Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
DevilDoggNC wrote:
A surge in new home sales and a drop in weekly unemployment claims suggest that the economy might not be as weak as some analysts previously thought.
(A) claims suggest that the economy might not be as weak as some analysts previously thought
(B) claims suggests that the economy might not be so weak as some analysts have previously thought
(C) claims suggest that the economy might not be as weak as have been previously thought by some analysts
(D) claims, suggesting about the economy that it might not be so weak as previously thought by some analysts
(E) claims, suggesting the economy might not be as weak as previously thought to be by some analysts
Concepts tested here: Subject-Verb Agreement + Tenses + Grammatical Construction + Idioms + Awkwardness/Redundancy• 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 concluded in the past.
• Two singular nouns joined by "and" form a plural noun phrase.
• “as A as B” is the correct, idiomatic usage.
A: Correct. This answer choice correctly acts upon the independent subject "A surge in new home sales and a drop in weekly unemployment claims" with the active verb "suggest" to form a complete thought, leading to a complete sentence. Moreover, Option A correctly refers to the plural noun phrase "A surge in new home sales and a drop in weekly unemployment claims" with the plural verb "suggest" and refers to the plural noun "analysts" with the verb "thought", which can refer to both plural and singular nouns. Additionally, Option A correctly uses the simple past tense verb "thought" to refer to an action that concluded in the past. Option A also correctly uses the idiomatic construction "as A as B". Besides, Option A is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.
B: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun phrase "A surge in new home sales and a drop in weekly unemployment claims" with the singular verb "suggests"; remember, two singular nouns joined by "and" form a plural noun phrase. Further, Option B incorrectly uses the present perfect tense verb "have...thought" to refer to an action that concluded in the past; please 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. Additionally, Option B incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction "so A as B"; please remember, “as A as B” is the correct, idiomatic usage.
C: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "economy" with the plural noun "have been...thought". Further, Option C incorrectly uses the present perfect tense verb "have been...thought" to refer to an action that concluded in the past; please 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. Additionally, Option C uses the passive voice construction "have been previously thought by some analysts", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
D: This answer choice fails to form a complete sentence; as "suggesting" is a present participle ("verb+ing") acting as a modifier, there is no active verb to act upon the subject noun "A surge in new home sales and a drop in weekly unemployment claims". Further, Option D incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction "so A as B"; please remember, “as A as B” is the correct, idiomatic usage. Additionally, Option D uses the needlessly wordy and passive phrases "suggesting about the economy" and "previously thought by some analysts", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
E: This answer choice fails to form a complete sentence; as "suggesting" is a present participle ("verb+ing") acting as a modifier, there is no active verb to act upon the subject noun "A surge in new home sales and a drop in weekly unemployment claims". Further, Option D uses the needlessly wordy phrase "thought to be", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
Hence, A is the best answer choice.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 "Simple Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team