Sentence Correction

Faced With an eslimated $2 billion budget gap the city's mayor proposed a nearlv 17 percent reduction in the amount allocated the previous year to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize hundreds of local arts groups.

(a) proposed a nearly 17 percent reduction in the amount allocated the previous year to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize
(b)proposed a reduction from the previous year of nearly 17 percent In the amount It was allocating to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and for subsidizing
(c)proposed to reduce, by nearly 17 percent the amount from the previous year that was allocated for the maintenance of the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize
(d)has proposed a reduction from the previous year of nearly 17 percent of the amount it was allocating for maintaining the city's major cultural institutions, and to subsidize
(e)was proposing that the amount they were allocating be reduced by nearly 17 percent from the previous year for maintaining the city's major cultural institutions and for the subsidization

It's not that clear to me why the verbs "maintain"& "subsidize" (answer A) are the ones that must be parallel whereas "reduce"& "subsidize"are not (answer C)
Thanks in advance!

I would say this is becuase of MEANING.
Structure: X has proposed Y for A and B. A and B are infinitive.
in option C: "amount from previous year" is awkward & "that" modifies amount so it should be next to it.

Fernando diaz wrote:Faced With an eslimated $2 billion budget gap the city's mayor proposed a nearlv 17 percent reduction in the amount allocated the previous year to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize hundreds of local arts groups.

(a) proposed a nearly 17 percent reduction in the amount allocated the previous year to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize
(b)proposed a reduction from the previous year of nearly 17 percent In the amount It was allocating to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and for subsidizing
(c)proposed to reduce, by nearly 17 percent the amount from the previous year that was allocated for the maintenance of the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize
(d)has proposed a reduction from the previous year of nearly 17 percent of the amount it was allocating for maintaining the city's major cultural institutions, and to subsidize
(e)was proposing that the amount they were allocating be reduced by nearly 17 percent from the previous year for maintaining the city's major cultural institutions and for the subsidization

It's not that clear to me why the verbs "maintain"& "subsidize" (answer A) are the ones that must be parallel whereas "reduce"& "subsidize"are not (answer C)
Thanks in advance!

sameerballani wrote:I would say this is becuase of MEANING.
Structure: X has proposed Y for A and B. A and B are infinitive.
in option C: "amount from previous year" is awkward & "that" modifies amount so it should be next to it.

Fernando diaz wrote:Faced With an eslimated $2 billion budget gap the city's mayor proposed a nearlv 17 percent reduction in the amount allocated the previous year to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize hundreds of local arts groups.

(a) proposed a nearly 17 percent reduction in the amount allocated the previous year to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize
(b)proposed a reduction from the previous year of nearly 17 percent In the amount It was allocating to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and for subsidizing
(c)proposed to reduce, by nearly 17 percent the amount from the previous year that was allocated for the maintenance of the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize
(d)has proposed a reduction from the previous year of nearly 17 percent of the amount it was allocating for maintaining the city's major cultural institutions, and to subsidize
(e)was proposing that the amount they were allocating be reduced by nearly 17 percent from the previous year for maintaining the city's major cultural institutions and for the subsidization

It's not that clear to me why the verbs "maintain"& "subsidize" (answer A) are the ones that must be parallel whereas "reduce"& "subsidize"are not (answer C)
Thanks in advance!

Yep but for me for to choose A was an assupmption since the grammar errors in C are not that clear to me (. Anyway next time i will be more careful with the "that modifier".

Always try and see
1) the modifier is as near as possible to the thing it modifies. NOT NECESSARY but preferred.
2) the modifier unambiguously modifies the part it is to modify. NECESSARY.

Sometimes this may happen that modifier would be placed such that it seems applicable on 2 parts. Then this is ambiguous. Can't think of any example to explain..

I hope i make some sense

Thanks

Fernando diaz wrote:

sameerballani wrote:I would say this is becuase of MEANING.
Structure: X has proposed Y for A and B. A and B are infinitive.
in option C: "amount from previous year" is awkward & "that" modifies amount so it should be next to it.

