I hope accentuate vs accentuates is clear.so option A OUT.
NOW SEE
X accentuates Y,SO IN DEEP GRAMMAR MEANING Y MUST BE A NOUN,AGREE?
Now see what actually the right answer should be that is “significant gains”
Now see how gmat framers try to elude us by using modifiers.
Modifier here is being made in bla bla bla.
The actual concentration must be on what can be after accentuates ,is it significance or gain ?
It’s actually gains
Now another thing THE NUMBER OF .... IS ALWAYS SINGULAR
AND A NUMBER OF .... IS ALWAYS PLURAL
BUT THEIR ARE MORE THAN ONE AWARD GIVEN AND MORE THAN ONE SCIENTISTS ARE GIVEN ,SO “THE NUMBER OF” is wrong.
One more thing in SIGNIFICANT GAIN ,THE WORD SIGNIFICANT IS ADJECTIVE
IF NOTHING COMES TO YOUR MIND THEN THEIR IS A BLIND RULE V>A>N
SO HERE SINCE NO VERB FORM IS PRESENT WE WILL GO WITH ADJECTIVE FORM AND NOT WITH NOUN FORM.