Question

Despite the increasing number of women graduating from law school and passing bar examinations, the proportion of judges and partners at major law firms who are women has not risen to a comparable extent.
Which of the following is the correct version of the sentence?

• A. the proportion of judges and partners at major law firms who are women have not risen to a comparable extent
• B. the proportion of women judges and partners at major law firms have not risen comparably
• C. the proportion of judges and partners at major law firms who are women has not risen comparably
• D. yet the proportion of women judges and partners at major law firms has not risen comparably
• E. yet the proportion of judges and partners at major law firms who are women has not risen comparably

Hint:

Ensure subject-verb agreement is correct when discussing singular or plural subjects in complex sentences.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Analyzing the sentence structure.
The phrase "the proportion of judges and partners" is singular, so the verb should be "has" and not "have." This means the sentence needs to correctly reflect subject-verb agreement.
Step 2: Analyzing the options.
- (A) Incorrect subject-verb agreement: "the proportion" is singular, so "has" should be used instead of "have."
- (B) This option incorrectly uses "have" for a singular subject and is awkward.
- (C) This is the correct answer. It maintains subject-verb agreement and uses "comparably" properly.
- (D) This is an unnecessary shift in structure and doesn't improve clarity.
- (E) This option, while grammatically correct, is slightly less clear than option (C).
Step 3: Conclusion.
The correct answer is (C), as it maintains the proper subject-verb agreement and clarity.