Last visit was: 14 Jul 2025, 15:25 It is currently 14 Jul 2025, 15:25
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
avatar
pk6969
Joined: 25 May 2020
Last visit: 02 Jan 2022
Posts: 136
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 70
Location: India
Concentration: Finance, General Management
GPA: 3.2
Posts: 136
Kudos: 14
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
junii
Joined: 15 Sep 2018
Last visit: 20 May 2022
Posts: 164
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 897
Location: Australia
GMAT 1: 620 Q48 V28
GMAT 1: 620 Q48 V28
Posts: 164
Kudos: 120
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
GMATNinja
User avatar
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
Joined: 13 Aug 2009
Last visit: 14 July 2025
Posts: 7,351
Own Kudos:
68,536
 [1]
Given Kudos: 1,966
Status: GMAT/GRE/LSAT tutors
Location: United States (CO)
GMAT 1: 780 Q51 V46
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Products:
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Posts: 7,351
Kudos: 68,536
 [1]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
GMATNinja
User avatar
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
Joined: 13 Aug 2009
Last visit: 14 July 2025
Posts: 7,351
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 1,966
Status: GMAT/GRE/LSAT tutors
Location: United States (CO)
GMAT 1: 780 Q51 V46
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Products:
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Posts: 7,351
Kudos: 68,536
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
pk6969
GMATNinja
nitesh50
Hi GMATNinja

Insufficiently trained for combat, the soldier was grievously injured in battle and sank once again into unconsciousness, anesthetized by the medicine required by the many rounds of surgery necessary to save his badly wounded leg.

a) battle and sank once again into unconsciousness, anesthetized by
b) battle, sank once again into unconsciousness, and anesthetized
c) battle, sinking once again into unconsciousness, was anesthetized by
d) battle and sank once again into unconsciousness, and was anesthetized
e) battle, sinking once again into unconsciousness and being anesthetized by

This is again one of those questions that have really confused me.
An Verbed modifier may modify the preceding clause but it must make sense with the subject.

The correct option:
the process I use is I ask a question: who is responsible for action of "verb ed" modifier.

in Option A anesthetized by modifies the action sank.
It present the action of WHY.
But it doesnot make sense with the subject.
Who is responsible for the action of anesthizing: The medicine not Soldier.
Hence I feel the Choice A is not the answer.

Can you please give me some examples of Verb-ed modifier modifying the preceding clause?
And what is wrong in my reasoning in this question.


Looking forward to your reply.
Thank you for your time.

Regards
Nitesh
This is a non-official question, so please don't spend too much time worrying about the specifics. But I think the sentence is defensible. If we strip it down a bit, we have: "the soldier... sank into unconsciousness, anesthetized by the medicine..." "Anesthetized" describes the soldier, right? He was the one that was actually "anesthetized by the medicine", and it's giving us more information about what happened when he sank into unconsciousness. Logically, that seems absolutely fine to me.

For more on "-ed" words, check out this article.

I hope this helps!

Hello! I have a query regarding this. Does An "ed" modifier after a comma need to modify subject of the sentence? Because in OG12 Q.57, an "ed" modifier "published" modified the noun preceding it(there was a comma). The sentence read as "Alvin Toffler, one of the most prominent students of the future, did not even mention microcomputers in Future Shock, published in 1970" Please help.
When an -ed modifier comes after the thing it modifies with a comma in between, it usually modifies the closest noun. For an official example, check out this question. If the -ed modifier comes before the thing it's modifying, on the other hand, then it usually modifies the subject. This article discusses this construction in depth.

So, is it a hard-and-fast rule that an "-ed" modifier that follows the thing it's modifying can never modify an entire clause? Nope -- like many GMAT SC "rules," there are exceptions. For example, the non-underlined portion of this official question is constructed that way. So, the construction of the non-official question above might be just fine (although again, it's really not worth your time to worry about the specifics of non-official questions).

Overall, it's best not to stress over a "rule" that the GMAT may or may not violate at some point. Instead, ask yourself, "What does the "-ed" modifier seem to modify here? Does that make sense?" If so, leave it in the running and look for other decision points.

