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Bunuel
It is thought that if cats were allowed to breed indiscriminately, more than half of the cat population would have been Tabby.


A. if cats were allowed to breed indiscriminately, more than half of the cat population would have been Tabby

B. more than half of the cat population would be Tabby if cats were allowed to breed indiscriminately

C. if cats had been allowed to breed indiscriminately, more than half of the cat population would be Tabby

D. more than half of the cat population would be Tabby if cats had been allowed to breed indiscriminately

E. more than half of the cat population would have been Tabby if cats were allowed to breed indiscriminately



OFFICIAL EXPLANATION



It is thought that if cats were allowed to breed indiscriminately, more than half of the cat population would have been Tabby.


A. if cats were allowed to breed indiscriminately, more than half of the cat population would have been Tabby

Incorrect.

This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. The condition part is in Past Simple (if... were allowed), which indicates Conditional 2, and the result part is in FuturePast Perfect (would have been), indicating Conditional 3.

What helps us identify this question as a Conditionals question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign: If / Unless



B. more than half of the cat population would be Tabby if cats were allowed to breed indiscriminately

This answer choice is the only one that does not mix Conditional 2 and 3.


C. if cats had been allowed to breed indiscriminately, more than half of the cat population would be Tabby

Incorrect.

This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. The condition part is in Past Perfect (if... had been allowed), which indicates Conditional 3, and the result part is in FuturePast (would be), indicating Conditional 2.



D. more than half of the cat population would be Tabby if cats had been allowed to breed indiscriminately

Incorrect.

This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. Note that the Conditional sentence begins with the result part and continues with the condition part. The result part is in FuturePast (would be), indicating Conditional 2, and the condition part is in Past Perfect (if... had been allowed), which indicates Conditional 3.



E. more than half of the cat population would have been Tabby if cats were allowed to breed indiscriminately

Incorrect.

This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. Note that the Conditional sentence begins with the result part and continues with the condition part. The result part is in FuturePast Perfect (would have been), indicating Conditional 3, and the condition part is in Past Simple (if... were allowed), which indicates Conditional 2.
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Would have been indicates that the event would have started in the past and continued to the present. This logic seems correct as we are talking about cats breeding. So it should be option a right?

If the answer is B, what's the error in this reasoning?
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