Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
Ayrish wrote:
In one of the most stunning reversals in the history of marketing, the Coca-Cola company in July 1985 yielded to thousands of irate consumers demanding that it should bring back the original Coke formula.
(A) demanding that it should
(B) demanding it to
(C) and their demand to
(D) who demanded that it
(E) who demanded it to
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 Coca-Cola company yielded to thousands of irate consumers who demanded that it bring back the original Coke formula.
Concepts tested here: Subjunctive Mood + Meaning + Idioms + Redundancy/Awkwardness• The use of the verb “demanded” indicates that the subjunctive mood is preferable in this context.
• “bossy verb (“demanded”) + that + basic form of the verb” is a correct subjunctive mood usage.
• "demand + that" is the correct idiomatic construction for referring to the nature of the demand made and "demand + infinitive verb form" is the correct idiomatic construction for referring to the purpose of making a demand.
A: This answer choice fails to maintain a correct subjunctive mood usage, as it utilizes the verb phrase “should bring” rather than the base form verb “bring” to refer to an action that was demanded of “the Coca-Cola Company”; remember, the use of the verb “demanded” indicates that the subjunctive mood is preferable in this context and “bossy verb ("demanding") + that + the basic form of verb” is a correct, subjunctive usage. Further, Option A redundantly uses the word "should" alongside the bossy verb "demanding", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
B: This answer choice incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction "demanding + infinitive verb form ("to + base form of verb" - "to + bring" in this sentence)" to refer to the nature of the demand; please remember, "demand + that" is the correct idiomatic construction for referring to the nature of the demand made and "demand + infinitive verb form" is the correct idiomatic construction for referring to the purpose of making a demand.
C: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "and their demand to"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that the Coca-Cola company yielded to
both thousands of irate consumers
and the customers' demand bring back the original Coke formula; the intended meaning is that the Coca-Cola company yielded to thousands of irate consumers
who demanded that it bring back the original Coke formula.
D: Correct. This answer choice uses the phrase "who demanded that", conveying the intended meaning - that the Coca-Cola company yielded to thousands of irate consumers
who demanded that it bring back the original Coke formula. Further, Option D correctly uses the idiomatic construction "demanding + that" to refer to the nature of the demand made. Additionally, Option D maintains a correct subjunctive mood construction - “bossy verb ("demanding") + that + the basic form of verb ("bring" in this sentence)”. Besides, Option D is free of any awkwardness/redundancy.
E: This answer choice incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction "demanded + infinitive verb form ("to + base form of verb" - "to + bring" in this sentence)" to refer to the nature of the demand; please remember, "demand + that" is the correct idiomatic construction for referring to the nature of the demand made and "demand + infinitive verb form" is the correct idiomatic construction for referring to the purpose of making a demand.
Hence, D is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of the "3 Key Subjunctive Mood Structures" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team