1000 sc question

[sameerbhagwatmba1]

please help with following question, i feel all options are wrong as in each option pronoun reference is ambigous.

While depressed property values can hurt some large investors, they are potentially devastating for home-owners, whose equity―in many cases representing a life's savings―can plunge or even disappear.

(A) they are potentially devastating for homeowners, whose

(B) they can potentially devastate homeowners in that their

(C) for homeowners they are potentially devastating, because their

(D) for homeowners, it is potentially devastating in that their

(E) it can potentially devastate homeowners, whose

Thanks,
Sameer

[mksreeram]

I don't see any ambiguity in pronoun referrence in option A.


A. Correct - they referes depressed values and also modifies properly.
B. in that their - their - ambiguity (values/owners)
C. their - ambiguity
D. it - doesn't agree need plural referrence
E. it - doesn't agree need plural referrence

[sameerbhagwatmba1]

Hi, sorry but i still cant get it, cant they in A refer to investers.

Thanks

[mksreeram]

to be a potentiel antecedent nouns should be in same class.

here investors can't be antecedent as it is being acted upon.

for ex if the sentence is "While some large investors are hurt by depressed property values, they are ...."

then option A is wrong because "THEY" will refer to investors and not the values.

I read in some posting stating "When you are clear about a pronoun that it is meaningfully modifying only a single noun and you see the other noun which it meaniningfully can't refer is acted upon then it is clearly not ambigous"

[sameerbhagwatmba1]

THanks