see https://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:Cp ... cd=1&gl=us

"because of" modifies verbs, since it is modifing a noun here, it is incorrect

"due to" modifies nouns

TkNeo wrote:It has been estimated that the annual cost to the United States of illiteracy in lost industrial output and tax revenues is at least $20 billion a year.

A. the annual cost of illiteracy to the United States is at least $20 billion a year because of lost industrial output and tax revenues
B. illiteracy costs the United States at least $20 billion a year in lost industrial output and tax revenues.

OA:B

I agree that B sounds better than A.
Also A says "cost of illiteracy" which is sort of ambiguous.. But the OG says that A is wrong because "because of" is the incorrect idiom..

Can anyone explain the OG reasoning ?

Hi ,

Answer choice A can be eliminated on basis of 2 issues.
1) redundancy. 'annual' and 'cost a year' are redundant( annual means per year)
2) The usage of modifier is not correct . This proper usage is well explained in the above url. The 'because of' should modify a verb. In this case 'cost' is used as noun so 'because of' cannot be used to modify it. If however, the sentence would have have been 'illiteracy is costing US 20 billion$ a year because of... ' then I guess the answer choice would have been correct.

Hope it helps.

Thanks
Komal

"If however, the sentence would have have been 'illiteracy is costing US 20 billion$ a year because of... ' then I guess the answer choice would have been correct."

I am not so sure. In that case "costing" would have been a gerund, thus we would still need to avoid using "because of".