Tricky one from MGMAT

Question

To prevent businesses from moving, local governments award them annual tax breaks, described by supporters as vital tools that encourage economic development but denounced by critics as "corporate welfare" that weakens the national economy.

A) businesses from moving, local governments award them annual tax breaks, described by supporters as vital tools that encourage economic development but denounced by critics as "corporate welfare" that weakens

B) the moving of businesses, local governments award them annual tax breaks, which supporters describe as vital tools for encouraging economic development but are denounced by critics as "corporate welfare" that weakens

C) businesses moving, local governments award them annual tax breaks each year; supporters describe those breaks as vital tools to encourage economic development, but they are denounced by critics as "corporate welfare" for weakening

D) businesses from moving, local governments award annual tax breaks each year; they are described by supporters as vital tools that encourage economic development, but critics denounce them as "corporate welfare" weakening

E) the moving of businesses, local governments award annual tax breaks, whose supporters describe as vital tools to encourage economic development but whose critics denounce as "corporate welfare" that weakens[/quote]

IMO: A

bryan88 · Answer

No problem with 'them' in A?

patanjali.purpose · Answer

bryan88 wrote:To prevent businesses from moving, local governments award them annual tax breaks, described by supporters as vital tools that encourage economic development but denounced by critics as "corporate welfare" that weakens the national economy.

A) businesses from moving, local governments award them annual tax breaks, described by supporters as vital tools that encourage economic development but denounced by critics as "corporate welfare" that weakens

B) the moving of businesses, local governments award them annual tax breaks, which supporters describe as vital tools for encouraging economic development but are denounced by critics as "corporate welfare" that weakens

C) businesses moving, local governments award them annual tax breaks each year; supporters describe those breaks as vital tools to encourage economic development, but they are denounced by critics as "corporate welfare" for weakening

D) businesses from moving, local governments award annual tax breaks each year; they are described by supporters as vital tools that encourage economic development, but critics denounce them as "corporate welfare" weakening

E) the moving of businesses, local governments award annual tax breaks, whose supporters describe as vital tools to encourage economic development but whose critics denounce as "corporate welfare" that weakens

B - WHICH SUPPORTERS....BUT ARE DENOUNCED
C - no consistency in pronoun reference (THOSE = BREAKS; THEY = could be BREAKS or MANY OTHER NOUNS)
D - THEY ambiguous (could be anything eg businesses, governments, breaks etc)
E - WHOSE SUPPORTRS DESCRIBE AS VITAL TOOLS (do not know what supporters describe as vital tools); Though this sentence tries to trick by putting parallel element in WHOSE ...BUT WHOSE, its not communicating the meaning properly;

side note - PREVENT FROM is the right idiom (we can drop A/B/E and then D for pronoun problem); There is no problem with THEM in A - it correctly refers to BUSINESSES (note, THEM is objective pronoun AND THEREFORE ONLY OPTION FOR IT IS "businesses" - THEM cannot refer to government (if it has to refer to itself, then sentence must have used THEMSELVES, but that is not the need here)

GmatKiss · Answer

To prevent businesses from moving, local governments award them annual tax breaks, described by supporters as vital tools that encourage economic development but denounced by critics as "corporate welfare" that weakens the national economy.

A) businesses from moving, local governments award them annual tax breaks, described by supporters as vital tools that encourage economic development but denounced by critics as "corporate welfare" that weakens

B) the moving of businesses, local governments award them annual tax breaks, which supporters describe as vital tools for encouraging economic development but are denounced by critics as "corporate welfare" that weakens

C) businesses moving, local governments award them annual tax breaks each year; supporters describe those breaks as vital tools to encourage economic development, but they are denounced by critics as "corporate welfare" for weakening

D) businesses from moving, local governments award annual tax breaks each year; they are described by supporters as vital tools that encourage economic development, but critics denounce them as "corporate welfare" weakening

E) the moving of businesses, local governments award annual tax breaks, whose supporters describe as vital tools to encourage economic development but whose critics denounce as "corporate welfare" that weakens[/quote]

IMO: A

bubbliiiiiiii · Answer

To prevent businesses from moving, local governments award them annual tax breaks, described by supporters as vital tools that encourage economic development but denounced by critics as "corporate welfare" that weakens the national economy. Doesn't it gives an impression that business can move by itself? I think the moving of business sounds more appropriate keeping the other part of sentence as it is. Please suggest!

patanjali.purpose · Answer

bubbliiiiiiii wrote:To prevent businesses from moving, local governments award them annual tax breaks, described by supporters as vital tools that encourage economic development but denounced by critics as "corporate welfare" that weakens the national economy. Doesn't it gives an impression that business can move by itself? I think the moving of business sounds more appropriate keeping the other part of sentence as it is. Please suggest! Replace BUSINESSES with CORPORATES - you will understand, it makes sense. Yes, BUSINESSES can move by itself. See another example: An article on Thursday about a National Labor Relations Board complaint seeking to prevent Boeing from moving some airplane production to a nonunion plant in South Carolina misstated the status of a rule to require private sector employers to post a notice about workers’ right to unionize. (source -NYTIMES).

scholardream · Answer

Can anyone explain why described by and denounced by correctly refer to tax breaks, not local governments?

bubbliiiiiiii · Answer

Replace BUSINESSES with CORPORATES - you will understand, it makes sense. Yes, BUSINESSES can move by itself

.

On replacing businesses with corporates, the statement looks fine because corporates may indicate persons or things belonging to the corporate. If we assume, corporate refers to livings things capable of moving by themselves, then the sentence looks fine to me.

See another example:

An article on Thursday about a National Labor Relations Board complaint seeking to prevent Boeing from moving some airplane production to a nonunion plant in South Carolina misstated the status of a rule to require private sector employers to post a notice about workers’ right to unionize. (source -NYTIMES).

Although this example involves similar construction (not too similar), the statement is different from the one given in question. In this example, someone (NLRB) is trying to prevent someone (Boeing) from doing something (moving some airplane production). Thus, this works. Whereas in the first statement, something (nonliving thing) is trying to move by itself.

Hope I am able to potray my thoughts.

Regards,

Pranay

bubbliiiiiiii · Answer

scholardream wrote:Can anyone explain why described by and denounced by correctly refer to tax breaks, not local governments?

Past participle modifiers always refer to a noun, perhaps a closer noun to convey appropriate meaning of sentence.

Regards,

Pranay

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