I hope that helps a bit!
avatar
pk6969
Joined: 25 May 2020
Last visit: 02 Jan 2022
Posts: 136
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 70
Location: India
Concentration: Finance, General Management
GPA: 3.2
Posts: 136
Kudos: 14
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi! Thanks for your response. So, basically, an ed modifier after a comma cannot modify the subject of the sentence if we have a noun in between them (which in most cases we will). So, This novel is a great source of entertainment, published in 1979. this sentence is incorrect. However, This novel, published in 1979, is a great source of entertainment. is correct. Is this all correct?
avatar
aarkay87
Joined: 14 May 2020
Last visit: 29 Jan 2022
Posts: 121
Own Kudos:
49
 [1]
Given Kudos: 180
Location: India
Concentration: Operations, General Management
Schools: IIMA PGPX'23
GMAT 1: 640 Q49 V27
GPA: 4
WE:Engineering (Manufacturing)
Schools: IIMA PGPX'23
GMAT 1: 640 Q49 V27
Posts: 121
Kudos: 49
 [1]
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi GMATNinja

Please confirm Can appositives contain a clause?

In my understanding, the structure of appositive is noun + noun modifier (mostly phrase), but there is an example, in GMAT book SC Grail 2018 (Chapter- Fragments and run-on sentences), in which the author has confirmed that "a movie he had always wanted to see" is an appositive.

The complete sentence is "I offered him a ticket to Spielberg’s new movie, a movie he had always wanted to see."

"He had always wanted to see" is a clause, right? So can it be a part of the appositive?
Please confirm.
User avatar
GMATNinja
User avatar
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
Joined: 13 Aug 2009
Last visit: 14 July 2025
Posts: 7,351
Own Kudos:
68,536
 [1]
Given Kudos: 1,966
Status: GMAT/GRE/LSAT tutors
Location: United States (CO)
GMAT 1: 780 Q51 V46
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Products:
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Posts: 7,351
Kudos: 68,536
 [1]
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
gmat77777777777
Hi Sir, could you please help me with the question below? Why is the answer E instead of A? Isn't A better in terms of parallelism? (women with the wealth.....but with needs for....)

There are more and more women with the wealth and buying power that advertisers crave but with needs for relevant information still go largely ignored by magazine publishers

A)with needs for
B)have need of
C)who need
D)their need for
E)whose needs for
This doesn't appear to be an official question (if it is, please share the source!), so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

That said, "with the wealth and buying power..." is a modifier (describing the "women"). "Whose needs for relevant information..." is also a modifier (again, describing the "women"), so you could argue that (E) gives us a parallel list of modifiers, even though the first is a prepositional phrase and the second is a noun modifier. I don't recall ever seeing something like that in an official answer, but I guess it's okay?

More importantly, notice the verb "go (largely) ignored" at the end. That verb needs a subject, and we don't one in (A). If that's not clear, take a look at this stripped down version of (A), using only the second half of the parallel list:

    "There are more and more women with needs for information still go largely ignored."

Notice that the object of the preposition ("with") is a noun ("needs"). What kind of needs? Needs for information ("for information" simply modifies the "needs"). Stripping out a few additional modifiers from (A), we're left with:

    "There are more and more women with needs go ignored." - What is it that the women are with? (In order words, what do the women have?) The women have "needs go ignored" -- huh? What's a "needs go ignored"?? I don't think that's something you can have or be with.

In order for this to work, we'd need something like:

    "There are more and more women with needs that go ignored." - Now, what is it that the women have? The women have "needs" -- what kind of "needs"? Needs that go ignored -- this makes perfect sense. Notice that "that" is a relative pronoun (referring to the "needs"), and this relative pronoun serves as the subject for the ensuing verb ("go ignored").

(E) solves the "missing subject" problem in a slightly different way:

    "There are more and more women whose needs go ignored." - "whose" is also a relative pronoun, but here it just modifies "needs" (Which needs? The women's needs.). In this case, "needs" is the subject of the ensuing verb ("go ignored").

(A) doesn't work because we are missing a subject for the final verb ("go ignored"). And (E) is arguably parallel, so I guess it's our best choice.

Again, this doesn't seem to be an official question, so don't spend too much time on it. As discussed in our SC Guide for Beginners, it's best to stick to the official stuff for verbal. :)
User avatar
GMATNinja
User avatar
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
Joined: 13 Aug 2009
Last visit: 14 July 2025
Posts: 7,351
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 1,966
Status: GMAT/GRE/LSAT tutors
Location: United States (CO)
GMAT 1: 780 Q51 V46
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Products:
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Posts: 7,351
Kudos: 68,536
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
junii
GMATNinja.
Can you please explain why B is incorrect here?
The key discovery in the scientific effort to understand fire was made in 1774 when Lavoisier recognized that the apparent disappearance of matter in flames is an illusion.

