Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
chunjuwu wrote:
Despite the increasing popularity among financial analysts of "operating cash flow" as a measure of a company's viability, a combination of six more conventional measures
has been shown to be more accurate to predict business failure.
(A) has been shown to be more accurate to predict business failure
(B) has been shown to predict business failure more accurately
(C) were shown to be more accurate to predict business failure
(D) have been shown to more accurately predict business failure
(E) have been shown to predict business failure more accurately
I wonder why choice A is incorrect. Thank you
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 a combination of six more conventional measures has been shown to be more accurate in predicting business failure.
Concepts tested here: Subject-Verb Agreement + Meaning + Tenses• 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 actions that concluded in the past.
A:1/ This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "to predict business failure"; the construction of this phrase leads to an incoherent meaning; the intended meaning is that a combination of six more conventional measures has been shown to be more accurate in predicting business failure.
B: Correct.1/ This answer choice correctly refers to the singular noun "combination" with the singular verb "has been shown".
2/ Option B uses the phrase "to predict business failure more accurately", conveying the intended meaning - that a combination of six more conventional measures has been shown to be more accurate in predicting business failure.
3/ Option B correctly uses the present perfect tense verb "has been shown" to refer to an action that concluded in the past but continues to affect the present.
C:1/ This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "a combination" with the plural verb "were shown".
2/ Option C alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "to predict business failure"; the construction of this phrase leads to an incoherent meaning; the intended meaning is that a combination of six more conventional measures has been shown to be more accurate in predicting business failure.
3/ Option C incorrectly uses the simple past tense verb "were shown" 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 actions that concluded in the past.
D:1/ This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "a combination" with the plural verb "have been shown".
E:1/ This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "a combination" with the plural verb "have been shown".
Hence, B 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
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