In a blow to those who still harbored the illusion that E-mail exchang

Question

In a blow to those  who still harbored the illusion that E-mail exchanges are private, a watchdog group recently uncovered a trick for enabling an interloper to rig an E-mail message so that this person will be privy to any comments that a recipient had added  as the message is forwarded to others or sent back and forth.

(A) who still harbored the illusion that E-mail exchanges are private, a watchdog group recently uncovered a trick for enabling an interloper to rig an E-mail message so that this person will be privy to any comments that a recipient had added

(B) who had still been harboring the illusion that E-mail exchanges are private, a watchdog group recently uncovered a trick for enabling an interloper to rig an E-mail message so that this person was privy to any comments that a recipient might have added

(C) who still were harboring the illusion that E-mail exchanges are private, a watchdog group recently uncovered a trick enabling an interloper to rig an E-mail message so that this person is privy to any comments that a recipient would add

(D) still harboring the illusion that E-mail exchanges are private, a watchdog group recently uncovered a trick that enables an interloper to rig an E-mail message so that this person will be privy to any comments that a recipient might add

(E) still harboring the illusion that E-mail exchanges had been private, a watchdog group recently uncovered a trick that will enable an interloper to rig an E-mail message so that this person was privy to any comments that a recipient might add

https://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/05/business/a-new-trick-gives-snoops-easy-access-to-e-mail.html

For those  still harboring the illusion that e-mail exchanges are private, a watchdog group has uncovered a new trick that enables someone to essentially bug an e-mail message so that the spy would be privy to any comments that a recipient might add  as the message is forwarded to others or sent back and forth.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Accepted Answer

Hi All,

While this SC is wordy, the correct answer is based on standard verb and pronoun rules.

1) Pronouns - The opening of the sentence states that "In a blow to THOSE…."; here, the word "those" is a pronoun. In the answers, we see that some have an extra pronoun and some don't. Since we already have a pronoun, we do NOT need another pronoun immediately next to it. That extra pronoun is redundant (and unnecessary). Eliminate A, B and C.

2) Verbs - Between D and E, we have the verbs "enables" (present tense) and "will enable" (future tense). Since the watchdog group "recently uncovered the trick", we're dealing with something that's happening in the immediate present. The verb "enables" is required here. Eliminate E.

Final Answer:  D

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made, 
Rich

arjsingh1976 · Answer

I pick up D . This Q is quite good and I am looking fwd to see comments!

daagh · Answer

"still harboring the illusion that E-mail  exchange are  private --- " Exchange are"  - is a typo. Note that all the other choices say" exchanges are" -. Only D has missed the letter "s"- by the fate of the finger. Not an issue, I feel.

Nightfury14 · Answer

179. In a blow to those who still harbored the illusion that E-mail exchanges are private, a watchdog group recently uncovered a trick for enabling an interloper to rig an E-mail message so that this person will be privy to any comments that a recipient had added as the message is forwarded to others or sent back and forth.
A. who still harbored the illusion that E-mail exchanges are private, a watchdog group recently  uncovered a trick for enabling an interloper  to rig an E-mail message so that this person will be privy to any comments that a recipient had added
B. who had still been harboring the illusion that E-mail exchanges are private, a watchdog group recently  uncovered a trick for enabling an interloper  to rig an E-mail message so that this person was privy to any comments that a recipient might have added.
C. who still were harboring the illusion that E-mail exchanges are private, a warchdog group recently  uncovered a trick enabling an interloper  to rig and E-mail message so that this person is privy to any comments that a recipient would add.
D. still harboring the illusion that E-mail exchange are private , a watchdog group recently  uncovered a trick that enables  an interloper to rig an E-mail message so that this person will be privy to any comments that a recipient might add
E. still harboring the illusion that E-mail exchanges had been private, a wathchdog group recently uncovered a trick that  will enable  an interloper to rig and E-mail message so that this person was privy to any comments that a recipient might add.

Mr. daagh, can the present participle in a/b/c also be used for splits.

daagh · Answer

NightFury

Of course, -enabling - is a present participle. However -for enabling- is not a present participle. It becomes a gerund as it is preceded by a preposition "for". For enabling means for the enablement of. However- a trick enabling- is a present participle, the verb+ing form is modifying the noun before-trick-.
But I do not think they make any worthwhile splits in the context; This problem is about what kind of verb tense one has to use for expressing a general finding. A, B, C become irrelevant because of this tense slip-up.

Rashed12 · Answer

Why C is incorrect? kindly help on the regard.

Correct explanation givers will get kudos.

EducationAisle · Answer

Yeah, tricky. C actually slightly messes up the  sequence . It says:

this person is privy ( present tense ) to any comments that a recipient would add ( future tense )

How can a person by privy in present what a recipient would add in future?

jabhatta2 · Answer

Even if recipients would add comments hypothetically in the future - whats wrong in using the present tense ?