(A) the apparent disappearance of matter in flames is an illusion

(B) the matter that apparently disappears in flames is an illusion

(C) the disappearance of matter in flames is apparently an illusion

(D) it was an illusion that there is an apparent disappearance of matter in flames

(E) it was an illusion that matter apparently disappears in flames
There is a subtle meaning difference between (A) and (B). In (A), "the apparent disappearance of matter in flames" is the illusion. In (B), "the matter that apparently disappears in flames" is the illusion.

But it's not the matter itself that is the illusion -- it's the apparent disappearance of that matter (it only seems like the matter disappears, but it really doesn't -- the disappearance is an illusion).

Grammatically, (B) doesn't look bad, but it has a glaring meaning issue. That makes (A) the better choice.

If you have any follow-up questions about this one, please post them in the thread for this specific question.
avatar
pk6969
Joined: 25 May 2020
Last visit: 02 Jan 2022
Posts: 136
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 70
Location: India
Concentration: Finance, General Management
GPA: 3.2
Posts: 136
Kudos: 14
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
The cheetah seems to be headed for extinction because, resulting from intensive inbreeding generations ago, the species has so little genetic variation that it is extremely vulnerable to environmental change.

(A) because, resulting from intensive inbreeding generations ago,
(B) because, as a result of intensive inbreeding generations ago,
(C) because they inbred intensively generations ago so that
(D) because there was intensive inbreeding generations ago and
(E) as a result of their intensive inbreeding generations ago, and

Can you explain how the OA is B? The clause "as a result of intensive inbreeding generations go" would make sense if it was after "little genetic variation" I really thought that answer should be D.
avatar
sam911
Joined: 20 Mar 2021
Last visit: 17 Apr 2022
Posts: 2
Given Kudos: 28
Posts: 2
Kudos: 0
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi GMAT Ninja,

Need your help with the understanding of how do the Verbs vary with respect to the timeperiod they refer to. From my understanding we use past perfect tenses when the specific time period is not mentioned and use simple tenses when a time period is mentioned. Following are the few question statements refering to which if you can explain, if my understanding is fine or not.



Q1. The conflict had faded from popular memory within fifteen years of the end of the U.S - Mexico war, but it has not disappeared, due to the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War.

A. The conflict had faded from popular memory within fifteen years of the end of the U.S - Mexico war, but it has not disappeared, due to the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War

B. The conflict has faded from popular memory but it has not disappeared, due to the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War within fifteen years of end of the U.S - Mexico war

C. Within fifteen years of the U.S - Mexico war’s end, the conflict faded from popular memory, but it did not disappear, due to the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War

D. Within fifteen years of the U.S - Mexico war’s end, the conflict had faded from popular memory, but it did had not disappeared, due to the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War

E. The conflict has not disappeared but it has faded from popular memory due to the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War within fifteen years of end of the U.S - Mexico war


Q2. The memory has faded as the number of extreme weather events dropped over the last four decades, but in the summer of 1980, the worst sustained heat wave of the twentieth century in the United States baked Texas and much of the rest of the country.

A. has faded as the number of extreme weather events dropped
B. faded as the number of extreme weather events dropped
C. has faded as the number of extreme weather events has dropped

Q3. Over the years between the economic depression, there were periods of explosive growth.
A. were
B. have been
C. had been
User avatar
MBAB123
Joined: 05 Jul 2020
Last visit: 30 Jul 2023
Posts: 564
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 151
GMAT 1: 720 Q49 V38
WE:Accounting (Accounting)
Products:
GMAT 1: 720 Q49 V38
Posts: 564
Kudos: 313
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hey GMATNinja, which test prep company according to you has the best SC questions? I understand nothings beats the official questions, but what would be the 2nd best source?
User avatar
GMATNinja
User avatar
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
Joined: 13 Aug 2009
Last visit: 14 July 2025
Posts: 7,351
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 1,966
Status: GMAT/GRE/LSAT tutors
Location: United States (CO)
GMAT 1: 780 Q51 V46
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Products:
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Posts: 7,351
Kudos: 68,536
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
VatsSaraf
hello GMATNinja
I came across a SC question on GMATClub, where one of the expert eliminated options through VAN rule, can you please explain what is this rule and where and how to apply it?
To be honest, none of us here at GMAT Ninja had even heard of the "VAN rule" until responding to this post back in 2020. It certainly isn't something we would use or teach to our students, so you'll have to ask the expert who used it!
User avatar
GMATNinja
User avatar
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
Joined: 13 Aug 2009
Last visit: 14 July 2025
Posts: 7,351
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 1,966
Status: GMAT/GRE/LSAT tutors
Location: United States (CO)
GMAT 1: 780 Q51 V46
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Products:
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Posts: 7,351
Kudos: 68,536
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
junii
Hello GMATNinja
I am quite confused with comparison.
As everybody before you, you're going to die and thanks to modern medicine and health practices, you'll probably live much longer as your ancestors did.