Fernando diaz wrote:Faced With an eslimated $2 billion budget gap the city's mayor proposed a nearlv 17 percent reduction in the amount allocated the previous year to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize hundreds of local arts groups.

(a) proposed a nearly 17 percent reduction in the amount allocated the previous year to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize
(b)proposed a reduction from the previous year of nearly 17 percent In the amount It was allocating to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and for subsidizing
(c)proposed to reduce, by nearly 17 percent the amount from the previous year that was allocated for the maintenance of the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize
(d)has proposed a reduction from the previous year of nearly 17 percent of the amount it was allocating for maintaining the city's major cultural institutions, and to subsidize
(e)was proposing that the amount they were allocating be reduced by nearly 17 percent from the previous year for maintaining the city's major cultural institutions and for the subsidization

It's not that clear to me why the verbs "maintain"& "subsidize" (answer A) are the ones that must be parallel whereas "reduce"& "subsidize"are not (answer C)
Thanks in advance!

Yep but for me for to choose A was an assupmption since the grammar errors in C are not that clear to me (. Anyway next time i will be more careful with the "that modifier".

Fernando diaz wrote:Faced With an eslimated $2 billion budget gap the city's mayor proposed a nearlv 17 percent reduction in the amount allocated the previous year to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize hundreds of local arts groups.

(a) proposed a nearly 17 percent reduction in the amount allocated the previous year to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize
(b)proposed a reduction from the previous year of nearly 17 percent In the amount It was allocating to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and for subsidizing
(c)proposed to reduce, by nearly 17 percent the amount from the previous year that was allocated for the maintenance of the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize
(d)has proposed a reduction from the previous year of nearly 17 percent of the amount it was allocating for maintaining the city's major cultural institutions, and to subsidize
(e)was proposing that the amount they were allocating be reduced by nearly 17 percent from the previous year for maintaining the city's major cultural institutions and for the subsidization

It's not that clear to me why the verbs "maintain"& "subsidize" (answer A) are the ones that must be parallel whereas "reduce"& "subsidize"are not (answer C)
Thanks in advance!

In C, we don't want to subsidize to be parallel with to reduce because then the meaning of the sentence could change:

...the city's mayor proposed to reduce...the amount...and to subsidize hundreds of local arts groups.

The parallelism above could suggest that the mayor proposed to SUBSIDIZE the arts groups. The intended meaning of the sentence is that the mayor proposed a REDUCTION in the amount given to the arts groups.

Since C could change the meaning, eliminate C.

GMATGuruNY wrote:

Fernando diaz wrote:Faced With an eslimated $2 billion budget gap the city's mayor proposed a nearlv 17 percent reduction in the amount allocated the previous year to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize hundreds of local arts groups.

(a) proposed a nearly 17 percent reduction in the amount allocated the previous year to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize
(b)proposed a reduction from the previous year of nearly 17 percent In the amount It was allocating to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and for subsidizing
(c)proposed to reduce, by nearly 17 percent the amount from the previous year that was allocated for the maintenance of the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize
(d)has proposed a reduction from the previous year of nearly 17 percent of the amount it was allocating for maintaining the city's major cultural institutions, and to subsidize
(e)was proposing that the amount they were allocating be reduced by nearly 17 percent from the previous year for maintaining the city's major cultural institutions and for the subsidization

It's not that clear to me why the verbs "maintain"& "subsidize" (answer A) are the ones that must be parallel whereas "reduce"& "subsidize"are not (answer C)
Thanks in advance!

In C, we don't want to subsidize to be parallel with to reduce because then the meaning of the sentence could change:

...the city's mayor proposed to reduce...the amount...and to subsidize hundreds of local arts groups.

The parallelism above could suggest that the mayor proposed to SUBSIDIZE the arts groups. The intended meaning of the sentence is that the mayor proposed a REDUCTION in the amount given to the arts groups.

