Public companies will be required to raise their governance

I'm not crazy about this question--none of the answers is quite GMAT style--but it does push us to consider if...then construction.

When an if...then sentence represents a general rule with no uncertainty, use IF present THEN present. When an if...then sentence represents a particular future case with no uncertainty, use IF present THEN future. (For other if...then constructions not relevant to this question, see the Manhattan GMAT Sentence Correction Strategy Guide, page 112-113)

For this sentence, I'd incline toward IF present THEN future, because this sentence seems to be about a particular case. I might accept IF present THEN present if all the IF present THEN future answers have other grammatical problems. So I'll eliminate C for sure, and B tentatively.

OK, for concision I'm going to choose compete over be able to compete or be in competition, so there go A and D.

That leaves E. I don't think B is terrible, but I'd have to go with E.

A small additional point: raise their...game is too colloquial for real GMAT SC.

Public companies will be required to raise their governance game if they want to be able to compete against private firms

A. Public companies will be required to raise their governance game if they want to be able to compete against private firms
B. Public companies should raise their governance game if they wish to compete with private firms
C. Public companies would need to raise their governance game if they wish to compete against private firms
D. Public companies have to need to raise their governance game if they are to be in competition with private firms
E. Public companies will need to raise their governance game if they are to compete with private firms
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However, in E, why is the mix up of an active voice in the main clause and a passive voice in the sub clause, thus flouting the tenet of //ism?
‘If they are to’ looks more informal to me than formal.
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The second clause is conditional right? That's why i was thinking 'would' is more appropriate in the first clause 'Public companies would need to raise'

E is correct...B and C use "would" and "should" not correct. A is wordy and D uses "have to need".

what is the rule with "would" and "should".. are they never to be used? Or in which situatiations are they necessary?

Thanks

When you have an "if...then..." construction don't use "would" in the "if" clause, and don't use "should" at all. See pg 113 in Mgmat SC book.

Thanks MichaelS for explaining.

Thank you I think that sounds familiar now, I read that book a little while back but haven't really reviewed my notes.

Use will to refer to some event that will happen in the future in relation
to the present and use would to refer to the future in the past.

Should‘ is almost always used incorrectly in English to refer to an event
that will or might happen in the future. Remember that ‗should‘ is only
used to give your recommendation or suggestion.

I took it E... a good explanation by ARZAD. thanx..

Interesting point. Can you please elaborate?


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Curtsey Manhattan-

If. .• Then constructions.
Do not use Would in
the IfclauJe. Do not use
Should anywhere in an
If. .. Then sentence.

yashii9
Especially with reference to the use of ‘wish’ in the subordinate conditional clauses using if, could you kindly give if any such examples have been cited by MGMAT? I am not able to refer to the page you have cited, because I do not have the book.

Incidentally, what will be the status of these supposedly normal sentences?

1. If you could wish for one thing, what would it be?
2. If she should win this race, we will be the first to congratulate her.
Obviously if we cannot use wish, and should’ in conditional clauses, what will be amended versions for these wrong sentences?
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yashii9 - Is spot ON.....

Correct versions are ->
1. If you could wish for one thing, what would it be? If you WERE to wish for one thing......
2. If she should win this race, we will be the first to congratulate her. If she were to win this race......

If she had won this race, we would have congratulated here....
So on and so forth....

HTH..

Jp27

The following two sentences are perfectly legal sentences.

1. If you could wish for one thing, what would it be?
Google this question, you will find this expression used in so many instances.

2. If she should win this race, we will be the first to congratulate her. Please go with the link below, and you will find it there.

https://amerenglish-grammar-2.webs.com/conditionals.htm

Your correct versions are ->
1. If you could wish for one thing, what would it be? If you WERE to wish for one thing......
2. If she should win this race, we will be the first to congratulate her. If she were to win this race......

1 In fact, what you have stated as correct answers, are past subjunctives, which are used in very unlikely eventualities. You may say, if I were to wish for one thing, provided you feel that you are unlikely to wish for that; but do you encounter a situation, where you will not wish for anything. I do not think, it is unlikely for one to wish for a. thing. Of course you may say, If I were to buy the moon, that usage is ok; because it wouldn’t happen, would it? So that context is acceptable

2. If she were to win this race; What is so unlikely about her winning the race to warrant a subjunctive verb?

If you WERE to wish for one thing

But what I am missing is that, after saying that ‘wish’ cannot be used in a conditional clause, you are again using it.

Can you kindly elucidate?
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What we have here are views by various people. Can somebody give a feel of GMAT's inkling on this with some examples, especially on the wish thing? We may take that the use of should in conditional clause may be an exceptional case and hence no need to split our heads on that.
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would is not acceptable in the if clause, but can be used in THEN clause. below is an example from Manhattan itself

[*]

Doesn't it also say such clauses are "hypothetical" and not real situations. So its more in the context we are using "would" makes it correct or incorrect, I guess.