It is thought that if cats were allowed to breed indiscriminately, mor

Question

Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC2) 
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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 are allowed to breed indiscriminately, more than half of the cat population would be Tabby

D) more than half the cat population would be Tabby if cats are allowed to breed indiscriminately

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

generis · Accepted Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC2)

THE PROMPT

Don't let the "It is" structure throw you. (More on that structure in Notes.)
Focus on everything after the word  that .

We are dealing with a conditional statement.
The condition clause (the "if" part) concerns letting cats breed any way they want to do so, i.e., without human interference
The main clause (the "result" part) concerns likely outcomes.

• Conditionals 
In English, there are five ways to frame "IF/THEN" statements—five "types" of conditional statement.
See the footnote.** 
Each type must use very specific verbs in the conditional (IF) clauses and in the result or main (THEN) clauses.
Each type is suited to a specific situation.

This question tests improper "mixtures" of Types 1, 2, and 3 conditionals.

Type 1  
A Type 1 conditional is usually a prediction—it is very likely to be true.
The time is the present or the future.
The situation is real and describes a possible condition and its probable result.
→ If 90 to 95 percent of Americans wear masks, we will  get COVID-19 under control .

Type 1: IF simple present, THEN simple future
→ If THIS thing happens, then THAT thing will happen

Type 2  
A Type 2 conditional is a hypothetical—it is possible but very unlikely that the condition will be fulfilled.
The time is  now or any time .
The situation is  not real.  (The situation is unreal.)
→  If I were anointed king of the world tomorrow, I would make everyone wear masks.
→ If I were king, I would make everyone wear masks.

Type 2: IF simple past, THEN present conditional
→ If THIS thing  happened , then THAT thing  would happen .

Type 3  
A Type 3 conditional is used to talk about the past.
Specifically, a Type 3 conditional describes an  impossible  condition in the past ("impossible" because it did not happen) and its probable result or alternative outcome, also in the past.
The situation is counterfactual. 
-- The situation is also unreal or hypothetical. 
-- Because the time has passed for both condition and result to happen,  counterfactual  is probably more accurate than "unreal" in Type 2 
 
In Type 3 sentences,  all is lost . 
 In Type 3 sentences, it is too late for either the condition OR the result to exist.

Type 3: IF past perfect, THEN perfect conditional
If THIS thing had happened, then THAT thing would have happened. (But neither of those things really happened.) 
→ If I had been king when the pandemic broke out, I would have forced everyone to wear a mask.

A few details  
A few very hard and quite rare official questions use a Mixed Type conditional. 
See the footnote.
This question is not one of them.

Note that in Type 2 conditionals, we use "If . . .  were " no matter the subject.
We do not use "If he was," or "If it was." 
Because we are dealing with a hypothetical, every subject takes the subjunctive  were .

THE OPTIONS

• the condition part is in past simple ( if ... were allowed ), a construction that signals a Type 2 construction, BUT
• the result part ( would have been ) is in perfect conditional (future past perfect), indicating Type 3
ELIMINATE A

• Reverse the clauses, if doing so makes your life easier, this way:
 If cats were allowed to breed indiscriminately, more than half of the cat population would be Tabby. 
Aha!  If were, . . . then would 
• we appear to have a clean Type 2 conditional
→ If simple past, then present conditional
→  If were, . . . then would 
KEEP

• the IF clause uses simple present ( if ... are allowed ), a usage that indicates a Zero or Type 1 conditional
• BUT the result clause uses present conditional ( would be ), a usage that indicates a Type 2 conditional.
The condition and result clauses do not match.
ELIMINATE C 
 
• option D simply reverses the order of clauses in option C and repeats the same mistakes 
•  if ... are allowed  = simple present = Zero or Type 1 conditional
• BUT  would be  = present conditional = Type 2 conditional
Wrong mix.
ELIMINATE D
 
• option E merely reverses the order of clauses in option A and repeats the same mistakes
• the IF clause ( if . .. were allowed ) signals a Type 2 conditional, but the result clause ( would have been ) signals a Type 3 conditional.
Wrong mix.
ELIMINATE E

The best answer is B.

Notes

IF/THEN 
On the GMAT, you will probably never see the word "then" in an if/then question.
Be on the lookout for the word  if  and  unless . Those words signal conditions.

Even native speakers should memorize the IF/THEN verb forms.

