Improve the following sentence by choosing the most appropriate alternative. If no improvement is needed, select the option corresponding to “No improvement”. Sentence: Unless you are not very careful, you will run into debt.

Introduction / Context:
This question focuses on the correct use of “unless” in conditional sentences. The given sentence “Unless you are not very careful, you will run into debt” contains a double negative idea that makes the meaning confusing. You must choose the alternative that expresses the intended warning clearly and correctly.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Original sentence: “Unless you are not very careful, you will run into debt.”
• The conjunction “unless” means “if not”.
• The intended meaning is likely: “If you are not very careful, you will run into debt.”
• The double negative “unless” plus “are not” should be avoided, because it creates a confusing statement.

Concept / Approach:
The key idea is that “unless” already carries a negative sense. Therefore:

• “Unless you are careful” means “if you are not careful”.
• “Unless you are not careful” would literally mean “if you are careful”, which reverses the intended warning.

To correct this, we must remove the extra “not” in the clause following “unless”.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Rewrite the original idea using “if” instead of “unless” to clarify the intended meaning. The intended warning is “If you are not very careful, you will run into debt.” Step 2: Replace “if you are not very careful” with an equivalent clause using “unless”. The equivalent clause is “Unless you are very careful, you will run into debt.” Step 3: This removes the double negative and restores the correct logical relationship between carefulness and falling into debt.

Verification / Alternative check:
The corrected sentence “Unless you are very careful, you will run into debt” clearly means “If you are not very careful, you will run into debt.” The warning is now easy to understand: being careful is the condition that prevents debt. The original version, with “Unless you are not very careful”, could be misinterpreted or sound awkward because of the conflicting negatives.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B: “You will be very careful unless you run into debt” completely changes the meaning and suggests that debt is the condition for being careful, which is not the intended warning.
Option C: “You may be very careful, but you will run into debt” creates a contrast instead of a condition and suggests that debt will happen regardless of carefulness, which is not the intended sense of the original sentence.
Option D: “No improvement” would keep the confusing double negative and is not acceptable.

Common Pitfalls:
Double negatives often slip into speech when we combine words like “unless”, “until”, “without” with “not” in the same clause. This leads to sentences that either contradict themselves or have the opposite meaning of what we intend. The safest method is to check such sentences by converting “unless” clauses into “if” clauses in your mind and seeing whether the meaning is what you really want. Then convert them back correctly using a single negative.

Final Answer:
The improved sentence is Unless you are very careful, you will run into debt.