A. As everybody before you, you're going to die and thanks to modern medicine and health practices, you'll probably live much longer as your ancestors did.
B. Like everybody before you, you're going to die but thanks to modern medicine and health practices, you'll probably live much longer than your ancestors.
C. As everybody before you has done, you're going to die and despite modern medicine and health practices, you'll probably live much longer than your ancestors did.
D. Like everybody before you, you're going to die for thanks to modern medicine and health practices, you'll probably live much longer than your ancestors do.
E. Like everybody before you, you're going to die but thanks to modern medicine and health practices, you'll probably live much longer than your ancestors did.

For this question Option B you will live much longer than your ancestor, for me there is no meaning issue. Why we need verbs after ancestor? Live longer than ancestor perfectly illustrates the idea
Note that this is NOT an official question, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

I suppose the "did" in (E) makes it a tiny bit more clear that we are comparing how long you will probably live to how long your ancestors lived. But I can't imagine that something this minor would ever be the sole deciding factor on an actual GMAT question. :dontknow:

I hope that helps a bit!
User avatar
adityaganjoo
Joined: 10 Jan 2021
Last visit: 04 Oct 2022
Posts: 148
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 154
Posts: 148
Kudos: 31
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
GMATNinja

Ask me anything about GMAT Sentence Correction and grammar



Hello! I'm Charles Bibilos, GMAT Club's resident Verbal Expert, and a GMAT teacher and tutor since... nevermind, I'll feel old if I tell you. :tongue_opt3

This thread is designed to be an absolute free-for-all on SC, and you're welcome to ask me absolutely anything. If your question is related to a specific question or a topic, please provide a link and a bit about what you want me to address.

And if you're looking for very general advice on how to improve your SC skills, try these links first:


Just be warned that non-official questions can be damaging on verbal, so I might be a bit dismissive of flawed, non-official questions. But still: it's an Ask Me Anything thread, so you're obviously welcome to ask me anything. Especially if it involves food. (Because I know you were going to ask: yes, caterpillars are indeed delicious when prepared properly. You're welcome.)

(Edit: because there's a lot of randomness in my soul, I'll answer these questions in no particular order. I'll answer them all eventually, though!)

And if you want to read some of the most generally useful posts on this thread, check out this greatest hits collection.

GMATNinja One basic doubt. If we have two options that are grammatically correct, but communicate different meanings, how do we determine which one is correct? This is predominantly in the questions where the whole sentence is underlined
User avatar
adityaganjoo
Joined: 10 Jan 2021
Last visit: 04 Oct 2022
Posts: 148
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 154
Posts: 148
Kudos: 31
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
GMATNinja

Ask me anything about GMAT Sentence Correction and grammar



Hello! I'm Charles Bibilos, GMAT Club's resident Verbal Expert, and a GMAT teacher and tutor since... nevermind, I'll feel old if I tell you. :tongue_opt3

This thread is designed to be an absolute free-for-all on SC, and you're welcome to ask me absolutely anything. If your question is related to a specific question or a topic, please provide a link and a bit about what you want me to address.

And if you're looking for very general advice on how to improve your SC skills, try these links first:


Just be warned that non-official questions can be damaging on verbal, so I might be a bit dismissive of flawed, non-official questions. But still: it's an Ask Me Anything thread, so you're obviously welcome to ask me anything. Especially if it involves food. (Because I know you were going to ask: yes, caterpillars are indeed delicious when prepared properly. You're welcome.)

(Edit: because there's a lot of randomness in my soul, I'll answer these questions in no particular order. I'll answer them all eventually, though!)

And if you want to read some of the most generally useful posts on this thread, check out this greatest hits collection.

