Sentence Correction

I never seem to get these type of questions correct i.e. the ones that involve increase, twice, double etc.

What should I be looking out for in such questions?

Sales of United States manufactured goods to nonindustrialized countries rose to $167 billion in 1992, which is 14 percent more than the previous year and largely offsets weak demand from Europe and Japan.
(A) which is 14 percent more than the previous year
(B) which is 14 percent higher than it was the previous year
(C) 14 percent higher than the previous year’s figure
(D) an amount that is 14 percent more than the previous year was
(E) an amount that is 14 percent higher than the previous ear's figure

The original sentence has a modification issue.

Whenever we have a modifying phrase (which we usually see either at the beginning or the end of the sentence, separated from the main clause by a comma), we need to ensure that whatever the phrase is describing comes right before (or after) the comma.

Sales of United States manufactured goods to nonindustrialized countries rose to $167 billion in 1992, which is 14 percent more than the previous year and largely offsets weak demand from Europe and Japan.

Here we have the modifying language "which is 14 percent more than the previous year". However, the noun right before the comma is "1992". Is 1992 14% more than the previous year? That makes no sense, so the original is incorrect.

Looking at the choices, (b) makes the same mistake as the original and (c) commits a similar error. Eliminate both of those.

(d) and (e) both begin with "an amount that is", clarifying the situation. The end of (d) compares the amount to the year, which is a faulty comparison. Only (e) compares the amount to the previous year's figure, fixing all the issues from the original sentence.

Choose (e).

Stuart Kovinsky wrote:The original sentence has a modification issue.

Whenever we have a modifying phrase (which we usually see either at the beginning or the end of the sentence, separated from the main clause by a comma), we need to ensure that whatever the phrase is describing comes right before (or after) the comma.

Sales of United States manufactured goods to nonindustrialized countries rose to $167 billion in 1992, which is 14 percent more than the previous year and largely offsets weak demand from Europe and Japan.

Here we have the modifying language "which is 14 percent more than the previous year". However, the noun right before the comma is "1992". Is 1992 14% more than the previous year? That makes no sense, so the original is incorrect.

Looking at the choices, (b) makes the same mistake as the original and (c) commits a similar error. Eliminate both of those.

(d) and (e) both begin with "an amount that is", clarifying the situation. The end of (d) compares the amount to the year, which is a faulty comparison. Only (e) compares the amount to the previous year's figure, fixing all the issues from the original sentence.

Choose (e).

Stuart,

My question is, "amount" is non-countable and "higher or lower" I beleive is used for countable words. Can they both go together as in choice E? Besides, I'm also finding it hard to see how "an amount" can fit as a modifier for "Sales" since I tried adding the word "an amount" to the begi ning of the sentence(<an amount >sales of united states.....). Why do you think C is wrong? Appreciate your response. I know it's an old post, but I'm trying to see all your posts since you do the best job at explaining

ildude02,

when you plug in (C)as an option, it will not describe the subject of main clause which is the amount.

and amount is not a modifier for sales but for amount only.....

sales ....... rose to <some> in 1992,an amount that is 14 % higher........

should complete the sentence without any error.


stuart/ ildude02.... correct me if i am wrong...

Thanks for your response. I see that I made a mistake of considering "an amount " as a modifying phrase for sales, when it should be refering to the dollar value.

Option Cs 14% higher can refer to "sales" or to the amount and I'm thinking that's the reason it's not correct since it's ambiguous.

But I'm still not sure about the countable and the non countable words. Am I correct when I say "higher/lower" are countable words and "amount" is a non countable word?

ildude02 wrote:Thanks for your response. I see that I made a mistake of considering "an amount " as a modifying phrase for sales, when it should be refering to the dollar value.

Option Cs 14% higher can refer to "sales" or to the amount and I'm thinking that's the reason it's not correct since it's ambiguous.

But I'm still not sure about the countable and the non countable words. Am I correct when I say "higher/lower" are countable words and "amount" is a non countable word?

Higher/lower can be used for non-countables:

"The water in the pool is lower/higher than usual."

Could anybody help me break this sentence...

