If the books have been cataloged last week, why haven’t they been plac

Question

If the books  have been cataloged  last week, why haven’t they been placed on the shelf?

A. have been cataloged 
B. would have been cataloged 
C. was cataloged 
D. were cataloged 
E. had been cataloged

Source:  Test Prep Review

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

The right answer here is  D . This question contains the subjunctive tense, which is used to talk about hypothetical events like this one. "If the books...." suggests that the action has not actually happened. In this case, we use "were" regardless of the subject.

One trap answer might be E. If the 'outcome' action (placing on the shelf) were in the past, it would be correct to use "had been catalogued". It is in the present however, so D wins out here.

- Matoo

gvij2017 · Answer

If I consider the meaning, then, D is undoubtedly correct. But, I have a question here. 
Why are we using past tense verb in "if clause", when the verb in the main clause is of present tense?

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

gvij2017

Hey this is a really good question! The action that has not occurred is in the present perfect. Since this is a single action that should have been a pre-requisite, it stands to reason that it would be in the past tense. In general, you should look to figure out the tense of a verb based on its relationship to the other actions in the sentence.

- Matoo

nguyenquoctinit · Answer

Because there is phrase "last week" in this clause.

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

Concepts tested here: Subject-Verb Agreement + Tenses + Awkwardness/Redundancy

• The simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past. 
• 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.
• The past perfect tense (marked by the use of helping verb "had") is used when a sentence contains two actions in the past; the helping verb "had" is used with the action in the "greater past".

A:  
1/ This answer choice incorrectly uses the present perfect tense verb "have been cataloged" to refer to a - hypothetical - event that concluded in the past; remember, the simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past, 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 uses the present perfect tense verb "have been cataloged" to refer to a - hypothetical - event that concluded in the past; remember, the simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past, 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.
2/ Further, Option B uses the needlessly wordy phrase "would have been", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.

C: 
1/ This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun "books" with the singular verb "was cataloged".

D:   Correct. 
1/ This answer choice correctly refers to the plural noun "books" with the plural verb "were cataloged".
2/ Option D correctly uses the simple past tense verb "were cataloged" to refer to an event that concluded in the past.
3/ Option D is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.

E:  Trap.
1/ This answer choice incorrectly uses the past perfect tense verb "had been cataloged" to refer to a - hypothetical - event that concluded in the past; remember, the simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past, and the past perfect tense (marked by the use of helping verb "had") is used when a sentence contains two actions in the past; the helping verb "had" is used with the action in the "greater past".

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):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATNTtugB9fM

To understand the concept of "Present Perfect Tense" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNmT9obXukI

To understand the concept of "Past Perfect Tense" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EYnxPUldlA

All the best!
Experts' Global Team

If the books have been cataloged last week, why haven’t they been plac

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If the books have been cataloged last week, why haven’t they been plac

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