Question

Dropping faster than any other country's, the projected decline of the United States' home values is 6% during the next half year.

• A. Dropping faster than any other country's, the projected decline of the United States' home values is
• B. The home values in the United States are dropping faster than those in any other country and are projected to decline by
• C. Dropping faster than any other country, the United States' home values have a projected decline of
• D. The home values in the United States are dropping faster than any other country, and they have a projected decline at
• E. The United States' home values are dropping faster than those in any other country, with a projected decline at

Hint:

When you see a comparison in a sentence correction question, always check if the items being compared are logically parallel. You can't compare an action to a place, or a thing to a different kind of thing. Use pronouns like "that" or "those" to refer to previously mentioned nouns for a clear comparison.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question tests grammatical correctness, specifically focusing on logical comparisons and sentence structure. The original sentence contains a dangling modifier and an illogical comparison.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
The original sentence starts with "Dropping faster than any other country's...". The possessive "country's" implies that the "projected decline" is being compared to a country's possession, which is vague and illogical. The comparison should be between like items: the drop in US home values versus the drop in other countries' home values.
Let's analyze the options:
(A) Dropping faster than any other country's, the projected decline of the United States' home values is
This is the same as the flawed original sentence. The comparison is illogical.
(B) The home values in the United States are dropping faster than those in any other country and are projected to decline by
This sentence structure is clear and correct. It correctly compares "home values in the United States" with "those" (a pronoun properly referring to home values) "in any other country." The entire sentence is grammatically sound and logical.
(C) Dropping faster than any other country, the United States' home values have a projected decline of
This creates an illogical comparison between "dropping" (an action of home values) and "any other country" (a place). We cannot compare a rate of decline to a country.
(D) The home values in the United States are dropping faster than any other country, and they have a projected decline at
This also creates an illogical comparison between "home values" and "any other country."
(E) The United States' home values are dropping faster than those in any other country, with a projected decline at
This option correctly compares "home values" with "those" in other countries. However, the use of "with a projected decline at" is slightly less clear and direct than the parallel structure in option (B) "and are projected to decline by". Option (B) maintains a better flow.

Step 4: Final Answer:
Option (B) provides the most grammatically correct, clear, and logically sound sentence structure. It properly compares like entities and maintains a parallel structure.