Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
gmatpapa wrote:
Animals which were originally feral, such as dogs, horses, and sheep, have been domesticated for the purpose of producing foods and goods, providing faster transportation, and serving as pets for amusement as early as the Stone Age.
(1) Animals which were originally feral, such as dogs, horses, and sheep, have been domesticated
(2) Animals which used to be feral , such as dogs, horses, and sheep, have been domesticated
(3) Dogs, horses, and sheep are examples of animals which were originally feral and have since been domesticated
(4) Dogs, horses, and sheep are examples of animals which were originally feral and had been domesticated
(5) Dogs, horses, and sheep are examples of animals which were originally feral and were domesticated
Concepts tested here: Tenses• The simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the 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.
• If a sentence contains multiple past actions, the past perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “had”) is used to refer to all but the most recent action; the simple past tense is used to refer to the most recent action.
A: Trap.
1/ This answer choice incorrectly uses the present perfect tense verb "have been domesticated" to refer to an action that concluded in the past; remember, the simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the 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.
B: Trap.
1/ This answer choice incorrectly uses the present perfect tense verb "have been domesticated" to refer to an action that concluded in the past; remember, the simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the 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.
C: Trap.
1/ This answer choice incorrectly uses the present perfect tense verb "have been domesticated" to refer to an action that concluded in the past; remember, the simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the 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:1/ This answer choice incorrectly uses the past perfect tense verb "had been domesticated" to refer to the later of two actions that concluded in the past - certain animals originally being feral and those animals being domesticated; remember, if a sentence contains multiple past actions, the past perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “had”) is used to refer to all but the most recent action; the simple past tense is used to refer to the most recent action.
E: Correct.1/ This answer choice correctly uses the simple past tense verb "were domesticated" to refer to the later of two actions that concluded in the past - certain animals originally being feral and those animals being domesticated.
Hence, E is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Simple Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):
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 "Past Perfect Tense" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team