IT IS . . .   
• This type of  it  pronoun is called a lot of things:  anticipatory it, dummy it, placeholder it, delayed antecedent,  and  empty it 
Its name is not important.
Your understanding of its structure is important.

English is an end-weighted language; the "heavy" or "important" stuff should be at the end.
Hefty or long subjects (that-clauses, infinitive clauses, and noun clauses) need to be moved from the typical Subject - Verb - Object position.

The hefty or long subjects are placed at the end of the sentence: they are  extraposed .
And they are preceded by an it-clause.

I took these two examples from a terrific site,  Thought Co., which talks about extraposition and "it is," here .
We have a hefty and long subject:
 That coffee grows in Brazil is well known to all. 
→ this sentence is perfectly grammatical and perfectly awful
→ "that" means "the fact that"
→ the subject (the fact that coffee grows in Brazil) is  not  extraposed. 
(Did I mention that this sentence is horrid? Yes? K.)

Now we will move the long subject (the that-clause) to the end (we will "extrapose" it) and preface it with "it is":
 It is well known that coffee grows in Brazil.  ← ← this way is preferred

Do not get lost in the it-antecedent crazymaking debate.
That debate is full of jargon and fuzzy concepts.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, great. 
I wanted only to give you a general idea of the way that "It is" statements work.

COMMENTS

rsrighosh  , welcome to SC Butler.

Well, this question prompted a lively and interesting discussion: excellent!
I am pleased.
Dialogue works.
Engagement is good. 
Learning is not a spectator sport.

The thumbnail posted by  rsrighosh  is helpful!
Just be careful, as the post by  chillbrorelax  suggests: GMAC tests the difference between Zero and Type 1 conditionals, and that handy little thumbnail seems to place them in "same category."

These answers range from good to outstanding. 
Well done.

I swear, the platform ate my footnote. I put it back.

**
 **VERY condensed  summary of conditionals

Zero conditional : IF simple present, THEN simple present
-- If THIS thing happens, THAT thing happens.
-- general truths
-- situation is real and possible. True now and always.

Type 1 : IF simple present, THEN simple future
-- If THIS thing happens, THAT thing will happen
-- statements in the present made about the future and about real things
-- condition is real, outcome ("truth") is very probable

Type 2a : If THIS thing happened, then THAT thing would happen
--  If you left the house earlier, then you would be on time for the bus. 
(But you did not leave the house earlier.)

Type 2b : If THIS thing happened, then THAT thing would be happening
-- If I understood the joke, I would be laughing. (But I don't understand the joke, so I am not laughing.)

Type 2c : If THIS thing were to happen, then THAT thing would happen
--  If antitrust laws were enforced properly, then oligopolies would not control entire sectors of the economy.  
-- hypothetical (theoretical) statements NOT based on what is actual. Counterfactual, unreal, imaginary (hypothetical)
-- IF simple past, THEN present conditional (or present continuous conditional)
-- condition is not real. Time is always

Type 3 : IF past perfect, THEN perfect conditional (would + have + verbED)
-- If THIS thing had happened, then THAT thing would have happened. (But neither thing happened.) 
-- If they had cooperated better, then they would have finished their project on time. (But they didn't cooperate, and they didn't finish on time.)
-- statements about the unreal past and probable result (often statements of regret or missed opportunity)
-- unreal past condition, probable result in the past that is also unreal (the result did not happen)

Mixed conditional : If past perfect, THEN present conditional
-- If THIS thing had happened, then THAT thing would happen
-- IF is in the past, THEN is in the present (present result of a past action) 
-- time is an event in the past, result is ongoing  
--  If I had taken the Series 7, I would be a stockbroker.  (But I didn't take the tests and I am not a stockbroker.)
(Mixed conditionals have many variations. I've just listed what seems to be the most common type.)

carouselambra · Answer

Not very sure about this one but writing my thoughts on this one.

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

Idiom If X, then Y follows - eliminate A/C
The sentence is talking about some situation that would have happened if cats were allowed to breed, implying that the situation has not occurred.

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 are allowed to breed indiscriminately, more than half of the cat population would be Tabby
 
D) more than half the cat population would be Tabby if cats  are  allowed to breed indiscriminately

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

IMO E
Although I am really not sure about this one.
welcoming suggestions/reviews from experts/non-experts

zhanbo · Answer

My answer is  (B) . It took me 49 seconds.

The question tests subjunctive mood. Example: If I were you, I would avoid taking at-home test of GMAT, GRE, or TOEFL.

