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Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
diehard4 wrote:
A proposal has been made to trim the horns from rhinoceroses to discourage poachers; the question is whether tourists will continue to visit game parks and see rhinoceroses after their horns are trimmed.
(A) whether tourists will continue to visit game parks and see rhinoceroses after their horns are
(B) whether tourists will continue to visit game parks to see one once their horns are
(C) whether tourists will continue to visit game parks to see rhinoceroses once the animals’ horns have been
(D) if tourists will continue to visit game parks and see rhinoceroses once the animals’ horns are
(E) if tourists will continue to visit game parks to see one after the animals’ horns have been
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended core meaning of this sentence is that the question is whether tourists will continue to visit game parks to see rhinoceroses once the animals’ horns have been rimmed.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Verb Forms + Tenses + Pronouns + IdiomsA: Trap. This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "visit game parks and see rhinoceroses"; the parallelism between "visit" and "see" incorrectly implies that the question is whether tourists will continue to visit game parks and,
as a separate and parallel action, continue to see rhinoceroses; the intended meaning is that the question is whether tourists will continue to visit game parks
for the purpose of seeing rhinoceroses; remember, if a phrase is subordinate to another in terms of importance (or sharing a cause-effect relationship), the phrases do not maintain parallelism. Further, Option A incorrectly uses the simple present tense verb "are trimmed" to refer to a hypothetical action that concluded in the past but continues to affect the present; please remember, 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, and the simple present tense is used to indicate actions taking place in the current time frame, indicate habitual actions, state universal truths, and convey information that is permanent in nature.
B: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun "rhinoceroses" with the singular pronoun "one". Further, Option B incorrectly uses the simple present tense verb "are trimmed" to refer to a hypothetical action that concluded in the past but continues to affect the present; please remember, 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, and the simple present tense is used to indicate actions taking place in the current time frame, indicate habitual actions, state universal truths, and convey information that is permanent in nature.
C: Correct. This answer choice avoids the pronoun error seen in Option B, as it uses no pronouns. Further, Option C uses the phrase "visit game parks to see rhinoceroses"; the use of the infinitive verb form ("to + base form of verb" - "to + see" in this sentence) conveys the intended meaning - that the question is whether tourists will continue to visit game parks
for the purpose of seeing rhinoceroses; remember, the infinitive verb form ("to + base form of verb") is the preferred construction for referring to the purpose/intent of an action. Additionally, Option C correctly uses the present perfect tense verb "have been trimmed" to refer to a hypothetical action that concluded in the past but continues to affect the present. Besides, Option C correctly uses "whether" to present a set of alternatives.
D: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "visit game parks and see rhinoceroses"; the parallelism between "visit" and "see" incorrectly implies that the question is whether tourists will continue to visit game parks and,
as a separate and parallel action, continue to see rhinoceroses; the intended meaning is that the question is whether tourists will continue to visit game parks
for the purpose of seeing rhinoceroses; remember, if a phrase is subordinate to another in terms of importance (or sharing a cause-effect relationship), the phrases do not maintain parallelism. Further, Option D incorrectly uses the simple present tense verb "are trimmed" to refer to a hypothetical action that concluded in the past but continues to affect the present; please remember, 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, and the simple present tense is used to indicate actions taking place in the current time frame, indicate habitual actions, state universal truths, and convey information that is permanent in nature. Additionally, Option D incorrectly uses "if" to refer to a set of alternatives; please remember, “whether" is used for showing alternatives, and “if” is used to refer to phrases that lead to a “then” clause.
E: This answer choice incorrectly uses "if" to refer to a set of alternatives; please remember, “whether" is used for showing alternatives, and “if” is used to refer to phrases that lead to a “then” clause.
Hence, C is the best answer choice.Additional Note: Please note that in this sentence, the action of trimming the horns is a hypothetical future action, but as the sentence is concerned with whether people will come to see the rhinos after the horns are trimmed, in the second clause of this sentence, this action is considered a past action.
To understand the concept of "Simple Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
To understand the concept of "Present Perfect Tense" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
To understand the concept of "If" vs "Whether" on GMAT on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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