80% of laptops that were sold in European Union last year were

Question

80% of laptops that were sold in European Union last year were  manufactured in China, a country that has the largest population in the world.

A. 80% of laptops that were sold in European Union last year were

B. 80% of laptops that were sold in European Union last year had been

C. 80% of laptops that were sold in European Union last year have been

D. Last year 80% of laptops were sold in European Union that have been

E. Last year 80% of laptops that were sold in European Union had been

sagarltl · Answer

Past perfect tense shows the "sequence of events " that occurred in the past , stating -among the various actions in the past which of them occurred first and which action follows next. So, as we know first things are manufactured and then it is sold so, b is perfect answer.

80% of laptops that were sold in European Union last year were manufactured in China , here that is a relative clause modifying laptops followed by a verb   (an action of past) end of this clause follows another verb   (an action that also occurred in the past), so as the actions are related we need to emphasize the sequence.

eddy8700 · Answer

80% of laptops that were sold in European Union last year were manufactured in China, a country that has the largest population in the world.

A. 80% of laptops that were sold in European Union last year were

B. 80% of laptops that were sold in European Union last year had been

C. 80% of laptops that were sold in European Union last year have been

D. Last year 80% of laptops were sold in European Union that have been

E. Last year 80% of laptops that were sold in European Union had been

Answer is B

-----------------------------------------------
 manufactured in China sold in Europe

So earlier of the action requires had verb form 
and latter one requires past tense to denote sequencing of events

only B is able to do it with clear meaning

techiesam · Answer

Why E is wrong?Is that because last year implies that the manufacturing year is alos last year or is there any other reason??

sayantanc2k · Answer

Yes. your understanding is correct. The intended meaning is that the sale was in last year, whereas option E indicates that the manufacturing was in last year.

abhi4212 · Answer

80% of laptops that were sold in European Union last year were  manufactured in China, a country that has the largest population in the world.

A. 80% of laptops that  were  sold in European Union last year  were  :  manufacturing and selling is not a simultaneous action. one has to manufacture something than only he can sell it, so its a sequential order.

B. 80% of laptops that  were  sold in European Union last year  had been  :  correct sequence
 
C. 80% of laptops that were sold in European Union last year  have been  :  not a continuous activity
 
D.  Last year  80% of laptops were sold in European Union that have been :  meaning changed (last year manufactured)

E.  Last year  80% of laptops that were sold in European Union had been  :  same as option C

All the very best.

Prateek176 · Answer

abhimahna

Didn't understand why A is incorrect. Why do we require past perfect tense here? We don't require to show that manufacturing took place before sale.

abhimahna · Answer

Hey prateek176 , Option A has used the same tenses for manufacturing and selling. As per A, it seems both the activities are happening at the same time. This is wrong. My friend, we need to show that the manufacturing took place before sale. Does that make sense?

vishthedish · Answer

Logically speaking, manufacturing always has to take place before the sale takes place! This means that there is no ambiguity whether manufacturing and sale took place at the same time ! hence chose A... sometimes when the order of events are clear, we can choose not to use past perfect! This is my understanding, please let me know if I am wrong !!

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Hello  vishthedish ,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, the use of past perfect tense can be omitted when the chronology of events is clear due to terms such as "before/after/when/earlier/later"…or because of clear mention of dates and times; simple logical reasoning is not enough to void the need for the past perfect tense.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team

DivyanshuPant · Answer

Isn't 'Last year' a squinting modifier in Option B?

Last year can modify either manufacture or sold? Hence is ambiguous.

Can you please help in resolving this doubt?

80% of laptops that were sold in European Union last year were

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80% of laptops that were sold in European Union last year were

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