(A) "would have been" should be "would be"
(B) Exactly what we want.
(C) "are allowed" should be "were allowed"
(D) See (C)
(E) See (A)

carouselambra · Answer

"If I were you, I would have avoided taking at-home test of GMAT, GRE, or TOEFL."
Need to understand where I went wrong.

Appreciate your comments. Thanks.

Sumi1010 · Answer

The correct Hypothetical Subjunctive for IF case is :  If X were..., Y would...

A) if cats  were  allowed to breed indiscriminately, more than half of the cat population  would have  been Tabby
 If X were.., Y would have been ... Incorrect 
B) more than half of the cat population  would  be Tabby if cats  were  allowed to breed indiscriminately
 If X were ..., Y would ... Correct 
C) if cats  are  allowed to breed indiscriminately, more than half of the cat population  would  be Tabby
 If X are..., Y would ... incorrect 
D) more than half the cat population  would  be Tabby if cats  are  allowed to breed indiscriminately
 If X are .... Y would ... incorrect 
E) more than half the cat population  would have  been Tabby if cats  were  allowed to breed indiscriminate
 If X were... Y could have been .. incorrect

IMO  B

rsrighosh · Answer

sharmashivng There is a thumb rule of "CONDITIONAL VERB" If Clause ---------------------------------- Then Clause a) Simple Present ------------------------ Simple Present OR Simple Future b) Simple Past ---------------------------- Simple Past OR would c) Past Perfect ---------------------------- Would Have Question:- It is thought that if cats were allowed (Simple Past

) to breed indiscriminately, more than half of the cat population would have been (

) Tabby. Not matching the thumb rule Only B follows correct rule (b) more than half of the cat population would (

) be Tabby if cats were (

) allowed to breed indiscriminately

carouselambra · Answer

Thanks a lot! This really helped

chillbrorelax · Answer

I would like to add more information to this concept. Each of these cases of conditional verb forms inform us about the degree of probability of the event. conditional_summary.jpg This will give you a sense that using past perfect tense implies that the event will probably NOT happen in actual. eg. "If cat had been allowed to breed indiscriminately, more than half of the cat population would have been Tabby." This implies that it is not possible that more than half of the cat population will be Tabby. However, this is NOT the intended meaning. Since a common thought ("It is thought ...") or expectation is present in the sentence, the event may happen in actual. Hence, using past perfect tense here will not be appropriate. Option B, "more than half of the cat population would be Tabby if cats were allowed to breed indiscriminately", conveys the meaning clearly. Subject of the sentence hopes that it is in fact possible that more than half of the cat population will be Tabby. Therefore, IMO too, option B is the correct answer.

Biswadip · Answer

The question is all about subjunctive mood as we are considering a condition. So were is needed, we can get rid of "are"
That splits the options between ABE and CD.
Its quite clear the if clause is in simple past, so we need either "would+verb" or "simple past form of verb" in then clause.
And B serves the purpose among A,B, and E.

winterschool · Answer

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

tense error - ........were ........would have been........

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

C) if cats  are  allowed to breed indiscriminately, more than half of the cat population  would be  Tabby  Incorrect

tense error - ........are .........would be......

D) more than half the cat population  would be  Tabby if cats  are  allowed to breed indiscriminately  Incorrect

tense error - ....would be.......are ....

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

tense error -......would have been......were .........

carouselambra · Answer

Thanks

I think this was very helpful and in a way gives insights about the correct usage of tenses.

generis · Answer

The official explanation is  here .

rahat16 · Answer

(A) IF past tense , then WOULD or Simple past construction need to be used.
Uses of would have is incorrect.
(B)Correct
(C) Subjunctive mood should be used here, use of if cats ARE allowed in incorrect
(D) same as C
(E) same as A

Pankaj0901 · Answer

Thanks for the nice explanation.  rsrighosh

Could you please share an example for:  IF  SIMPLE PAST , THEN  SIMPLE PAST  . Have found examples for all other cases, except this one.

rsrighosh · Answer

Pankaj0901

If family  went  out for dinner, it  dined  at Macaroni Grill

This sentence means that  dining at Macaroni Grill    was a habit or a fact  that family  did everytime  in the past.

If family  went  out for dinner, it  would dine  at Macaroni Grill

This sentence means that  dining at Macaroni Grill   was an uncertainty   that family  would do  in the past

VerbalBot · Answer

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