Most houses that were destroyed and heavily damaged in residential

Official Explanation:

Choice B
Classification: Verb Tenses
Snapshot: This problem is included to highlight the difference between the past perfect tense and the past tense and/or the present perfect tense. The correct answer employs the past perfect tense. This problem also addresses the passive verb construction “had been”/“have been.” The solution to this problem is conceptually similar to that of the preceding problem. The auxiliary “had” must be used in conjunction with the first of two past tense events. In short, only choice B uses the verb tenses correctly to indicate that houses were built or heavily damaged prior to their being destroyed by fire. Choices A, C, and E illogically state that some houses were both destroyed and heavily damaged; “or” is needed to indicate that each of the houses suffered either one fate or the other. In using only the simple past tense (that is, the verb tense “were”), choice A fails to indicate that the houses were built before the fires occurred. Choices D and E erroneously employ the present perfect tense, saying in effect that the houses “have been constructed” after they were destroyed or heavily damaged last year.

Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.