Although the counselor recommended that Mary be permitted to work out

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION



THE PROMPT

• Meaning?
The counselor believed that 13-year-old Mary should be allowed to create a sensible schedule.
The counselor's opinion was qualified.
That is, the counselor believed that some limitations should be placed on Mary's freedom to create this schedule.

• Issues?
→ Subject/verb agreement
→ Diction (had to be in option B, for example, is grammatical—and 100% wrong)
→ Meaning: one of these sentences is utterly nonsensical.
→ Style/usage
→ THERE (See Notes) - presentational there and existential there

Diction, style and usage, and syntax questions are challenging, but you can learn how to tackle them.
Start by reading every day for 15 minutes (preferably more).


• Subject/verb agreement error: has should be have
→ . . . limits . . . have to be

• the word there is not the subject.

• The word there does not require an antecedent or a referent.

• This construction is called a presentational there.
There gets the sentence started.
By custom, there signals that it is about to "present" the focus of the sentence.
That focus of the sentence then comes after there; the subject and verb of the sentence are inverted in that focus clause.
The subject and verb should agree.
→ the word limits is plural. We need the verb have, not has.

• For more on "there are/there is," (existential there) and "there VERB/VERBS" (presentational there) see Notes
ELIMINATE A

• had to be is grammatical but creates a ridiculous sentence.
The sentence, shortened:
→ The counselor agreed that some limits on the freedom given to a thirteen-year-old had to be.

→ We could theoretically translate that sentence to mean that "some limits [on freedom] had to exist."
Just one problem.
No one speaks or writes that way in English.

We use the word exist, not be, to talk about things that are required.
→ Correct: To guard the environment, regulations to protect forests must exist.
→ Wrong: To guard the environment, regulations to protect forests must be.

• Had/have/has + TO BE
is followed by at least one more word.
→ Adjective/Participle (verbED): Some limits on the freedom given to a 13-year-old had to be established.
→ Noun/Object: In order to sign for the package, I had to be home.
→ Adjective: I had to be early.
→ Participle (verbED) adjective: I had to be persuaded to try that yucky looking but delicious appetizer.
→ Noun/object: It had to be you.
ELIMINATE B

• this sentence is nonsensical.
→ "Limitations" are not given to freedom!
→ Limitations are imposed upon freedom.
→ Freedom is given to a teenager.
This sentence is a logical disaster.

→ to be should be on
The intended meaning is limitations on freedom.

→ given to should follow freedom and replace of, or "given to" should be excluded entirely
ELIMINATE C

• cut the fluff: some limitations . . . were necessary.
That phrasing works.
• the logic of the sentence works; "although" signals that a contrast or limit is coming
→ Although the counselor thought that XYZ was a good idea, she thought that ABC limits were necessary [too].
KEEP D

• it is necessary that adds nothing. At times, that clause may add something.
Not in this case.
Compare to option D. (E) is unnecessarily wordy.

• just as in option B, have to be should be followed by another word such as "placed" or at the least (not great), should state have to exist
→ Good: . . . some limits have to be placed on the freedom given to a 13-year-old.
→ Rearranged, acceptable: . . . some limits on the freedom given to a 13-year-old have to exist.
→ Horrible diction: . . . some limits have to be on the freedom given to a 13-year-old.
ELIMINATE E

The best answer is D.

NOTES

EXISTENTIAL THERE and PRESENTATIONAL THERE

• "Existential there" is seen in the expressions there is and there are.
→ "Existential there" just says that something exists. That's all.

→ We use the construction to highlight certain information by putting it in the final position in the sentence.
English is naturally an "end-weighted" language.
If we want to emphasize the subject, we rearrange the words and place the subject at the end.
In this type of arrangement, we add "there is" or "there are."

→ Existential there follows a pattern:
→ THERE + to be verb + noun, noun phrase, or noun clause
There is relief coming soon.
There is rank corruption at the highest levels of government.
There are five kinds of truffles in that package.

You can't really invert this kind of there. Let's use my second example.
→ Rank corruption is at the highest levels of government there? NO.

• "Presentational there" is very similar to existential there. It, too, follows a similar pattern.

→ Existential there uses [THERE + to be verb]
→ Presentational there uses [THERE + some other kind of verb]

Presentational there examples:
→ There appear to be two or three promising vaccines.
→ There exists remarkable courage among first responders.

• There in both existential and presentational "there" sentences does nothing more than set the stage to present the information.
→ This "there" has no referent. Sometimes this "there" is called a "dummy pronoun."

Remember that the subject is not the word "there."

The subject is in the clause that follows the word there.
The verb and subject are inverted in these clauses.

→ if the subject is singular, use there has:
Correct: There has to be a limit on how much a government can tax poor people.
→ if the subject is plural, use there have:
Correct: There have to be limits on "emergency" government disbursements that make billionaires richer.

COMMENTS

carouselambra and TarunKumar1234 , welcome to SC Butler.

I am impressed by everyone who posted about this question, even if some analysis went slightly astray.
Well done.
You took a risk.
This kind of question can be really challenging to digest, let alone answer, let alone explain.

I want people to be brave.
Bravery is good.
You have nothing to lose except the chance to learn and to contribute.

Everyone gets kudos on this question because it is hard and a bit intimidating.
That said, a few of these answers are especially insightful—and especially well done.
Nice work, everyone.