Blueee wrote:
Option B and E are creating confusion
Hello,
Blueee. From a meaning standpoint, there really should be no confusion between the two options. The sentence, with (E) inserted:
Four generations of Americans have developed the habit of reading daily newspapers since the comic strips were appealing.Where many people are getting caught up on
since, the real issue is the verb tense in the underlined portion, specifically
were, when the verb should be in the present tense,
are. Why? Because in the non-underlined portion, the part we cannot negotiate with, we see the present perfect
have developed, and we understand this to indicate an ongoing action. That is, Americans
are reading daily newspapers, and they find the comic strips within to be appealing. It would not make sense to slip into the past tense here, unless the sentence means to convey that because comic strips
used to be funny or appealing, Americans have developed this habit of thumbing through the daily newspaper (I guess to see if the comics are as good as they were at one point in time). There is no way to argue against such a nonsensical reading, based on nothing more than
were, and that is a fatal flaw in the sentence. Notice how answer choice (B) sticks with the present tense and provides a sensible reason for why these people, in the present, keep reading the dailies.
I hope that helps. Good luck with your studies.
- Andrew
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