Scientists say that, by bathing the skin cells in extracts of immune cells, that human skin cells in a test tube are made to behave as if they were immune system cells. A) that human skin cells in a test tube are made to behave as if they were B) that human skin cells were to behave in a test tube as if they were C) human skin cells in a test tube were made to behave as if D) they have made human skin cells in a test tube that were behaving as E) they have made human skin cells in a test tube behave as if they were SC80540.02

Last visit was: 19 May 2026, 04:44

It is currently 19 May 2026, 04:44

Toolkit

Sentence Correction (SC - EA only)

GMAT Club Daily Prep

Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.

Go to My Error Log Learn more

Request Expert Reply

Confirm Cancel

May 19
How Ashutosh Scored 329 on the GRE by Keeping the Prep Simple
12:00 PM PDT
-
01:00 PM PDT
Scoring 329 on the GRE is not always about using more books, more courses, or a longer study plan. In this episode of GRE Success Talks, Ashutosh shares his GRE preparation strategy, study plan, and test-day experience, explaining how he kept his prep....
May 15
$320 Off on GMAT Focus - Get to 735+ from any starting point
01:00 PM IST
-
11:00 AM IST
Start your journey with a fully customized action plan and work with a dedicated mentor to achieve a 735+ score.
May 20
Live Profile Evaluation Chat Session with ARINGO MBA admission consultants
08:00 AM PDT
-
08:30 AM PDT
What’s in it for you- Live Profile Evaluation Chat Session with Jenifer Turtschanow, CEO, ARINGO. Come with your details prepared and ARINGO will share insights! Pre-MBA Role/Industry, YOE, Exam Score, C/GPA, ECs Post-MBA Role/ Industry & School List.
Jun 10
MBA Spotlight Fair
06:00 AM PDT
-
06:15 PM PDT
Register for the GMAT Club Virtual MBA Spotlight Fair – the world’s premier event for serious MBA candidates. This is your chance to hear directly from Admissions Directors at nearly every Top 30 MBA program..

Back to Forum

Create Topic

Scientists say that by bathing the skin cells in extracts of immune c

1 2 3

Dinesh654

Joined: 08 Jun 2021

Last visit: 11 Aug 2024

Posts: 151

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 217

Status:In learning mode...

Location: India

GMAT 1: 600 Q46 V27 Verified score

Products:

GMAT 1: 600 Q46 V27 Verified score

Posts: 151

Kudos: 9

13 Apr 2022, 22:45

Kudos

Bookmarks

Hello experts,

I have couple of doubts in choice D and E?
tense seems odd to me in E
If they were........- scientiest have made
one is in past and one is in present; we never use this structure in conditional!

what does as if mean?
Why D is wrong?

Thanks!

ExpertsGlobal5

Experts' Global Representative

Joined: 10 Jul 2017

Last visit: 18 May 2026

Posts: 6,446

Own Kudos:

6,403

[2]

Given Kudos: 45

Location: India

GMAT Date: 11-01-2019

Expert

Expert reply

Posts: 6,446

Kudos: 6,403

[2]

14 Apr 2022, 04:38

Kudos

Bookmarks

dcoolguy

Hello dcoolguy,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, the simple past tense is, actually, a correct tense for referring to hypothetical situations in the current time frame.

For example, "If I were an athlete, I would be fitter.": here, the hypothetical situation of being an athlete is one that takes place in the current time frame;the speaker is referring to the hypothetical possibility of being, at this time, an athlete; yet, the simple past tense verb "were" is used.

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

Dinesh654

Joined: 08 Jun 2021

Last visit: 11 Aug 2024

Posts: 151

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 217

Status:In learning mode...

Location: India

GMAT 1: 600 Q46 V27 Verified score

Products:

GMAT 1: 600 Q46 V27 Verified score

Posts: 151

Kudos: 9

26 Jun 2022, 21:40

Kudos

Bookmarks

dcoolguy

Hello experts, MartyTargetTestPrep AjiteshArun

In E, There is one pronoun "They"(appearing twice) referring to two different anticidents. Scientiests and skin cells.

Doesn't this create an ambiguity? If not logically, second they can refer to scientists?
although for D, meaning is odd. but in the actual test, This can create a confusion as to keep E or to not!

