Industry analysts said that the recent rise in fuel prices may be an early signal of the possibility of gasoline and heating oil prices staying higher than usually through the end of the year.

A. of the possibility of gasoline and heating oil prices staying higher than usually through---- 1. redundancy of may and possibility as already pointed out. 2. usually has no verb to modify, a dangling adverb


B. of the possibility that gasoline and heating oil prices could stay higher than usual throughout--- 1. redundancy 2. throughout and through are meaning - wise different.

C. of prices of gasoline and heating oil possibly staying higher than usually through ----- 1. redundancy 2. dangling adverb

D. that prices of gasoline and heating oil could stay higher than they usually are throughout----- throughout and through are meaning - wise different.

E. that prices of gasoline and heating oil will stay higher than usual through -- correct choice

General: All reported speeches are presented in a relative clause introduced by 'that'. Hence D and E are stylistically better than A. B and C.

Through the end of the year means from now until the end of the year, period by period or event by event. As we are in June now, through the end means the rest of June, the entire of July, August, September, and so on until the last day of December. On the contrary, throughout the end of the year doesn't convey any sensible meaning except to refer to the last of the year. The end of the year marks a particular short point of time. There is no meaning in saying throughout that the short period.
Through means from one point to another. Throughout means entirely