Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
LM wrote:
The computer company has announced that it will purchase the color-printing division of a rival company for $950
million, which is part of a deal that will make it the largest manufacturer in the office color-printing market.
(A) million, which is part of a deal that will make
(B) million, a part of a deal that makes
(C) million, a part of a deal making
(D) million as a part of a deal to make
(E) million as part of a deal that will make
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended core meaning of this sentence is that the computer company will purchase the color-printing division of a rival company for $950 million, and this action is part of a deal that will make the company the largest manufacturer in the office color-printing market.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Modifiers + Verb Forms + Tenses• In a “noun + comma + phrase” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun; this is one of the most frequently tested concepts on GMAT sentence correction.
• "who/whose/whom/which/where", when preceded by a comma, refer to the noun just before the comma.
• The simple future tense is used to refer to events that will take place in the future.
• The simple present tense is used to indicate actions taking place in the current time frame, indicate habitual actions, state universal truths, and convey information that is permanent in nature.
A: This answer choice incorrectly refers to "$950 million" with "which is part of a deal", incorrectly implying that
$950 million are part of a deal that will make the company the largest manufacturer in the office color-printing market; the intended meaning is that
the act of purchasing color-printing division of a rival company for $950 million is part of a deal that will make the company the largest manufacturer in the office color-printing market; please remember, "who/whose/whom/which/where", when preceded by a comma, refer to the noun just before the comma.
B: This answer choice incorrectly modifies "$950 million" with "a part of a deal", incorrectly implying that
$950 million are part of a deal that will make the company the largest manufacturer in the office color-printing market; the intended meaning is that
the act of purchasing color-printing division of a rival company for $950 million is part of a deal that will make the company the largest manufacturer in the office color-printing market; please remember, in a “noun + comma + phrase” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun. Further, Option B incorrectly uses the simple present tense verb "makes" to refer to an event that will take place in the future; please remember, the simple future tense is used to refer to events that will take place in the future, and the simple present tense is used to indicate actions taking place in the current time frame, indicate habitual actions, state universal truths, and convey information that is permanent in nature.
C: This answer choice incorrectly modifies "$950 million" with "a part of a deal", incorrectly implying that
$950 million are part of a deal that will make the company the largest manufacturer in the office color-printing market; the intended meaning is that
the act of purchasing color-printing division of a rival company for $950 million is part of a deal that will make the company the largest manufacturer in the office color-printing market; please remember, in a “noun + comma + phrase” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun. Further, Option C incorrectly uses the present participle ("verb+ing" - "making" in this sentence) to refer to an event that will take place in the future; please remember, the simple future tense is used to refer to events that will take place in the future.
D: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "to make"; the use of the infinitive verb form ("to + base form of verb" - "to + make in this sentence) incorrectly implies that the computer company will purchase the color-printing division of a rival company for $950 million as part of a deal
for the purpose of making the company the largest manufacturer in the office color-printing market; the intended meaning is that the computer company will purchase the color-printing division of a rival company for $950 million, and,
as a separate action, this purchase is part of a deal that will make the company the largest manufacturer in the office color-printing market; please remember, the infinitive verb form ("to + base form of verb" - "to + make in this sentence) is the preferred construction for referring to the purpose/intent of an action.
E: Correct. This answer choice uses the phrase "as part of a deal that will make", avoiding the modifier errors seen in Options A, B, and C and conveying the intended meaning - that the computer company will purchase the color-printing division of a rival company for $950 million, and as a separate action, this purchase is part of a deal that will make the company the largest manufacturer in the office color-printing market. Further, Option E correctly uses the simple future tense verb "will make" to refer to an action that will take place in the future.
Hence, E is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Phrase Comma Subject" and "Subject Comma Phrase" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1minute):
To understand the concept of "Simple Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team