Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
Vithal wrote:
None of the attempts to specify the causes of crime explains why most of the people exposed to the alleged causes do not commit crimes and, conversely, why so many of those not so exposed have.
(A) have
(B) has
(C) shall
(D) do
(E) could
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 most of the people exposed to the alleged causes of crime do not commit crimes, and many of those not so exposed do commit crimes.
Concepts tested here: Subject-Verb Agreement + Tense• Information that is permanent in nature is best conveyed through the simple present tense.
• The simple future tense is used to refer to actions that will take place in the future.
• 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.
A:1/ This answer choice incorrectly uses the present perfect tense verb "have (committed crimes)" to refer to information that is permanent in nature; remember, information that is permanent in nature is best conveyed through the simple present tense, 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.
B:1/ This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural pronoun "those" with the singular verb "has".
2/ Option B incorrectly uses the present perfect tense verb "has (committed crimes)" to refer to information that is permanent in nature; remember, information that is permanent in nature is best conveyed through the simple present tense, 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.
C:1/ This answer choice incorrectly uses the simple future tense verb "shall" to refer to information that is permanent in nature; remember, information that is permanent in nature is best conveyed through the simple present tense, and the simple future tense is used to refer to actions that will take place in the future.
D: Correct.1/ Option E correctly refers to the plural pronoun "those" with "do", which can refer to both plural and singular nouns and pronouns.
2/ Option E uses the word "do (commit crimes)", conveying the intended meaning - that most of the people exposed to the alleged causes of crime do not commit crimes, and many of those not so exposed
regularly do commit crimes.
3/ Option E correctly uses the simple present tense verb "do" to refer to information that is permanent in nature.
E:1/ This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the verb "could"; the use of "could" incorrectly implies that most of the people exposed to the alleged causes of crime do not commit crimes, and many of those not so exposed
might commit crimes; the intended meaning is that most of the people exposed to the alleged causes of crime do not commit crimes, and many of those not so exposed
regularly do commit crimes.
Hence, D 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 (~1 minute):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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