With corn, soybean, and wheat reserves

[boomgoesthegmat]

With corn, soybean, and wheat reserves being low enough so a poor harvest would send prices skyrocketing, grain futures brokers and their clients are especially interested in weather that could affect crops.

A) being low enough so

B) so low such that

C) so low that

D) that are low enough so

E) that are so low such that

C

[boomgoesthegmat]

Anyone?

[fabiocafarelli]

With corn, soybean, and wheat reserves being low enough so a poor harvest would send prices skyrocketing, grain futures brokers and their clients are especially interested in weather that could affect crops.

A) being low enough so
The form ADJECTIVE + ENOUGH + SO + NOUN (low enough so a ... harvest) is unidiomatic and therefore mistaken. Furthermore, BEING has no function here and is merely decorating the sentence.

B) so low such that
The form SO + ADJECTIVE + SUCH THAT (so low such that) is unidiomatic. SO THAT exists, and introduces intentions; SUCH THAT exists, and introduces outcomes, but SO ... SUCH THAT does not exist, except as a mistake.

C) so low that
This is the required form, and the only correct one in this question. RESERVES are SO LOW THAT something is likely to ensue; and this is what the sentence says: so low that a poor harvest would send prices skyrocketing. In other words, SO + ADJECTIVE + THAT expresses the intended idea here and from the point of view of idiomatic sentence construction is always a correct form.

D) that are low enough so
The form ADJECTIVE + ENOUGH + SO repeats the mistake in option A.

E) that are so low such that
Option E repeats the mistake in option B.

C

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Hello Everyone!

Another day, another great question! Let's start with the original question, with any major differences between the options highlighted in orange:

With corn, soybean, and wheat reserves being low enough so a poor harvest would send prices skyrocketing, grain futures brokers and their clients are especially interested in weather that could affect crops.

(A) being low enough so
(B) so low such that
(C) so low that
(D) that are low enough so
(E) that are so low such that

If we look over this question carefully, we can see that this is an example of an idiom question! Let's quickly go over the idiom we're dealing with, and then determine which option uses it correctly!

Here is the idiom:

so X that Y
OR
X so that Y

Okay, now that we know which idiom we're dealing with, let's see which options handle it correctly:

(A) being low enough so --> being X enough so Y = WRONG
(This could have worked if it used the phrase "so that" instead of just "so.")
(B) so low such that --> so X such that Y = WRONG
(C) so low that --> so X that Y = GOOD
(D) that are low enough so --> X enough so Y = WRONG
(This could have worked if it used the phrase "so that" instead of just "so.")
(E) that are so low such that --> so X such that Y = WRONG

There you have it - option C is the only one that uses the idiom correctly! If you can become familiar with common idioms in English, answering these types of questions will be quick and painless!


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