GMATNinja "Ravi or his friends" is this singular or plural?
avatar
psls
Joined: 27 Jan 2021
Last visit: 12 Dec 2023
Posts: 33
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 131
Posts: 33
Kudos: 9
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi GMATNinja

Q#1
I found this sentence structure in RC question.
Quote:
(C) They frequently helped Irish entrepreneurs to finance business not connected with construction.
Can we just put NOT in front of present or past participial phase to change meaning to opposite?
Is this grammatically correct?

At first, I think we MUST need to use pronoun that to convey opposite meaning as below.
(C) They frequently helped Irish entrepreneurs to finance business that was not connected with construction.


Q#2
Quote:
The market for so-called functional beverages, drinks that promise health benefits beyond their inherent nutritional value, nearly doubled over the course of four years, in rising from $2.68 billion in 1997 to be $4.7 billion in 2000.
(A) in rising from $2.68 billion in 1997 to be
(B) in having risen from $2.68 billion in 1997 to
None of them are correct
Regardless of correct choice, my question is:
Can preposition be followed by perfect participle phase, or this form--choice(B)--is ALWAYS incorrect?
If it is correct, please kindly provide some usages of "preposition + perfect participle" for me.

Regards!
User avatar
GMATNinja
User avatar
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
Joined: 13 Aug 2009
Last visit: 14 July 2025
Posts: 7,351
Own Kudos:
68,536
 [1]
Given Kudos: 1,966
Status: GMAT/GRE/LSAT tutors
Location: United States (CO)
GMAT 1: 780 Q51 V46
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Products:
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Posts: 7,351
Kudos: 68,536
 [1]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
pk6969
Hi! Thanks for your response. So, basically, an ed modifier after a comma cannot modify the subject of the sentence if we have a noun in between them (which in most cases we will). So, This novel is a great source of entertainment, published in 1979. this sentence is incorrect. However, This novel, published in 1979, is a great source of entertainment. is correct. Is this all correct?
The main takeaway of the last post was that you should NOT try to boil this sort of thing down to rigid rules (i.e. "an ed modifier after a comma cannot modify the subject of the sentence if we have a noun in between them"). Again, it's best not to stress over a "rule" that the GMAT may or may not violate at some point. Instead, ask yourself, "What does the "-ed" modifier seem to modify here? Does that make sense?" If so, leave it in the running and look for other decision points.

    "Tim raced home to his wife, worried that she might be upset by his unannounced solo trip to Tahiti."

This sentence violates the "rule" you proposed. But it seems pretty clear that worried modifies the subject ("Tim").

Should you automatically eliminate something like this on the GMAT because it violates some rule we made up? Absolutely not. Leave it in the running, and look for other decision points.
avatar
Adambhau
Joined: 07 Feb 2020
Last visit: 06 Nov 2024
Posts: 90
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 266
Location: Germany
Concentration: Strategy, Technology
GMAT 1: 560 Q48 V20
GMAT 1: 560 Q48 V20
Posts: 90
Kudos: 84
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
The invention of the cotton gin, being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, had turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity; it was costly before that.

(A) being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, had turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity; it was costly before that

(B) having been one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity, costly previously

(C) one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable, however costly previously, commodity

(D) one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity, whereas it had previously been costly

(E) being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth from a previously costly commodity to an affordable one

I do not understand why answer is D.
Isn't "previously + had" redundant? GMATNinja Thanks! :)
I selected C. Why is it wrong?
User avatar
GMATNinja
User avatar
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
Joined: 13 Aug 2009
Last visit: 14 July 2025
Posts: 7,351
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 1,966
Status: GMAT/GRE/LSAT tutors
Location: United States (CO)
GMAT 1: 780 Q51 V46
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Products:
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Posts: 7,351
Kudos: 68,536
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
sam911
Hi GMAT Ninja,

Need your help with the understanding of how do the Verbs vary with respect to the timeperiod they refer to. From my understanding we use past perfect tenses when the specific time period is not mentioned and use simple tenses when a time period is mentioned. Following are the few question statements refering to which if you can explain, if my understanding is fine or not.



Q1. The conflict had faded from popular memory within fifteen years of the end of the U.S - Mexico war, but it has not disappeared, due to the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War.

