OFFICIAL EXPLANATIONProject SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC2)
Quote:
It is thought that if cats were allowed to breed indiscriminately, more than half of the cat population would have been Tabby.
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.
• ConditionalsIn 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 1A 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 2A 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 3A 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 detailsA 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 OPTIONSQuote:
A) if cats were allowed to breed indiscriminately, more than half of the cat population would have been Tabby
• 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
Quote:
B) more than half of the cat population would be Tabby if cats were allowed to breed indiscriminately
• 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 wouldKEEP
Quote:
C) if cats are allowed to breed indiscriminately, more than half of the cat population would be Tabby
• 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
Quote:
D) more than half the cat population would be Tabby if cats are allowed to breed indiscriminately
• 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
Quote:
E) more than half the cat population would have been Tabby if cats were allowed to breed indiscriminately
• 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.NotesIF/THENOn 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 itIts 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.
COMMENTSrsrighosh , 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.
Edit: 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 [affects the present]
-- 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.)
close
22 Nov 2020, 01:08
45%
(medium)
44%
(01:21)
wrong 
) to breed indiscriminately, more than half of the cat population would have been ( 
) Tabby.
) be Tabby if cats were ( 
