OG 2016 SC 16

Question

16. 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
I have some questions. First, in Choice B, OG said" Plural subject inventories does not agree with the singular verb leads." I found an explanation said that because rise is an intransitive verb (vi), rising ia an adj. and the real subject is inventories. Is that right? If it is right, does that mean vi can be transfer to the -ing form? Second, I think in Choice D and E, if... is the condition adverbal modifier. Is that right? so it's the reason here cannot use when...? Third, in Choice C, OG said "but can lead indicates a possibility that continues." Can lead and possibly lead, which one should useï¼Ÿ Or both ok?
Thanks in advance!

DavidG@VeritasPrep · Answer

First, in Choice B, OG said" Plural subject inventories does not agree with the singular verb leads." I found an explanation said that because rise is an intransitive verb (vi), rising ia an adj. and the real subject is inventories. Is that right?

That seems right, but it's an explanation that requires a bit more mental bandwidth than you really need here. It just doesn't make any sense to write "rising can lead to production cutbacks," so the writer must mean that it's the "inventories" that are responsible.

But if you're curious, maybe the concept can be better illustrated by using a transitive verb as the subject of a sentence with a similar structure. (VERBING + NOUN) Buying groceries is stressful. Buying is a transitive verb, so in this construction, it could be the case that "groceries" is the object, rather than the subject. "Buying" is the subject here. You can buy groceries. In the SC question, you can't "rise inventories" so inventories can't possibly be an object of the verb "rise." So that's likely what the explanation you read was going for, but it requires way more thinking than is necessary. (And don't think that intransitive -ing verbs can never be the subject of a sentence. Just in this particular construction. Not a rule worth memorizing. Better to use logic.)

Veritas Prep | GMAT Instructor

Veritas Prep Reviews
Save $100 off any live Veritas Prep GMAT Course

Crystal W · Answer

DavidG@VeritasPrep wrote:
First, in Choice B, OG said" Plural subject inventories does not agree with the singular verb leads." I found an explanation said that because rise is an intransitive verb (vi), rising ia an adj. and the real subject is inventories. Is that right?
That seems right, but it's an explanation that requires a bit more mental bandwidth than you really need here. It just doesn't make any sense to write "rising can lead to production cutbacks," so the writer must mean that it's the "inventories" that are responsible.

But if you're curious, maybe the concept can be better illustrated by using a transitive verb as the subject of a sentence with a similar structure. (VERBING + NOUN) Buying groceries is stressful. Buying is a transitive verb, so in this construction, it could be the case that "groceries" is the object, rather than the subject. "Buying" is the subject here. You can buy groceries. In the SC question, you can't "rise inventories" so inventories can't possibly be an object of the verb "rise." So that's likely what the explanation you read was going for, but it requires way more thinking than is necessary. (And don't think that intransitive -ing verbs can never be the subject of a sentence. Just in this particular construction. Not a rule worth memorizing. Better to use logic.)

Thank you very much! Can you explain my other questions?

DavidG@VeritasPrep · Answer

Second, I think in Choice D and E, if... is the condition adverbal modifier. Is that right? so it's the reason here cannot use when...?

I think technically, "if" is a conjunction but not an adverb. (Though adverbs can function as conjunctions too.) But, yeah, the notion that we're dealing with a conditional scenario makes "if" seem more appropriate than "when." For example, if I arrive home after midnight, I will be exhausted. In this case, I may or may not arrive home after midnight - I don't know. But when I arrive home after midnight, I will be exhausted certainly makes it sound as though I'm planning to get home late.

Veritas Prep | GMAT Instructor

Veritas Prep Reviews
Save $100 off any live Veritas Prep GMAT Course

DavidG@VeritasPrep · Answer

If it is right, does that mean vi can be transfer to the -ing form? I'm not quite sure what you're asking here. Can you rephrase the question?

Crystal W · Answer

DavidG@VeritasPrep wrote:If it is right, does that mean vi can be transfer to the -ing form? I'm not quite sure what you're asking here. Can you rephrase the question? Thank you for your explanation and my third question is in Choice C, OG said "but can lead indicates a possibility that continues." Can lead and possibly lead, which one should useï¼Ÿ Or both ok?

DavidG@VeritasPrep · Answer

Thank you for your explanation and my third question is in Choice C, OG said "but can lead indicates a possibility that continues." Can lead and possibly lead, which one should useï¼Ÿ Or both ok?

I don't think any thread has sent me running to my usage guide as often as this one has. The difference between "can" and "possibly" is so subtle that I can't imagine any scenario in which can vs. possibly would be a crucial decision point. "Can," in this instance, is an auxiliary verb, meaning it complements a main verb, whereas "possibly" is an adverb. So they're technically different parts of speech, but they both indicate a possibility that something might happen. (It's no coincidence that you don't have "possibly lead" as an option in D.) One source argued that "can" doesn't just mean possibility, but likelihood, though I'm not 100% convinced. You could also maybe argue that "can lead" is stylistically preferable to "possibly lead," but again, that strikes me as a pretty flimsy reason for eliminating an answer choice on the GMAT. My advice: when a Sentence Correction question gives you a choice between two similar meaning words, look for other differences/errors on which to base your decision.

Veritas Prep | GMAT Instructor

Veritas Prep Reviews
Save $100 off any live Veritas Prep GMAT Course

Choose how you want to prepare

Get Ready for GMAT Test Day Faster with Live Online Classes

Target Test Prep EA OnDemand

Sep 6 to Dec 6, 2026

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

OG 2016 SC 16

Chicago Booth

GMAT Course Reviews

Admissions Consulting Reviews

FREE GMAT PREP RESOURCES

GMAT PREP DEAL TRACKER