Question: Income in a single year is a very poor guide to income and wealth over even a few years, much less a lifetime; in the longer run, a tax on what people spend is therefore not much different than a tax on their income.

(A) than a tax on their income
(B) from a tax on what they earn
(C) than taxing income
(D) from the income tax
(E) than a tax on what people earn

Correct Answer: B
Explanation: “Income in a single year is a very poor guide.... a tax on what people spend is therefore not much different from a tax on what they earn” - Correct. The expression “a tax on what people spend” maintains a parallel structure with the expression “a tax on what they earn”. Therefore there is no parallelism issue in this answer choice B. Moreover, option B used the correct idiom “different from” which makes the sentence logical and relevant. Therefore, option B is the correct answer as it satisfies the rules of grammar. Let’s examine the other options.

Option A

“Income in a single year is a very poor guide....a tax on what people spend is therefore not much different than a tax on their income” - Incorrect. In this answer choice, the expression “a tax on what people spend” is not structurally parallel to the expression “a tax on their income”. Moreover, the idiom “different than” used in this answer choice is incorrect and makes the meaning of the sentence illogical. Therefore, option A is incorrect since it does not satisfy the rules of grammar. Hence, option A gets eliminated.

Option C

“Income in a single year is a very poor guide....a tax on what people spend is therefore not much different than taxing income” - Incorrect. This answer choice depicts a parallelism error in the sentence. It has been analysed that the expression “a tax on what people spend” is not structurally parallel to the expression “taxing income”. Moreover, the answer choice displays an idiomatic error that is “different than” which makes the sentence illogical and irrelevant. Therefore, option C is the incorrect answer since it does not satisfy the rules of grammar. Hence, option C gets eliminated.

Option D

“Income in a single year is a very poor guide....a tax on what people spend is therefore not much different from the income tax” - Incorrect. This answer choice has used the correct idiom “different from”. However, there exists a parallelism issue in this answer choice. It has been analysed that the expression “a tax on what people spend” does not maintain a parallel structure with the expression “from the income tax”. It distorts the meaning of the sentence. It makes the structure of the sentence irrelevant and illogical. Therefore, the answer choice D is incorrect since it does not satisfy the rules of grammar. Hence, option D gets eliminated.

Option E

“Income in a single year is a very poor guide....a tax on what people spend is therefore not much different than a tax on what people earn” - Incorrect. The answer choice does not possess a parallelism error in the sentence. It has been analysed that the expression “a tax on what people spend” is parallel to the expression “a tax on what people earn”. However, the answer choice does not hold a proper idiom. The use of “different than” is a wrong idiom that makes the structure of the sentence irrelevant and illogical. Therefore, option E is an incorrect answer since it does not support the rules of grammar. Hence, option E gets eliminated.

“Income in a single year is a very poor guide to income and wealth over”- is a GMAT sentence correction question of the GMAT exam. These sorts of questions consist of grammatical errors in the underlined part of the sentence. The candidates need to analyse whether the sentence is structurally parallel or not. It is required to see if there lies any parallelism error in the options. The candidates must verify whether the answer choices have used the correct idioms or not. The candidates must verify if the meaning of the sentence is justified to determine the correct answer by applying logical concepts or ideas. The candidates must choose the correct answer choice which satisfies the rules of grammar and is logical and relevant. The candidates need to choose the correct statement given in the options. The GMAT sentence correction section demands satisfactory grammar skills since the candidate has to identify common grammatical errors. GMAT sentence correction is a part of GMAT verbal.

