The city has proposed a number of water treatment and

Question

The city has proposed a number of water treatment and conservation projects  the cost of which raises water bills high enough so that  even environmentalists are beginning to raise alarms.

A. the cost of which raises water bills high enough so that
B. at a cost raising water bills so high that
C. at a cost which raises water bills high enough so
D. whose cost will raise water bills so high that
E. whose cost will raise water bills high enough so th

DLMD · Answer

someone please explain to me why B is wrong. if it's "at a cost  of  raising water bills...", will it be a right answer?

AlexK · Answer

D for me too.

Why not B... well by stating this one changes the meaning conveyed in the sentence. It sounds that City proposes to have the projects at a cost positively, and then there is a disconnect from then on "which raises bills..."

sonaketu · Answer

D.
in B it sounds like it is the cost of proposal and not the project that has raised the water bill.

tareks · Answer

agree with D.

the key here is the second part of the sentence "are beginning"

BECAUSE the cost willl.......the ___ are beginning

HongHu · Answer

For (B):

The city proposed projects at a cost raising bills so hight that ...
Sounds like the proposing itself is at a cost, and it is already raising the bills.

anandnk · Answer

I was breaking my head over this question. It is not as easy as it sounds.

I believe I have a convincing answer.

A. the cost of which raises water bills high enough so that 

 enough so that  is redundant

B. at a cost raising water bills so high that 

- looks OK, but the participle phrase  raising water bills  could modify the noun  cost  or the subject  projects . It is not very clear here. However the restrictive clause using  that  would avoid the ambiguity.

C. at a cost which raises water bills high enough so 

This has an idiomatic error. Usage is  so + that  

D. whose cost will raise water bills so high that 

Whose clearly refers to the projects here. It also has the corect idiomatic usage

E. whose cost will raise water bills high enough so that

This has the redundancy problem.

The city has proposed a number of water treatment and

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