CAT Questions | CAT Sentence Correction Questions

The question is from CAT Sentence Correction. CAT exam has not been testing Sentence Correction for the past 5 years. It is still important to better understand English Grammar. Solve CAT Questions from Sentence Correction to get more practice and 2IIMs CAT questions bank provides you with CAT questions from Sentence Correction that can help you gear for CAT Exam.

Question 45: Sold on the black market for a dollar apiece, thieves target avocado orchards as they can easily pick thousands of dollars’ worth of fruit in one night.

1. Sold on the black market for a dollar a piece, thieves target avocado orchards, as they can easily pick thousands of dollars’
2. Sold on the black market for a dollar a piece, thieves target avocado orchards as they can easily pick thousands of dollars
3. Since avocados are sold on the black market for a dollar apiece, thieves target avocado orchards, as they can easily pick thousands of dollars’
4. Since avocados are sold on the black market for a dollar a piece, thieves target avocado orchards as they can easily pick thousands of dollars

Explanatory Answer

Method of solving this CAT Question from Sentence Correction:

There is a dangling modifier in the given sentence—the thieves aren't the ones sold on the black market for a dollar each! This error is corrected in options C and D.

Apiece means each, whereas a piece means per piece. The latter can be only used in cases where the article is sold as pieces (for example, a slice of pizza). In the given context, apiece is the right word to use.

Also note that the genitive case is used in cases where the noun 'worth' is modified by a numerical phrase. In the given sentence, thousand dollars' worth is the right usage.

The question is " Choose the grammatically correct option "

Hence, the answer is option C

Choice C is the correct answer.