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According to the Economic Development Corporation of Los Angeles County, if one were to count the Los Angeles metropolitan area as a separate nation, it would have the world’s eleventh largest gross national product, that is bigger than that of Australia, Mexico, or the Netherlands.

 

Meaning Analysis

• According to the Economic Development Corporation of Los Angeles County,
• if one were to count the Los Angeles metropolitan area as a separate nation,

The sentence starts by saying that an authority states that if we assume that the LA urban area is a separate country – this portion gives us the if condition; let’s read further to find out the then portion.

• it would have the world’s eleventh largest gross national product,
  • that is bigger than that of Australia, Mexico, or the Netherlands.

In this portion, we get the then part of the if condition mentioned above.  It says that, under the previously mentioned condition, LA’s gross national product (GNP) would rank among the largest GNPs in the world. It then gives us the implication of this fact by presenting a hypothetical comparison. As per this comparison, the GNP of the LA urban area would actually be bigger than the GNP of some specific countries mentioned in the sentence.

 

To sum up, the sentence says that according to some authority, if one were to consider the LA urban area a country, then it would rank eleventh on the list of countries with the highest GNP, leaving behind countries such as Australia, Mexico, etc.

 

Error Analysis

 

 

Modifier Error

 

The relative pronoun modifier that illogically modifies the preceding noun entity …the world’s eleventh largest gross national product, conveying that this amount is currently bigger than the GNP of the mentioned countries. However, the sentence intends to convey that in a hypothetical situation, the LA metropolitan area would have the world’s 11^th largest GNP and that this GNP of the LA urban area would actually be bigger than the GNP of the mentioned countries.

 

POE

Incorrect

 

This choice has the errors pointed out in the error analysis.

Incorrect

 

1.  Verb Tense Error

 

To present the hypothesis, use of simple present tense verb is in the if clause is incorrect.

 

2.  Idiom Error

 

This choice does not use being correctly. It is neither a subject with a verb nor part of a continuous verb tense passive voice.

 Choice C

Correct

 

This choice not only takes care of the errors in the original sentence but also drops unnecessary words that were making the original sentence wordy.

Incorrect

 

1.  Verb Tense Error

 

While the if clause is written in past tense verb for hypothetical situation …were…, the then clause uses simple future tense …will have…. This usage is incorrect. We need to use would in the then clause to clearly convey the effect of this hypothetical situation.

 

2.  Modifier Error

 

Use of which repeats the modifier error of Choice A.

Incorrect

 

Idiom Errors

1. Use of …when… is illogical in the sentence as the usage suggests the there are times when the LA metropolitan area is considered a separate country, and when it is, the area has one of the world’s largest GNP. This is certainly not what the sentence intends to convey. The if…then construction with correct verb tense must be used to present a situation that does not exist in reality.
2. Presence of …thus… suggests that in a certain situation the LA metropolitan areahas one of the world’s largest GNP and that is why this GNP is bigger than that of the countries mentioned in the sentence. This cause-and-effect relationship is not logical and is not intended in the original sentence.