SanFransiscans of the 1890's mocked the claim that declared

Question

SanFransiscans of the 1890's mocked the claim that declared LA a world city,  yet within 20 years a powerful municipal will had made this boast a reality .

1. yet within 20 years a powerful municipal will had made this boast a reality
2. yet within 20 years a powerful municipal will made this boast a reality
3. yet a powerful municipal within 20 years will make this boast a reality
4. yet this boast had become a reality within 20 years
5. yet within 20 years a municipal will had made this boast a powerful reality

hanumayamma · Answer

The first clause is in simple past and second clause needs to be in future (claim).

1. yet within 20 years a powerful municipal will had made this boast a reality  will had made – incorrect usage of past perfect – eliminate it ]
2. yet within 20 years a powerful municipal will made this boast a reality  made is “make” simple past – eliminate it ]
3. yet a powerful municipal within 20 years will make this boast a reality  Hold it ]
4. yet this boast had become a reality within 20 years  Grammatically correct but sentence meaning wise incorrect – as first clause is in simple past and if the second clause needs to be in future – eliminate it ]
5. yet within 20 years a municipal will had made this boast a powerful reality  incorrect usage – eliminate it ]

Answer: 3

Rubashov1 · Answer

Either 3 or 4, and I would tend to go with 4.

What's the OA?

rvajpeyi · Answer

Thanks for responding.

The correct answer is supposedly "A". The explanation being, "past perfect is required because there are two actions, one ending before the other." This question was from a Kaplan test.

However, I don't understand this explanation, because the clause that uses past-perfect ('..municipal will had made the boast a reality...') happened *after* the 'Sanfransiscans mocked the claim.' The past-perfect, should be in the first clause and not the second. My understanding of past-perfect is that it's used to show the action which happened first. Would you agree?

I chose 2, because both the actions happened in the past so the 2nd clause, which is underlined, can't use a future tense and therefore I used simple tense.

BTW, I didn't choose 4 because it modified municipal from noun, in the original sentence, to adverb.

rishi2377 · Answer

yes there are two actions involved and  municipal will had made the boast a reality  is the earlier one. See.
yet  within 20 years  a powerful  municipal will had made this boast a reality .
 Got it?
okay, see it this way
municipal will had made this boast a reality before passing 20 years.
earlier action- municipal will had made this boast a reality 
later action- passing of 20 years.

Ans. is A

SanFransiscans of the 1890's mocked the claim that declared

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