In the following SC, should the correct answer, C, use LEADS instead of LEAD? The mgmat book explicity says you should omit whatever follows the 'of' clause. That means the subject is A CYCLE (singular) and the corresponding verb should be LEADS, not lead. Can an mgmat instructor please explain?

An economic recession can result from a lowering of employment rates triggered by a drop in investment, which causes people to cut consumer spending and starts a cycle of layoffs leading back to even lower employment rates.



A) a lowering of employment rates triggered by a drop in investment, which causes people to cut consumer spending and start a cycle of layoffs leading back to even lower employment rates.

B) a lowering of employment rates triggered by dropping investment, which cause people to cut consumer spending and starts a cycle of layoffs leading back to even lower employment rates.

C) falling employment rates triggered by a drop in investment, causing cutbacks in consumer spending and starting a cycle of layoffs that lead to even lower employment rates.

D) falling employment rates that are triggered by a drop in investment, causing people to cut consumer spending and starting a cycle of layoffs that lead back to even lower employment rates.

E) falling employment rates that are triggered by a drop in investment, that cause cutbacks in consumer spending and the start of a cycle of layoffs leading to even lower employment rates.

Hi,

In this particular case "cycle of layoffs" is one word, rather a plural subject that requires a plural verb,
and the "of" that you are referring to is the modifying phrase in a sentence that modifys the subject of the sentence, here the "of" is a part of the subject.

Hope that helps,

A relative clause (begins with that, which, who, etc.) modifies the noun immediately before it, with VERY rare exceptions.

In this case, the immediately preceding noun is the plural "layoffs," so the verb "lead" within the relative clause must be plural. It's as if it reads "layoffs lead to even lower employment rates," which is logical. It is not the cycle itself that leads to lower employment, but rather the actually layoffs!

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Emily Sledge
Instructor
ManhattanGMAT