Practice GMAT Sentence Correction Question

One of the most important choices facing the new administration at this moment is if they should continue to advance contractionary fiscal policy.

A)	this moment is if they should continue to advance contractionary fiscal policy
B)	this present moment is whether it should continue to advance contractionary fiscal policy
C)	this moment is whether it should continue to advance contractionary fiscal policy
D)	this moment is whether they should continue to advance contractionary fiscal policy
E)	this present moment is whether it should continue the advancement of contractionary fiscal policy

Correct Answer: C

There are two main issues in the original question.

(1) Since there are only two options for the important choice, one must use whether not if

(2) The new administration is a singular noun and cannot be referred to with the plural pronoun they

if must be replaced by whether since only two options exist for the choice; the plural pronoun they improperly refers back to a singular noun (i.e., new administration)
present moment is redundant as both words convey the same meaning
whether is properly used instead of if as only two options exist; the singular pronoun it properly refers back to a singular noun (i.e., new administration)
the plural pronoun they improperly refers back to a singular noun (i.e., new administration)
the phrase the advancement of is unduly wordy and should be replaced by to advance