MartyTargetTestPrep

Target Test Prep Representative

Joined: 24 Nov 2014

Last visit: 11 Aug 2023

Posts: 3,471

Own Kudos:

5,653

[2]

Given Kudos: 1,430

Status:Chief Curriculum and Content Architect

Affiliations: Target Test Prep

GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V51 Verified score

Expert

Expert reply

GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V51 Verified score

Posts: 3,471

Kudos: 5,653

[2]

26 Jun 2022, 23:22

Kudos

Bookmarks

dcoolguy

I have couple of doubts in choice D and E?
tense seems odd to me in E
If they were........- scientiest have made
one is in past and one is in present; we never use this structure in conditional!

"Were" in "as if they were" is not past tense. It's past subjunctive, which can be correctly used in sentences about the present.

Quote:

what does as if mean?

"As if" is understood to mean "as they would if."

Quote:

Why D is wrong?

The meaning conveyed by (D) is not logical, and the clearest meaning issue with what (D) expresses is that "human skin cells ... that were behaving as immune system cells" suggests that somehow the skin cells were immune system cells.

Here's an analogous example:

John was acting as governor when he made that decision.

That example conveys, basically, that John was the governor when he made the decision.

So, we see that the (D) version suggests the nonsensical idea that the skin cells were immune system cells.

Quote:

In E, There is one pronoun "They"(appearing twice) referring to two different anticidents. Scientiests and skin cells.

Doesn't this create an ambiguity? If not logically, second they can refer to scientists?
although for D, meaning is odd. but in the actual test, This can create a confusion as to keep E or to not!

Since it's clear that the cells, and not the scientists, were behaving as if they were immune system cells, there's no ambiguity regarding what the second "they" refers to in (E).

Solenja

Joined: 23 Sep 2021

Last visit: 07 Dec 2025

Posts: 120

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 257

GRE 1: Q163 V157 Verified score

Posts: 120

Kudos: 68

28 Jun 2022, 03:20

Kudos

Bookmarks

GMATNinja

vaibhav99

Hi GMATNinja,

Can you please throw some light on this question. Just want to understand usage of 2 that's and 'if'.

Thanks for your help.

Vaibhav

I'm not sure that I understand exactly what you're asking, but I'll try to help!

In choice (E), for example, "that" introduces a noun clause. What did the scientists say? They said "that they have made human skin cells in a test tube behave as if they were immune system cells." If you want to get technical: the "that" clause is the object of the verb.

If that isn't clear, consider this example:

profanities

Now take a look at choice (A). Ignoring the comma-separated part, we have, "The scientists say that that human skin cells in a test tube are made..." The second "that" shouldn't be there!

The "if" is simply part of "as if", which is the same as "as though." How do the skin cells behave? They behave as if (or as though) they were immune system cells. In other words, they behave as they would if they were, in fact, immune system cells.

I hope that helps!

Could you please explain what is wrong with option C

ExpertsGlobal5

Experts' Global Representative

Joined: 10 Jul 2017

Last visit: 18 May 2026

Posts: 6,446

Own Kudos:

6,403

[1]

Given Kudos: 45

Location: India

GMAT Date: 11-01-2019

Expert

Expert reply

Posts: 6,446

Kudos: 6,403

[1]

28 Jun 2022, 03:54

Kudos

Bookmarks

Solenja

GMATNinja

vaibhav99

Hi GMATNinja,

Can you please throw some light on this question. Just want to understand usage of 2 that's and 'if'.

Thanks for your help.

Vaibhav

profanities

Could you please explain what is wrong with option C

Hello Solenja,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, Option C fails to convey a coherent meaning, as the phrase "as if immune system cells" lacks an active verb, which it needs to properly convey the hypothetical situation conveyed here.

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

GMATNinja

GMAT Club Verbal Expert

Joined: 13 Aug 2009

Last visit: 19 May 2026

Posts: 7,393

Own Kudos:

70,931

Given Kudos: 2,137

Status: GMAT/GRE/LSAT tutors

Location: United States (CO)

GMAT 1: 780 Q51 V46 Verified score

GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51 Verified score

GRE 1: Q170 V170 Verified score

GRE 2: Q170 V170 Verified score

Products:

Expert

Expert reply

GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51 Verified score

GRE 1: Q170 V170 Verified score

GRE 2: Q170 V170 Verified score

Posts: 7,393

Kudos: 70,931

26 Sep 2022, 16:00

Kudos

Bookmarks

Solenja

Could you please explain what is wrong with option C

We attempted to explain the problem with (C) in this post: https://gmatclub.com/forum/scientists-s ... l#p2810644. Check it out, and let us know if you still have questions!

