OG'17

[fiza gupta]

Making things even more difficult has been general market inactivity lately, if not paralysis, which has provided little in the way of pricing guidance.

A) has been general market inactivity lately, if not paralysis, which has provided
B) there is general market inactivity, if not paralysis, lately it has provided
C) general market inactivity, if not paralysis, has lately provided
D) lately, general market inactivity, if not paralysis, has provided
E) is that lately general market inactivity, if not paralysis, which provides

OA:D

[crackverbal]

A - "which" refers to paralysis. It should have referred to general market inactivity.

B - "making things more difficult there is general market inactivity" - is not a proper sentence.

"there is general market inactivity, modifier, lately it has provided little in the way ..." - this is a run-on sentence.
Also, the usage of "lately" is incorrect. It means that recently, general market inactivity has provided little in the way of pricing guidance.
This implies that general market inactivity used to provide pricing guidance before. Illogical.

C - "making things more difficult general market inactivity" - there should be a comma before general market inactivity.
Also, the usage of "lately" is incorrect. It means that general market inactivity has recently provided little in the way of pricing guidance.
This implies that general market inactivity used to provide pricing guidance before. Illogical. "lately" should modify "making things even more difficult".

D - correct answer.

E - " ... is that lately general market inactivity, modifier, modifier" - here "that" must be followed by a clause.
"lately" is an adverb and hence cannot modify "general market inactivity".
"which" should ideally refer to "general market inactivity".