Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
maybeam wrote:
By offering lower prices and a menu of personal communications options, such as caller identification and voice mail, the new telecommunications company has not only captured customers from other phone companies but also forced them to offer competitive prices.
(A) has not only captured customers from other phone companies but also forced them
(B) has not only captured customers from other phone companies, but it also forced them
(C) has not only captured customers from other phone companies but also forced these companies
(D) not only has captured customers from other phone companies but also these companies have been forced
(E) not only captured customers from other phone companies, but it also has forced them
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of the crucial part of this sentence is that the new telecommunications company has captured customers from other phone companies, and it has forced these companies to offer competitive prices.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Tenses + Pronouns + Idioms• 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.
• The simple past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the past.
• “not only A but also B” is the correct, idiomatic usage; A must be parallel to B.
A: This answer choice suffers from pronoun ambiguity, as it is unclear whether "them" refers to "customers" or "companies".
B: This answer choice suffers from pronoun ambiguity, as it is unclear whether "them" refers to "customers" or "companies". Further, Option B incorrectly uses the simple past tense verb "forced" to refer to an action that concluded in the past but continues to affect the present; 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 past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the past.
C: Correct. The sentence formed by this answer choice uses the clause "the new telecommunications company...forced these companies", conveying the intended meaning - that
the new telecommunications company has forced these companies to offer competitive prices. Further, Option C avoids the pronoun error seen in Options A, B, and D, as it uses no pronouns. Additionally, Option C correctly uses the present perfect tense verbs "has...captured" and "has...forced" to refer to actions that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present.
D: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the clause "these companies have been forced"; the passive construction of this clause incorrectly implies that
some unnamed party has forced these companies to offer competitive prices; the intended meaning is that
the new telecommunications company has forced these companies to offer competitive prices. Further, Option D fails to maintain parallelism between A ("has captured customers from other phone companies") and B ("these companies have been forced to offer competitive prices") in the idiomatic construction "not only A but also B"; remember, “not only A but also B” is the correct, idiomatic usage; A must be parallel to B.
E: This answer choice suffers from pronoun ambiguity, as it is unclear whether "them" refers to "customers" or "companies". Further, Option E incorrectly uses the simple past tense verb "captured" to refer to an 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 past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the past.
Hence, C 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 (~2 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team