I am privy to all your future misdeeds = i thought this sentence was okay

Do we really have to say : 
I will be privy to all your future misdeeds = i thought this sentence was not okay

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Hello  jabhatta2 ,

We hope this finds you well.

Having gone through the question and your query, we believe we can resolve your doubt.

Both of these sentences are logically and grammatically correct but convey different meanings. "I am privy to all your future misdeeds." conveys that "I" is already privy to the future misdeeds and will continue to be so. "I will be privy to all your future misdeeds." carries the connotation that "I" is not currently privy but will be at some point in the future.

In this question, "will be" is the correct tense usage because the sentence refers to an action that will take place after another - "rig an E-mail message". Thus, logically, this action should be conveyed in the future tense.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team

jabhatta2 · Answer

hmm  ExpertsGlobal5  - so the reason for the future tense is to clarify sequencing ?

If i create some analgous statements :

(i) this cheat code allows me to rig the compter game SO THAT I win 
vs 
(ii) this cheat code allows me to rig the computer game SO THAT I  will  win

Could you perhaps explain 
a) is the simple tense wrong in (i) ?
b) if not wrong -- how is the meaning different from (ii) ?

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Hello  jabhatta2 ,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your questions, the use of the simple present tense is not incorrect in (i). The use of the simple present tense conveys that the cheat code allows "me" to rig the computer in a way that guarantees that "I"  always  win; remember, the habitual actions and information that is permanent in nature are best conveyed through the simple present tense.

The use of the simple future tense implies that the cheat code allows "me" to rig the computer in a way that guarantees that "I" will win on a particular instance or instances.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team

jabhatta2 · Answer

Thank you  ExpertsGlobal5 . So if i understand 
- In (i) -- the moment i use the cheat code to rig the game (let say Dec 10 th 2021 at 8 am) -- from that point point ONWARDS into the future - i will ALWAYS / FOREVER keep winning every time I play (Dec 10th 8 am  onwards  all the way into the  future ) - i will win  every single time

vs

- In (ii) -- the moment i use the cheat code to rig the game (let say Dec 10 th 2021 at 8 am) -- I dont win EVERY MATCH since Dec 10 th 2021 at 8 am
I will a specific math IN THE FUTURE specifically - I will win a a specific match in 2024 for example.

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Hello  jabhatta2 ,

We hope this finds you well.

In response to this query, we are glad to inform you that your understanding of this concept is accurate.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team

Sigmabeta · Answer

Hello dear expert,
I am a little bit confused here to use two pronounce back to back
can I take it as a Hand-on rule to never use such construction(extra pronoun) in GMAT-SC and treat it as a red herring ?

in everyday spoken English, it seems Ok to use a construction such as -  those who are not invited.  (although I know GMAT is least concern for what sounds Ok or not)

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Sigmabeta, As a general rule, it is bad 'style' to be redundant with your written language on the GMAT - and while this type of style rule is a rare issue on the Official Exam, it might come up in a question or two on Test Day (especially if you are performing at a higher level in the Verbal section). Redundancy can appear in a number of different ways (in this prompt, it's a redundant pronoun, but you might see a redundant phrase - as an example: 'tied together' - that would be considered incorrect style). By extension, you should also be mindful about how you write your AWA response - since both the human grader and the e-grader know how to spot redundancies - and in the broader sense, too many 'style errors' (of various types) could cost you half a point on your Essay). GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made, Rich Contact Rich at: Rich.C@empowergmat.com

KittyDoodles · Answer

Hi Experts,

In Option A, is the past perfect tense "had added" incorrect because the main clause is in simple past tense.

Thanks

RonTargetTestPrep · Answer

Your assertion that the past perfect can't be used here is accurate. 
Just to make sure, though—The past perfect is wrong  because  this verb  describes a hypothetical event that can only happen LATER than the main timeframe.  The past perfect points to timeframes EARLIER than the main narration; that's the wrong sequence of events.

(If your reasoning is just "sentence in simple past —> past perfect is wrong", then, no, that's not valid reasoning. In fact, simple past sentences are the ONLY proper context for the past perfect! The issue is the order of events: the past perfect describes EARLIER actions whose completion directly affects something narrated in the main sentence.)

lorde123 · Answer

The correct answer is (D): The sentence is discussing a recent development in which a watchdog group has uncovered a trick that enables someone to read comments added to an email as it is forwarded or sent back and forth. The tense of the verb "harbored" should be in the past participle form, as it refers to a completed action.

NakulDiwakar10 · Answer

MartyTargetTestPrep   egmat   GMATNinja  can you explain this question options wise. I had a really hard time solving this question. Thank you in advance

In a blow to those who still harbored the illusion that E-mail exchang

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In a blow to those who still harbored the illusion that E-mail exchang

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