Question: The price of gasoline saw more fluctuations between 2000 and 2010 than in any previous ten-year period.
A) saw more fluctuations between 2000 and 2010 than in any previous
B) saw more fluctuations between 2000 and 2010 than they did in any previous
C) saw more fluctuations between 2000 and 2010 than what it did in any previous
D) fluctuated more between 2000 and 2010 than in any
E) fluctuated more between 2000 and 2010 than they did in any
“The price of gasoline saw more fluctuations between 2000” -is a GMAT sentence correction question. There are grammatical errors in the underlined portion of the sentence, and the question asks the candidates to select the correct statement from the options. The GMAT sentence correction section tests the candidates’ aptitude to study the sentence carefully in order to detect grammatical errors. The candidates must go through the prolonged and complex sentences rigorously to answer the question correctly. GMAT sentence correction is part of GMAT verbal.
Answer: A
Explanation: It is essential to give the correct explanation. The price of gasoline witnessed more fluctuations between the years 2000 and 2010 than in any prior ten-year period.
The concepts that are required to be tested here to verify the sentence are as follows:
Option A: Correct
The statement in this option states that “The price of gasoline saw more fluctuations between 2000 and 2010 than in any previous ten-year period.” The statement presents a correct comparison between the phrase “between 2000 and 2010” and the phrase “in any previous”. Therefore the phrases are structurally parallel and logical. Moreover, the tense is also correctly used. Thus the option is correct as it satisfies the rules of grammar.
Option B: Incorrect
The statement indicates that “The price of gasoline saw more fluctuations between 2000 and 2010 than they did in any previous ten-year period.” The pronoun “they” in the phrase “than they did” does not hold a suitable antecedent. “ It is required to note the fact that gasoline cannot be considered a person. The accurate version should be “than it did” or “than the price saw”. Therefore, the option is incorrect as it does not support the grammatical rules.
Option C: Incorrect
The statement implies that “The price of gasoline saw more fluctuations between 2000 and 2010 than what it did in any previous ten-year period.” There is an incorrect comparison between the phrase “what it did” and “the price of gasoline”. Moreover, the phrase “what it did” cannot be corresponded with the phrase “between 2000 and 2010”. Therefore, the option is incorrect as it does not meet the rules of grammar.
Option D: Incorrect
The statement states that “The price of gasoline fluctuated more between 2000 and 2010 than in any ten-year period.” Here “any” can denote any period of ten years. It may represent the future or past time. Therefore, it raises the awkwardness of the sentence and distorts its meaning. Thus, the option is incorrect and hence gets eliminated.
Option E: Incorrect
The statement implies that “The price of gasoline fluctuated more between 2000 and 2010 than they did in any ten-year period.” The expression “any ten-year period” represents the time period from 2000 to 2010. Therefore, it alters the meaning of the sentence. Moreover, “they” in the expression “than they did” is incorrect since it does not hold a sensible antecedent. Thus, option E is incorrect and hence gets eliminated.
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*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.