The administration has increased the number of fines for mining safety violations as part of their campaign to protect miners.

Key to getting this one right is being aware that the quantity word number is used when the quantity is made up of countable items, such as fines, baseballs, or apples, whereas amount is used the the quantity is made up of something not really countable such as water or apple juice. So you would say number of baseballs and amount of water.

a) has increased the number of fines for mining safety violations as part of their

Here number is correctly used with the countable fines, but their at the end does not match the singular antecedent, administration.

b) have increased the number of fines for mining safety violations as part of their

Ok the game goes on, with this one out because of have and their not working with administration.

c) has increased the number of fines for mining safety violations as part of its

This is the last to use number. So it had better be right, and it is. Has and its work with administration.

d) has increased the amount of fines for mining safety violations as part of its

Amount does not work with the countable fines.

e) have increased the amount of fines for mining safety violations as part of their

Amount does not work with the countable fines.

So the correct answer is C.

I want to add a caveat. D and E were pretty easy to eliminate on the basis of the incorrect use of amount. Just be careful when using splits like that one though, because multiple things in a SC answer choice can be changed, so that what seems like a split may not be. For instance, in this question, seeing the word amount is not quite sufficient for elimination. You would want to be sure that fines is still present so that amount does not work.

Thanks Marty!


I am seeing this way :

AMOUNT or actual value of fine has increased.

eg: Govt has increased the amount of fine for spitting from $10 to $1000.


Isn't it the same case in the question above?


Also, I feel the sentence below doesn't makes sense

The administration has increased the number of fines for mining safety violations as part of its campaign to protect miners.


I mean the meaning should be that govt has increased the value of fine from X to something else Y.

Hi Marty!

Can you please help me

vishalwin wrote:Thanks Marty!


I am seeing this way :

AMOUNT or actual value of fine has increased.

eg: Govt has increased the amount of fine for spitting from $10 to $1000.


Isn't it the same case in the question above?


Also, I feel the sentence below doesn't makes sense

The administration has increased the number of fines for mining safety violations as part of its campaign to protect miners.

I mean the meaning should be that govt has increased the value of fine from X to something else Y.

There are clues that amount is not correct.

For amount to work you need some changes in the sentence. At the very least, amount would need to be made plural, as the fines each have associated amounts.

The administration has increased the amounts of the fines for mining safety violations as part of its campaign to protect miners.

Even that is a little awkward, and some word or expression other than amounts might be better, a word such as sizes, or maybe an expression such as dollar amounts.

Your example is also incorrect. Here's a better version.

The govt has increased the amount of the fine for spitting from $10 to $1000.