In 1973 mortgage payments represented twenty-one percent of

[mariofelixpasku]

In 1973 mortgage payments represented twenty-one percent of an average thirty-year-old male’s income; and forty-four percent in 1984.
(A) income; and forty-four percent in 1984
(B) income; in 1984 the figure was forty-four percent
(C) income, and in 1984 forty-four percent
(D) income, forty-four percent in 1984 was the figure
(E) income that rose to forty-four percent in 1984

Hi, I know this is not a GMAT PREP question, but I didnt know where exactly to post it. This question if from the weekly Official GMAT Facebook Posts.

Can someone please explain why we can clearly get rid off answer choice C? Thanks in advance




OA: B

[RonPurewal]

This folder is fine for these problems, since they are also free material from GMAC. Thanks for checking.

The biggest problem with that choice is that "and" is inappropriate.

These two figures are in stark contrast with each other. (The second one is more than twice the first one!) "And" doesn't express contrast.
A semicolon, on the other hand, is basically an "all-purpose" connector; it can express just about any relationship, including contrast, in an otherwise clear context.

There's also a certain lack of clarity. That is hard to pin down, but here's a useful principle: If you are offered a choice between a less specific wording and a more specific wording, take the more specific one.
("The figure" makes it more explicitly clear that we're talking about the same statistic in both timeframes.)