Since C could change the meaning, eliminate C.

Got it Mitch, since "we don´t want to change the original meaning excepting when it is strictily necessary".
Thanks a lot!!

sameerballani wrote:Always try and see
1) the modifier is as possible to the thing it modifies. NOT NECESSARY but preferred.
2) the modifier unambiguously modifies the part it is to modify. NECESSARY.

Sometimes this may happen that modifier would be placed such that it seems applicable on 2 parts. Then this is ambiguous. Can't think of any example to explain..

I hope i make some sense

Thanks

Fernando diaz wrote:

sameerballani wrote:I would say this is becuase of MEANING.
Structure: X has proposed Y for A and B. A and B are infinitive.
in option C: "amount from previous year" is awkward & "that" modifies amount so it should be next to it.

Fernando diaz wrote:Faced With an eslimated $2 billion budget gap the city's mayor proposed a nearlv 17 percent reduction in the amount allocated the previous year to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize hundreds of local arts groups.

(a) proposed a nearly 17 percent reduction in the amount allocated the previous year to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize
(b)proposed a reduction from the previous year of nearly 17 percent In the amount It was allocating to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and for subsidizing
(c)proposed to reduce, by nearly 17 percent the amount from the previous year that was allocated for the maintenance of the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize
(d)has proposed a reduction from the previous year of nearly 17 percent of the amount it was allocating for maintaining the city's major cultural institutions, and to subsidize
(e)was proposing that the amount they were allocating be reduced by nearly 17 percent from the previous year for maintaining the city's major cultural institutions and for the subsidization

It's not that clear to me why the verbs "maintain"& "subsidize" (answer A) are the ones that must be parallel whereas "reduce"& "subsidize"are not (answer C)
Thanks in advance!

Yep but for me for to choose A was an assupmption since the grammar errors in C are not that clear to me (. Anyway next time i will be more careful with the "that modifier".

Nope didn´t get you .. but it sounds like a good advice though.

modified the original post.
I missed the word NEAR.

Fernando diaz wrote:

sameerballani wrote:Always try and see
1) the modifier is as possible to the thing it modifies. NOT NECESSARY but preferred.
2) the modifier unambiguously modifies the part it is to modify. NECESSARY.

Sometimes this may happen that modifier would be placed such that it seems applicable on 2 parts. Then this is ambiguous. Can't think of any example to explain..

I hope i make some sense

Thanks

Fernando diaz wrote:

sameerballani wrote:I would say this is becuase of MEANING.
Structure: X has proposed Y for A and B. A and B are infinitive.
in option C: "amount from previous year" is awkward & "that" modifies amount so it should be next to it.

Fernando diaz wrote:Faced With an eslimated $2 billion budget gap the city's mayor proposed a nearlv 17 percent reduction in the amount allocated the previous year to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize hundreds of local arts groups.

(a) proposed a nearly 17 percent reduction in the amount allocated the previous year to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize
(b)proposed a reduction from the previous year of nearly 17 percent In the amount It was allocating to maintain the city's major cultural institutions and for subsidizing
(c)proposed to reduce, by nearly 17 percent the amount from the previous year that was allocated for the maintenance of the city's major cultural institutions and to subsidize
(d)has proposed a reduction from the previous year of nearly 17 percent of the amount it was allocating for maintaining the city's major cultural institutions, and to subsidize
(e)was proposing that the amount they were allocating be reduced by nearly 17 percent from the previous year for maintaining the city's major cultural institutions and for the subsidization

It's not that clear to me why the verbs "maintain"& "subsidize" (answer A) are the ones that must be parallel whereas "reduce"& "subsidize"are not (answer C)
Thanks in advance!

Yep but for me for to choose A was an assupmption since the grammar errors in C are not that clear to me (. Anyway next time i will be more careful with the "that modifier".

Nope didn´t get you .. but it sounds like a good advice though.