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Rising inventories

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Rising inventories

by rx_11 » Mon Oct 25, 2010 9:53 pm
OG12th-Q12

12. Rising inventories, when unaccompanied correspondingly by increases in sales, can lead to production cutbacks that would hamper economic growth.

(A) when unaccompanied correspondingly by increases in sales, can lead
(B) when not accompanied by corresponding increases in sales, possibly leads
(C) when they were unaccompanied by corresponding sales increases, can lead
(D) if not accompanied by correspondingly increased sales, possibly leads
(E) if not accompanied by corresponding increases in sales, can lead



OA is E...

But can anyone tell me why 'correspondingly' in A and D is wrong??

The OG says, Answer A: Unaccompanied correspondingly is awkward and ambiguous.
Answer D: Correspondingly increased sales is awkward and unclear

I don't understand why these use of correspondingly is awkward and unclear..But the use in E is correct...Can any experts tell me???? I feel frustrated in such questions.... Thanks a lot!
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by kvcpk » Tue Oct 26, 2010 12:29 am
Points to Note:
Corresponding is an Adjective. It can modify only a noun.
Correspondingly is an Adverb, It cannot modify nouns. It can modify only Verbs,Adverbs or Adjectives.

Understand the word Increase.
Increase is a noun, when used as:
The act of increasing - "a steady increase in temperature"
The amount or rate by which something is increased - "a tax increase of 15 percent"

Refer to this link to see when it is used as a verb:
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/increase


As per A:
Rising inventories, when unaccompanied correspondingly by increases in sales, can lead to production cutbacks that would hamper economic growth.

increases here refers to the act of increasing. It is the plural form of noun - Increase.

"increases" can be used as a verb when the intended meaning is to multiply or become larger.
example: the rate of reaction increases every 5 minutes.

Hence to modify the noun increases, we need an adjective an not an adverb.
So, use of Correspondingly is wrong here.
"Once you start working on something,
don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it.
People who work sincerely are the happiest."
Chanakya quotes (Indian politician, strategist and writer, 350 BC-275BC)
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by rx_11 » Tue Oct 26, 2010 7:02 pm
Thanks so much kvcpk....


But I think correspondingly modify "unaccompanied" in A, which is a verb, and modify 'increased' in D, which is a adj... So my question is why an adv(correspondingly) modify a verb(unaccompanied in choice A) and an adj(increased in choice D) wrong???
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by e-GMAT » Thu Oct 28, 2010 9:36 am
12. Rising inventories, when unaccompanied correspondingly by increases in sales, can lead to production cutbacks that would hamper economic growth.

(A) when unaccompanied correspondingly by increases in sales, can lead
(B) when not accompanied by corresponding increases in sales, possibly leads
(C) when they were unaccompanied by corresponding sales increases, can lead
(D) if not accompanied by correspondingly increased sales, possibly leads
(E) if not accompanied by corresponding increases in sales, can lead

Your question:
But I think correspondingly modify "unaccompanied" in A, which is a verb, and modify 'increased' in D, which is a adj... So my question is why an adv(correspondingly) modify a verb(unaccompanied in choice A) and an adj(increased in choice D) wrong???

rx_11, you are correct that correspondingly can modify the verb and the adjective increased. However, in the context of the sentence in question, this modification is incorrect. We will analyze each choice A and D individually. I will only concentrate on the use of correspondingly. I will not point out the other errors - when vs if & ambiguity with unaccompanied in Choice A and verb error in Choice D.

Choice A. The original sentence does not communicate the meaning in the most effective manner. Say this choice was written as (after correcting other errors so that we can concentrate only on 'correspondingly'):
Rising inventories, if not accompanied correspondingly by increases in sales, can lead to production cutbacks that would hamper economic growth.

It does not make sense for "corresponding" to modify accompanied. Corresponding implies similar. What does correspondingly accompanied mean - similarly accompanied - similar to what? Thus, this sentence is ambiguous.

Infact, the meaning will be more clear if it states "accompanied by corresponding increases in sales". Now it is clear that rising inventories are accompanied by similar increases in sales.

Choice D. (reworded with correct verb form)
Rising inventories, if not accompanied by correspondingly increased sales, can lead to production cutbacks that would hamper economic growth.

The sentence above is grammatically correct, but it distorts the meaning. The intended meaning is:

Rising Inventories (...if not accompanied) by corresponding increases in sales, can lead....
Here rising inventories shows a "TREND". And increases in sales shows another corresponding "TREND".
Contrast this with Choice D:
Rising inventories is still a TREND but now increased sales is NOT a Trend. It is a definite value.
Thus, the meaning has been distorted in Choice D.

I hope the above clarifies your doubt.

Regards,

Payal
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