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Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
bmwhype2 wrote:
For many people, household labor remains demanding even if able to afford household appliances their grandparents would find a miracle.
(A) even if able to afford household appliances their grandparents would find a miracle
(B) despite being able to afford household appliances their grandparents would find a miracle
(C) even if they can afford household appliances their grandparents would have found miraculous
(D) although they could afford household appliances their grandparents would find miraculous
(E) even if they are able to afford household appliances which would have been a miracle to their grandparents
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this sentence is that even if they can afford household appliances their grandparents would have found miraculous, household labor remains demanding for many people.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Tenses + Awkwardness/Redundancy• The “would + have + past participle" construction is used to refer to a hypothetical action in the past.
• The "would + simple present tense verb" construction is used to refer to hypothetical future actions.
• “being” is only to be used when it is part of a noun phrase or represents the passive continuous verb tense; the use of passive continuous must be justified in the context.
• The simple present tense is used to indicate actions taking place in the current time frame, indicate habitual actions, state universal truths, and convey information that is permanent in nature.
• The simple past tense is only used to refer to events that concluded in the past.
A: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "household labor remains demanding even if able to afford"; the construction of this phrase illogically implies that for many people household labor remains demanding, even if
the labor can afford certain household appliances; the intended meaning is that household labor remains demanding for many people, even if the
people can afford certain household appliances. Further, Option A incorrectly uses the "would + simple present tense verb ("find" in this sentence)" construction to refer to a hypothetical action in the past; please remember, the “would + have + past participle" construction is used to refer to a hypothetical action in the past, and the "would + simple present tense verb" construction is used to refer to hypothetical future actions. Additionally, Option A uses the needlessly wordy phrases "able to afford" and "a miracle", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
B: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "household labor remains demanding despite being able to afford"; the construction of this phrase illogically implies that for many people household labor remains demanding, even if
the labor can afford certain household appliances; the intended meaning is that household labor remains demanding for many people, even if the
people can afford certain household appliances. Further, Option B incorrectly uses the "would + simple present tense verb ("find" in this sentence)" construction to refer to a hypothetical action in the past; please remember, the “would + have + past participle" construction is used to refer to a hypothetical action in the past, and the "would + simple present tense verb" construction is used to refer to hypothetical future actions. Additionally, Option B uses the needlessly wordy phrases "able to afford" and "a miracle", rendering it awkward and redundant. Moreover, Option B needlessly uses "being", leading to further awkwardness and redundancy; please remember, “being” is only to be used when it is part of a noun phrase or represents the passive continuous verb tense; the use of passive continuous must be justified in the context.
C: Correct. This answer choice uses the phrase "even if they can afford", conveying the intended meaning - that even if they can afford household appliances their grandparents would have found miraculous, household labor remains demanding for many people. Further, Option C correctly uses the simple present tense verb phrase "can afford" to refer to an action taking place in the current time frame. Additionally, Option C correctly uses the “would + have + past participle ("found" in this sentence)" construction to refer to a hypothetical action in the past. Besides, Option C is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.
D: This answer choice incorrectly uses the simple past tense verb "could afford" to refer to an action taking place in the current time frame; please remember, the simple present tense is used to indicate actions taking place in the current time frame, indicate habitual actions, state universal truths, and convey information that is permanent in nature, and the simple past tense is only used to refer to events that concluded in the past. Further, Option D incorrectly uses the "would + simple present tense verb ("find" in this sentence)" construction to refer to a hypothetical action in the past; please remember, the “would + have + past participle" construction is used to refer to a hypothetical action in the past, and the "would + simple present tense verb" construction is used to refer to hypothetical future actions.
E: This answer choice uses the passive voice constructions "they are able to" and "would have been a miracle", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
Hence, C is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Simple Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
To understand the concept of "Being" on the GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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