It is possible that the Roma people have migrated from India

Question

It is possible that the Roma people  have migrated from India across Europe over the course of several centuries that were characterized  by this type of nomadic wandering.

A) have migrated from India across Europe over the course of several centuries that were characterized
B) had migrated from India across Europe over the course of several centuries that were characterized
C) migrated from India across Europe over the course of several centuries that had been characterized
D) migrated from India across Europe over the course of several centuries that were characterized
E) migrated from India over the course of several centuries that were characterized across Europe

Can anyone tell when to use simple past and past perfect. I know what is simple past and past perfect but i am very confused when to apply past tense and past perfect especially during when series of events happened in the past.

Aj85 · Answer

hiii Tom, I have also struggled a lot with usage of past perfect and in fact still struggle a lot after 3-4 months of rigorous gmat preparation.

The answer to above question should be 'D' because the sentence mentions only 1 incidence happening in past. We use past perfect when two different events happen in past in different time periods . Past perfect is used for earlier past event and simple past for later past event.

for example we can use past perfect for following sentence.

"It is possible that Roma people had migrated from india to Romaland long before the Europe slumbered in dark ages."

In this sentence two things happened in past. roma people's migration happened first and then europe slumbered in dark ages later. But in above sentence only 1 past event is mentioned. That is migration of roma people in particular time period. When only 1 event happens in past we use simple past .

dvinoth86 · Answer

There is only one event which the sentence speaks about: migration. Hence there is no need to use perfect tenses. Eliminate A, B and C. 
E sounds wrong the moment you read it. Hence we can eliminate it by trusting our ear. D conveys the meaning in a clear way without complicating it with perfect tenses.

A) have  migrated from India across Europe over the course of several centuries that were characterized

(B) had  migrated from India across Europe over the course of several centuries that were characterized

(C)migrated from India across Europe over the course of several centuries that  had  been characterized

(D)migrated from India across Europe over the course of several centuries that were characterized

(E)migrated from India  over the course of several centuries  that were characterized across Euro

Edvento · Answer

We use a perfect tense when there is another event to compare with. Something like Romans had migrated even before something else happened. But in this case, this is not true. So we use simple past tense. Eliminate A and B

In the second part of the sentence, it the "centuries" that were characterized by this type of migrations. 
- In C, "that had been characterized" again is a past perfect usage which is not warranted here.
- In E, "characterized across Europe" => the most absurd structure.

D is the simplest and most straight-forward with no meaning distortion.

pqhai · Answer

A is out because the use of  present perfect tense is wrong .
B is out because  Past perfect  is used only you have a   specific   time in the past.
C is out out because  Past perfect tense  is used incorrectly.
E is out because " over the course of several centuries that " does not make sense.

D is correct

aditya8062 · Answer

the best bet here is D  :  migrated from India across Europe over the course of several centuries that were characterized

why C is wrong  ? --->you are right that if two events are mentioned that sequencing of those 2 events must be done but then you have to bear in mind that those two events must have some some bearing or relationship with each other . the fact that  people migrated  has no such bearing to the fact of  categorization of that period  .Also if u forget about this nuance then u can go by pure literal reading ----> C gives a nonsensical meaning because of sequencing of the events . people must have migrated first and then only the categorization of that period could have been done not vice versa !!

aditya8062 · Answer

faults in bold :

a) have migrated  from India across Europe over the course of several centuries that were characterized

b) had migrated  from India across Europe over the course of several centuries that were characterized

c)migrated from India across Europe over the course of several centuries that  had been characterized

d)migrated from India across Europe over the course of several centuries that were characterized----> correct

e)migrated from India over the course of several centuries that were characterized  across Europe

rezaulnsu · Answer

Since it is past event, don't use any present tense,including present perfect. Then, think about why we need past perfect tense? We use past perfect tense when two past events exist simultaneously and it requires to distinguish one from the other to indicate their chronology. Here, only one past event exists; so, use past simple -no need to use past perfect. Always use past perfect cautiously, even if two past clauses are there because if no ambiguity exists between the past events, no need to use past perfect; it means past simple is just fine.

sallysea · Answer

Merged topics. Please, search before posting questions!

apurvsinha · Answer

Hi,

I have one small dount regarding past perfect usage.

Here as per my reading, i read it like 2 events:
1. Roma people migrated
2. Centuries were characterized

In option B, both events are shown like that
1st with past perfect and then 2nd with simple past.

Someone Please clarify..

Posted from my mobile device

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It is possible that the Roma people have migrated from India

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It is possible that the Roma people have migrated from India

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