Suggested GMAT Sentence Correction Samples

• Ideally, the professional career diplomat should help in the ongoing GMAT sentence correction
• Standing as Monuments in the Desert, Native Americans Used the Saguaro GMAT Sentence Correction
• The Strand fills with Water During the Rainy Season that the Peat then holds GMAT Sentence Correction
• Young Basketball Players in the National Basketball Association Lack GMAT Sentence Correction
• Although Improved Efficiency in Converting Harvested Trees into Wood GMAT Sentence Correction
• Beautifully Sanded and Revarnished, Bill Proudly Displayed the Antique GMAT Sentence Correction
• The Illusionist, a Novel by Irish Author Jennifer Johnston GMAT Sentence Correction
• In Fine Lacquering, Which is an Ornamentation Process GMAT Sentence Correction
• In Nests Across North America, the Host Mother Tries to identify GMAT Sentence Correction
• When it Comes to Remembering Numbers or Binary Digits, Each Competitor GMAT Sentence Correction
• No state law forbids an employer from rejecting a job applicant or to GMAT sentence correction
• The human growth hormone, made by the pituitary gland, is secreted dur GMAT sentence correction
• During the first nine months of 1979, textbook publishers incurred sub GMAT sentence correction
• Simply because They are Genetically Engineered Does Not Make it Any More GMAT Sentence Correction
• School integration plans that involve busing between suburban and cent GMAT sentence correction
• If Anyone at InterCom Financial Advisers would have Anticipated GMAT Sentence Correction
• Not until the Enlightenment, some 200 years ago, had society seriously GMAT sentence correction
• The Atlantic Ocean, the second-youngest of Earth's five oceans GMAT sentence correction
• The soya bean originated in China, and the ancient Chinese called it GMAT sentence correction
• The Ancient Sanskrit Epic, The Mahabharata, Developed through a Long Process GMAT Sentence Correction
• Among My Two Brothers, Elliot is the Tallest GMAT Sentence Correction
• The Asteroid That Struck The Yucatan Peninsula 65 Million Years Ago GMAT Sentence Correction
• Each of the Acts in Chekhov's Play The Cherry Orchard Symbolizes GMAT Sentence Correction
• Some Analysts Contend that True Capitalism Exists Only GMAT Sentence Correction
• Spain’s Governing Coalition has Come Under Strain as it pushes GMAT Sentence Correction
• Those Who Study Ancient European History Soon Realize that before Greece GMAT Sentence Correction
• After July, anyone disposing of or servicing refrigerators must captur GMAT sentence correction
• Each of Hemingway’s Wives—Hadley Richardson, Pauline Pfeiffer, Martha GMAT Sentence Correction
• Thrilled with the Performance of his Team and the Win Over an Arch Rival GMAT Sentence Correction
• The Battle of Trafalgar was a Pivotal Naval Battle GMAT Sentence Correction
• Not since Galileo suffered the “scurvy humor” of the Inquisition has a GMAT sentence correction
• The work of mathematician Roger Penrose in the early 1970s, on the geo GMAT sentence correction
• Crossing the street, a car almost struck us. GMAT sentence correction
• Unlike musical talent or other creative skills, there is a GMAT sentence correction
• The plans of the Chamber of Commerce were thwarted as much by the Cham GMAT sentence correction
• The Abundant Supply of Fresh Water and its Location, an Isolated GMAT Sentence Correction
• Although Many Citizens Enjoy Spacious and Well-Kept State GMAT Sentence Correction
• Dorothy Parker's Fiery Personality was Often Mirrored in Her GMAT Sentence Correction
• The Decline of the Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog in the High GMAT Sentence Correction
• The State has Proposed New Rules that would Set Minimum Staffing Levels GMAT Sentence Correction
• Of the Thirteen Samples of Skin Cells, Only Two, having Intact Cell GMAT Sentence Correction
• Recently discovered fossil remains strongly suggest that the Australia GMAT Sentence Correction
• Although Napoleon’s army entered Russia with far more supplies GMAT Sentence Correction
• Socrates could have fled from Athens after he was sentenced to death GMAT Sentence Correction
• Unlike the law protecting endangered animals, the Fish and Wildlife GMAT Sentence Correction
• Ms. Omari's Resignation will Leave the Organization with Another Major GMAT Sentence Correction
• To Help Preserve Ancient Egyptian Monuments Threatened by High Water GMAT Sentence Correction
• When Airline Carriers are Able to Impose a Significant Fare GMAT Sentence Correction
• Some bat caves, like honeybee hives, have residents that take on GMAT Sentence Correction
• The Fates Of Viking Iceland And Greenland Tell An Even More Complex GMAT Sentence Correction