Setence correction clarification needed for CAT 4

[rschunti]

In below sentence, why verb "trigger" need to be singuler and not plural as "Consumption" is treated as the subject of the sentence?
Consumption of bread products made from ergot-infected grains often trigger severely debilitating symptoms such as muscle contractions, seizures and gangrene but, at a proper dose, also cause a significant reduction in maternal bleeding after childbirth.

But in below sentence:-

A higher interest rate is only one of the factors, albeit an important one, that keeps the housing market from spiraling out of control, like it did earlier in the decade.

Why "Factors" is considered as subject and verb "Keeps" need to be plural and why not we are considering "A higher interest rate" as a subject and then treating verb accordingly? What is the best strategy to follow to determine subject and then correct verb tense in such situations?

[StaceyKoprince]

In your first sentence, you have:
Consumption [prepositional phrase (of bread products)] [modifier of noun in prepositional phrase (made from ergot-infected grains)] triggers...

Consumption is singular and trigger is singular.

In your second sentence, you have:
A [adjective (higher interest)] [initial subject and verb] rate is [adverb (only)] one [prepositional phrase (of the factors)] [aside (albeit an important one)] that [modifier of most closely preceding primary noun (keep the housing market...)]

Core is: A rate is one of the factors that keep. The "that" is a noun modifier, indicating that it is referring to the closest preceding primary noun. "albeit an important one" is just an aside - it can be stripped from the sentence completely without losing any meaning. So the closest preceding primary noun is "factors" - hence "factors that keep"

The rate, by the way, already has its verb: is.

[rschunti]

Thanks Stacey. Good explanation

[StaceyKoprince]

No problem! :)

[amorkia]

Wait a minute - the test specifies this as an answer

(C) CORRECT. This choice correctly pairs the singular subject, "consumption," with two plural verbs, "triggers" and "causes."

What?? why do we want to pair a singular subject with 2 plural verbs? what is going on here?!

Thanks/

[malikrulzz]

In your first sentence, you have:
Consumption [prepositional phrase (of bread products)] [modifier of noun in prepositional phrase (made from ergot-infected grains)] triggers...

Consumption is singular and trigger is singular.

In your second sentence, you have:
A [adjective (higher interest)] [initial subject and verb] rate is [adverb (only)] one [prepositional phrase (of the factors)] [aside (albeit an important one)] that [modifier of most closely preceding primary noun (keep the housing market...)]

Core is: A rate is one of the factors that keep. The "that" is a noun modifier, indicating that it is referring to the closest preceding primary noun. "albeit an important one" is just an aside - it can be stripped from the sentence completely without losing any meaning. So the closest preceding primary noun is "factors" - hence "factors that keep"

The rate, by the way, already has its verb: is.

Hi Stacey,

I fell otherwise in both the sentences

1> The consumption of (middleman - MGAT SC) triggers. Trigger is plural

2> In sentence it is only one and hence it should be keeps. Can u please reconfirm

[RonPurewal]

@ amorkia

(C) CORRECT. This choice correctly pairs the singular subject, "consumption," with two plural verbs, "triggers" and "causes."

What?? why do we want to pair a singular subject with 2 plural verbs? what is going on here?!

wait, it says that?
it shouldn't say that. "triggers" and "causes", along with other verbs that end with the -s suffix, are actually singular.
the -s (or -es) suffix makes nouns plural, but it makes verbs singular.

oh, this crazy language we've got.

--

@ malikrulzz

2> In sentence it is only one and hence it should be keeps. Can u please reconfirm

nope.

if you want, you can just memorize the following:

* if it says "____ is (only) one of...", then you use the PLURAL verb.
for instance: jeff is only one of our students who are going to bhutan over spring break.
this is so because a whole bunch of students are going to bhutan. jeff happens to be just one of these students.

* if it says "_____ is THE only one of...", then you use the SINGULAR verb.
for instance: jeff is the only one of our students who is going to bhutan over spring break.
in this case, we have no idea what "students" (plural) are doing. we do know that jeff is THE only one going to bhutan, so we have to use the singular verb.

and in case that's not complicated enough for you.
* if "only one" is actually the SUBJECT of the sentence, then you use the SINGULAR verb.
for instance: only one of our students [b]is going to bhutan over spring break.[/i]
again, only one (the subject) IS going to spring break. as in the last case, you can actually figure this one out just by thinking about it: only one student is going, so a plural verb wouldn't even make sense.

--

"triggers" is singular, as are other verbs with the -s suffix.
again, the issue here may be a faulty answer key (see post above); we'll look into this.

[malikrulzz]

Thanks Ron I agree with you that it should be keep in 2'nd

Can I request the full question for 1'st one again

[RonPurewal]

Thanks Ron I agree with you that it should be keep in 2'nd

Can I request the full question for 1'st one again

i'm sorry, i don't know what this means. could you try asking this question in clearer, more detailed language?

thanks.

[malikrulzz]

Can you please post the questions related to these doubts.

[StaceyKoprince]

I edited that explanation - it should indeed have said the verbs were singular, not plural. Thanks for catching the typo!

rschunti: please remember to post the full text of the problems you post.