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23 Sep 2016, 07:10
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zoezhuyan
There is a causation relation in this sentence.
Why Morocco was of interest to the French?... because without Morocco, the French would be at a disadvantage.
From the context of the sentence the logical antecedent of "it" is "Morocco".
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06 May 2017, 06:11
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kizito2001
First Glance
The underline begins with the word if. Some kind of conditional verb structure might be an issue.
Issues
(1) Verb: was
The original sentence uses the conditional structure if X, (then) Y. Conditional structures require certain verb tenses, depending on the intended meaning of the sentence. (Note: Some answers don't specifically use the word if, but the conditional nature of the meaning is still clear.)
In this case, the if portion is in past tense (if they did not hold it) and the full meaning is hypothetical: They did not know what was going to happen after that. The second half of the structure, then, should be in the present conditional form: Their grip would be insecure. Answers (A) and (C) both incorrectly use simple past was for the conditional portion of the sentence; eliminate them.
(2) Pronoun: it; that
Four of the five answers use the pronoun it; answer (D) uses the pronoun that. The word it is a personal pronoun; the word that is a demonstrative pronoun.
When demonstrative pronouns are used alone, not in conjunction with a noun, such as "that car", they should not refer to a noun that is located within the same main clause. In answer (D), the pronoun that refers to Morocco, which is in the same main clause. Eliminate answer (D).
The other four all use it, so they must all be correct, right? Not so fast. Answers (A) and (B) do correctly use it; first, the noun Morocco appears, then the pronoun it, which refers to Morocco, and finally Algeria (so it's clear that it does not refer to Algeria). In answers (C) and (E), however, the pronoun it does not appear until the end of the sentence. Do the French need to hold Morocco or Algeria? The sentence is no longer clear. Eliminate answers (C) and (E).
(3) Meaning
The original sentence says that their grip was insecure. Answer (B) conveys a similar meaning, this time with the correct conditional tense: Their grip would never be secure. In both cases, the grip is the thing that is (or is not) secure. Answer (D) changes this structure: The French could never be secure about their grip. What's the difference?
The meaning in answer (D) no longer indicates whether the grip actually is secure. Rather, this choice talks about how the French feel about the situation. For example: The dog could not be secure about his grip on the bone (he wasn't sure he had a good grip on the bone). The dog's grip on the bone was not secure (he definitely did not have a good grip on the bone). The two sentences convey different meanings. Eliminate answer (D).
The Correct Answer
Correct answer (B) fixes the initial tense error by changing was to the conditional would be.
21 Jan 2018, 16:24
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Hi guys. I just want to check the if-then rule.
If simple past then condition will have Simple past or use of would. is this rule correct?
If the above said if-then rule for simple Past is correct then can anyone explain why option A and Option E are wrong.
If simple past then condition will have Simple past or use of would. is this rule correct?
If the above said if-then rule for simple Past is correct then can anyone explain why option A and Option E are wrong.
). It's okay to skip the comma after a short prepositional phrase (in this case, 
