Second GMAT Prep Question

[mpaudena]

Using Vista and can't get the explanation on the GMAT prep. Please help:

Noting that the Federal Reserve had raised a key short-term interest rate last month, analysts said that they expected orders for durable goods to decline soon because rising interest rates makes it more expensive to buy them on credit.

1) Same

2) rising interest rates make buying on credit more expensive

3) a rise in interest rates make it more expensive to buy on credit

4) a rise in interest rates make buying on credit more expensive

5) a rise in interest rates makes it more expensive for them to be bought on credit

Answer is number 2. Question: What is the difference between 1, 2, and 3. What is wrong with these answers? I picked number 1. Thanks in advance.

[acecoolan]

1) rising interest rates makes it more expensive to buy them on credit.
No clear referent to 'it' or 'them' - Hence wrong

3) a rise in interest rates make it more expensive to buy on credit
No clear referent to 'it'. What does 'it' refer to - not clear. Hence wrong

2) rising interest rates make buying on credit more expensive
No such problem. correct option


-A

[piyush_nitt]

Why not 4?

[aj5105]

a rise --- makes

[ronniecoleman]

Using Vista and can't get the explanation on the GMAT prep. Please help:

Noting that the Federal Reserve had raised a key short-term interest rate last month, analysts said that they expected orders for durable goods to decline soon because rising interest rates makes it more expensive to buy them on credit.

1) Same

orders --plural


2) rising interest rates make buying on credit more expensive

because + noun phrase... --- i think is preferable

3) a rise in interest rates make it more expensive to buy on credit

orders--- plural

4) a rise in interest rates make buying on credit more expensive

a rise makes

5) a rise in interest rates makes it more expensive for them to be bought on credit
orders- plural
them --??


Answer is number 2. Question: What is the difference between 1, 2, and 3. What is wrong with these answers? I picked number 1. Thanks in advance.

[maihuna]

yes it make sense

[kstv]

What is the correct option ?
A little more discussion will do no harm.
IMO B
cos' them is 1. and 5. does not have clear antecedents.
Again is the parallelism issue being addressed.

[thephoenix]

What is the correct option ?
A little more discussion will do no harm.
IMO B
cos' them is 1. and 5. does not have clear antecedents.
Again is the parallelism issue being addressed.

1 and 5 are wrong for the reasons quoted by kstv
3 is wrong for sub-verb agreement error ......make (plural verb) does not agree to a rise(singular sub)
it has no refrence
4sub verb agreement make does not agree to a rise(singular)

[harshavardhanc]

What is the correct option ?
A little more discussion will do no harm.
IMO B
cos' them is 1. and 5. does not have clear antecedents.
Again is the parallelism issue being addressed.

as thephoenix has already pointed out, subject-verb agreement can be another way to eliminate most of the choices.

The subject and the verb that can go along with each other :

*rising rates - make
*a rise in rates - makes

only 2 & 5 remain, "them" in 5 has no clear referent. hence, B