Russ19

Joined: 29 Oct 2019

Last visit: 18 Mar 2026

Posts: 1,339

Own Kudos:

2,000

Given Kudos: 582

Posts: 1,339

Kudos: 2,000

08 Dec 2022, 23:23

Kudos

Bookmarks

MartyTargetTestPrep sayantanc2k AjiteshArun Could anyone please explain the structure of option E?

they have made human skin cells in a test tube behave as if

Human skin cells is is the object of the main clause, and it acts as the subjects of the verb behave. How can two clauses be merged into a single sentence in the option?

Thanks for your response in advance!

EducationAisle

Joined: 27 Mar 2010

Last visit: 19 May 2026

Posts: 3,922

Own Kudos:

3,586

Given Kudos: 159

Location: India

Schools: ISB

GPA: 3.31

Expert

Expert reply

Schools: ISB

Posts: 3,922

Kudos: 3,586

09 Dec 2022, 00:42

Kudos

Bookmarks

Strictly speaking, behave is not a verb here; it is an infinitive: (to) behave.

MartyTargetTestPrep

Target Test Prep Representative

Joined: 24 Nov 2014

Last visit: 11 Aug 2023

Posts: 3,471

Own Kudos:

5,653

[1]

Given Kudos: 1,430

Status:Chief Curriculum and Content Architect

Affiliations: Target Test Prep

GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V51 Verified score

Expert

Expert reply

GMAT 1: 800 Q51 V51 Verified score

Posts: 3,471

Kudos: 5,653

[1]

09 Dec 2022, 11:38

Kudos

Bookmarks

Russ19

they have made human skin cells in a test tube behave as if means the same thing as they have CAUSED human skin cells in a test tube TO behave as if .

So, we can see that the object of "made" and "caused" is the entire outcome of human skin cells behaving in a certain way.

Thus, "human skin cells in a test tube behave" isn't really a clause, though a clause could serve as a direct object, a one does in the following example.

They have determined that Jim ate the apples.

In that sentence, the noun clause "that Jim ate the apples" is the direct object.

jabhatta2

Joined: 15 Dec 2016

Last visit: 21 Apr 2023

Posts: 1,251

Own Kudos:

329

Given Kudos: 188

Posts: 1,251

Kudos: 329

09 Dec 2022, 12:41

Kudos

Bookmarks

EducationAisle

Strictly speaking, behave is not a verb here; it is an infinitive: (to) behave.

Hi - I agree with the above - The structure in (e) is actually the following :

(E) Scientists say THAT They have made human skin cells TO behave as if they were immune system cells.

The word "TO" is frequently used with an infinitive, but it is not an essential part or sign of it. When an infinitive is used without the marker "TO" it is called a bare infinitive.

In some verbs - the "To" CAN be dropped

Verbs such as : "feel,"wish", "hear," "help," "let," "make," "see," and "watch.", "behave"

Quote:

I let John to dance for 5 hours or I let John dance for 5 hours
I helped John to win or I helped John win.
I wish John to win or I wish John win.
I heard John danced last night
I made John to sleep for 5 hours or I made John sleep for 5 hours
I watched John fight last sunday
I wish John to behave or I wish John behave

Link :

https://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter/docs ... itives.pdf
https://www.englishgrammar.org/bare-infinitive-2/

Attachments

screenshot 1.jpg [ 74.15 KiB | Viewed 1341 times ]

VerbalBot

Non-Human User

Joined: 01 Oct 2013

Last visit: 04 Jan 2021

Posts: 19,431

Own Kudos:

1,012

Posts: 19,431

Kudos: 1,012

13 Apr 2026, 21:54

Kudos

Bookmarks

Automated notice from GMAT Club VerbalBot:

A member just gave Kudos to this thread, showing it’s still useful. I’ve bumped it to the top so more people can benefit. Feel free to add your own questions or solutions.

This post was generated automatically.