Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
x2suresh wrote:
Some buildings that were destroyed and heavily damaged in the earthquake last year were constructed in violation of the city's building code.
(A) Some buildings that were destroyed and heavily damaged in the earthquake last year were
(B) Some buildings that were destroyed or heavily damaged in the earthquake last year had been
(C) Some buildings that were destroyed and heavily damaged in the earthquake last year have been
(D) Last year the earthquake destroyed or heavily damaged some buildings that have been
(E) Last year some of the buildings that were destroyed or heavily damaged in the earthquake had been
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:Understanding the intended meaning of this sentence is key to solving the question; the intended meaning is that some of the buildings that were either destroyed or heavily damaged in the earthquake last year had been constructed in violation of the city's building code.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Tenses• The past perfect tense (marked by the use of helping verb "had") is used when a sentence contains two actions in the past; the helping verb "had" is used with the action in the "greater past".
• The present perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “has/have”) is used to describe events that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present.
A: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "destroyed and heavily damaged"; the use of "and" illogically implies that the buildings were
both destroyed
and heavily damaged; the intended meaning is that the buildings were
either destroyed
or heavily damaged.
B: Correct. This answer choice uses the phrase "destroyed or heavily damaged", conveying the intended meaning - that the buildings were
either destroyed
or heavily damaged. Moreover, Option B uses the phrase "destroyed or heavily damaged in the earthquake last year", conveying the intended meaning - that the buildings were
destroyed last year. Further, the sentence formed by Option B correctly uses the past perfect tense verb "had been constructed" to refer to the earlier of two actions that concluded in the past - the buildings being destroyed or heavily damaged and the buildings being constructed in violation of the city's building code.
C: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "destroyed and heavily damaged"; the use of "and" illogically implies that the buildings were
both destroyed
and heavily damaged; the intended meaning is that the buildings were
either destroyed
or heavily damaged. Further, the sentence formed by Option C incorrectly uses the present perfect tense verb phrase "have been destroyed" to refer to the earlier of two actions that concluded in the past - the buildings being destroyed or heavily damaged and the buildings being constructed in violation of the city's building code; remember, the past perfect tense (marked by the use of helping verb "had") is used when a sentence contains two actions in the past; the helping verb "had" is used with the action in the "greater past", and the present perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “has/have”) is used to describe events that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present.
D: The sentence formed by this answer choice incorrectly uses the present perfect tense verb phrase "have been destroyed" to refer to the earlier of two actions that concluded in the past - the buildings being destroyed or heavily damaged and the buildings being constructed in violation of the city's building code; remember, the past perfect tense (marked by the use of helping verb "had") is used when a sentence contains two actions in the past; the helping verb "had" is used with the action in the "greater past", and the present perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “has/have”) is used to describe events that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present.
E: The sentence formed by answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the clause "Last year some of the buildings...had been constructed"; the construction of this clause incorrectly implies that the buildings were
constructed last year; the intended meaning is that the buildings were
destroyed last year.
Hence, B is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Past Perfect Tense" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):
To understand the concept of "Present Perfect Tense", you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team