Sales of United States manufactured goods to nonindustrialized countries rose to $167 billion in 1992, an amount that is more than prev year's and largely offsets weak demand from Europe and Japan.

is it like this ... ?

an amount that is more than prev year's + an amount that largely offsets weak demans from europe and japan.

or like this..?

an amt that us more than prev yr's + an amt largely offsets weak demands from europe and japan.

guess your first one is correct.

an amount that is more than prev year's + (an amount) that largely offsets weak demans from europe and japan

'an amount' is implied and the "that" is needed for the parallelism

yeah!! you are right ..first one is correct. I jus checked it some where else.
i asked this question because i had a`doubt in a similarly structured stmt.

i.e, Scientists have recently discovered what could be the largest and oldest living organism on Earth, a giant fungus that is an interwoven filigree of mushrooms and rootlike tentacles spawned by a single fertilized spore some 10,000 years ago and extending for more than 30 acres in the soil of a

I was wondering if the underlined portion should be "entends" ( assuming it to be another verb of of the noun " a giant".

but it cannot be "entends" here because EXTENDS would be tooooo far from the first verb IS, to refer to the NOUN "A giant". Hence it is "entending" ( present particple) , which is parallel to past participle SPAWNED and modifies " mushrooms and rootlike tentacles

Hope i dint confuse you !! :roll:

Stuart Kovinsky wrote:The original sentence has a modification issue.

Whenever we have a modifying phrase (which we usually see either at the beginning or the end of the sentence, separated from the main clause by a comma), we need to ensure that whatever the phrase is describing comes right before (or after) the comma.

Sales of United States manufactured goods to nonindustrialized countries rose to $167 billion in 1992, which is 14 percent more than the previous year and largely offsets weak demand from Europe and Japan.

Here we have the modifying language "which is 14 percent more than the previous year". However, the noun right before the comma is "1992". Is 1992 14% more than the previous year? That makes no sense, so the original is incorrect.

Looking at the choices, (b) makes the same mistake as the original and (c) commits a similar error. Eliminate both of those.

(d) and (e) both begin with "an amount that is", clarifying the situation. The end of (d) compares the amount to the year, which is a faulty comparison. Only (e) compares the amount to the previous year's figure, fixing all the issues from the original sentence.

Choose (e).

Can someone please help me understand why in "E"....an amount modifies #167 billion....why not it modifies the immediately preceding noun i.e. 1992 as is done by "C" ?

goelmohit2002 wrote: Can someone please help me understand why in "E"....an amount modifies #167 billion....why not it modifies the immediately preceding noun i.e. 1992 as is done by "C" ?

"an amount" can only modify an actual amount. 1992 is a year and doesn't qualify.

Stuart Kovinsky wrote:

goelmohit2002 wrote: Can someone please help me understand why in "E"....an amount modifies #167 billion....why not it modifies the immediately preceding noun i.e. 1992 as is done by "C" ?

"an amount" can only modify an actual amount. 1992 is a year and doesn't qualify.

Thanks Stuart .

I am a little bit confused between C and E....

As per the above discussions C is modifying 1992....so it is wrong...

But E is telling more about $192 billion....

Can you please help me understand...in what circumstances examples like E behave like telling more about things that are described earlier(here $192 billion) rather than acting like noun modifiers i.e. modifying year 1992 here...

I think this sentence is very hard. I try to bring some explanation.

Normally, modified noun must go RIGHT after or before the comma +modifying phrase.

But, some time, this is impossible because there is a disturbing phrase ("in 1992" in this sentence). And to make modifying phrase clearly refer to the modified noun, the noun or it appositive ("an amount"-in this sentence) must be repeated or created. This sentence is call "resumptive sentence" in general grammar book

The brutalness of this question is that the disturbing phrase-"in 1992"- is short. if the disturbing phrase is long, we realize the resumptive sentence easily.

The question No2 in OG 10 is similar to this question. pls, search "an area about Colarado's size" for more examples of resumptive sentence.

Pls, discuss this question more

i think this could be beneficial for as given in MGMAT SC book.

1) A "mission-critical" modifier falls between. This modifier is often an Of phrase that
defines the noun. The less important modifier refers to the noun plus the first modifier.


Right: He had a way OF DODGING OPPONENTS that impressed the scouts.


Here, the "mission-critical" modifier of dodging opponents defines the noun way. Without
this modifier, the noun way is almost meaningless. In turn, the modifier that impressed the
scouts modifies the entire noun phrase a way of dodging opponents. It helps that the relative
pronoun that cannot refer to human opponents, according to the GMAT. Moreover, the
reversed order is nonsensical:

Wrong: He had a way that impressed the scouts OF DODGING OPPONENTS.

Right: An ice sheet covers 80 percent OF THE SURFACEOF GREENLAND. an area roughly the size of Alaska.

The modifier an area roughly the size of Alaska modifies not the noun Greenland, but rather
the whole phrase 80 percent of the surface of Greenland The "mission-critical" modifier of the
surface of Greenland is required next to 80 percent in order to define that percentage.

1992, is just coming in between.so ignore...