A. The conflict had faded from popular memory within fifteen years of the end of the U.S - Mexico war, but it has not disappeared, due to the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War

B. The conflict has faded from popular memory but it has not disappeared, due to the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War within fifteen years of end of the U.S - Mexico war

C. Within fifteen years of the U.S - Mexico war’s end, the conflict faded from popular memory, but it did not disappear, due to the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War

D. Within fifteen years of the U.S - Mexico war’s end, the conflict had faded from popular memory, but it did had not disappeared, due to the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War

E. The conflict has not disappeared but it has faded from popular memory due to the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War within fifteen years of end of the U.S - Mexico war


Q2. The memory has faded as the number of extreme weather events dropped over the last four decades, but in the summer of 1980, the worst sustained heat wave of the twentieth century in the United States baked Texas and much of the rest of the country.

A. has faded as the number of extreme weather events dropped
B. faded as the number of extreme weather events dropped
C. has faded as the number of extreme weather events has dropped

Q3. Over the years between the economic depression, there were periods of explosive growth.
A. were
B. have been
C. had been
I see where you are going with the guideline, "use past perfect tenses when the specific time period is not mentioned and use simple tenses when a time period is mentioned" -- simple past verbs are often used with specific times in the past (i.e. "I ate breakfast at 7 a.m.") while the past perfect typically denotes an action that happens in the “distant past”, before some other past action or “time marker” in the past (i.e. "By the time my guests arrived, I had already eaten the whole cheese platter by myself." - the guests arrived at a specific moment in time, but the eating of the cheese platter could have occurred any time before that specific moment in time).

But if you've been reading our SC posts, you probably know that we're not exactly fans of SC "rules." Why? Because the GMAT doesn't play by our made-up rules! Both of these come from correct answers to official GMAT SC questions:


The point is that it's almost always a bad idea to memorize and brainlessly apply grammar rules on GMAT SC. Is the use of the past perfect justified (as it is in this example)? Then keep it and look for other decision points.

As for the examples you asked about, let me repeat a disclaimer from this post:

GMATNinja
First, you want to be very, very careful about interpreting a non-official sentence as an authoritative representation of how the GMAT handles a certain concept. If you want to analyze official GMAT sentences in an effort to figure out how, exactly, the GMAT handles the past perfect tense, that would be fine. But I think it's a mistake to assume that questions written by a test-prep company (my own included!) -- perfectly mimic the GMAT's handling of any particular grammar issue.

In other words: official GMAT sentences are a good authority on the GMAT's usage of past perfect tense; non-official sentences are not.
So I wouldn't worry too much about past perfect usage in non-official sentences. If you have a question about the past perfect in an official question, feel free to tag us!

For more on the past perfect, check out this webinar.
User avatar
GMATNinja
User avatar
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
Joined: 13 Aug 2009
Last visit: 14 July 2025
Posts: 7,351
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 1,966
Status: GMAT/GRE/LSAT tutors
Location: United States (CO)
GMAT 1: 780 Q51 V46
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Products:
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Posts: 7,351
Kudos: 68,536
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
pk6969
The cheetah seems to be headed for extinction because, resulting from intensive inbreeding generations ago, the species has so little genetic variation that it is extremely vulnerable to environmental change.

(A) because, resulting from intensive inbreeding generations ago,
(B) because, as a result of intensive inbreeding generations ago,
(C) because they inbred intensively generations ago so that
(D) because there was intensive inbreeding generations ago and
(E) as a result of their intensive inbreeding generations ago, and

Can you explain how the OA is B? The clause "as a result of intensive inbreeding generations go" would make sense if it was after "little genetic variation" I really thought that answer should be D.
I don't think the placement of "as a result of..." is a problem in (B). Putting it before "the species..." prepares the reader for what follows, and helps clarify that whatever comes next ("the species has so little genetic variation...") will be a result of the intensive inbreeding generations ago.

The problem with (D) is that we seem to have two separate and distinct reasons why the cheetah seems to be headed for extinction: (1) because there was intensive inbreeding generations ago and (2) because the species has so little genetic variation that it is extremely vulnerable to environmental change. But is the intensive inbreeding by itself something that would drive the cheetah to extinction? Maybe, but it makes much more sense for the inbreeding to cause the lack of genetic variation that makes the cheetah extremely vulnerable to environmental change -- and this vulnerability, in turn, is why the cheetah seems to be headed for extinction.

Keep in mind that, if this was in fact an official question, it was retired a long time ago... so don't let it bug you too much. :)
   1  ...  16   17   18   19   20   21   
Moderators:
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7351 posts
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
235 posts
GRE Forum Moderator
15838 posts