates make buying on credit more expensive
(E) a rise in interest rates makes it more expensive for them to be bought on credit

A: rates makes
Here, rates (plural) does not agree with makes (singular).
Eliminate A.

C and D: a rise...make
Here, a rise (singular) does not agree with make (plural).
Eliminate C.

E: analysts said that THEY expected orders for durable goods to decline soon because a rise in interest rates makes it more expensive for THEM to be bought on credit
Generally, forms of the same pronoun should have the same referent.
Here, they serves to refer to analysts.
As a result, a reader might construe that them also serves to refer to analysts.
Since the intended referent for them is durable goods -- and B is free of errors and avoids this issue -- eliminate E and choose B.

The correct answer is B.

In choice E, it instead to be bought on credit and to be bought on credit is the object.

E: a rise in interest rates makes it more expensive for them to be bought on credit
Here, it is an expletive serving to stand in for the portion in blue.
If we interpret that them serves to refer to durable goods, we get:
A rise in interest rates makes to be bought on credit more expensive for durable goods.
Here, the usage of for durable goods implies that durable goods WANT to be bought on credit but that the process has become more expensive for them.
This meaning is nonsensical.

I do not think the referent of them has problem because orders and durable goods are the same thing radically.

This line of reasoning is invalid.
An order is a request for a product.
E: them to be bought
Here, if them serves to refer to orders, the implication is that REQUESTS are TO BE BOUGHT.
This meaning is nonsensical.

pnwong wrote:Hi Mitch,
I actually have another question about "Rising interest rates". When I approached this question,
I saw Choice A/B possibly go either way that the sentence has a subject of verbing or that the whole thing, "rising interest rates" is the subject. Is that correct? Thank you in advance!