Sleeping pills had been showing up with regularity as a factor in

Question

Sleeping pills had been showing up with regularity as a factor in traffic arrests,  sometimes involving drivers who later claim that they have no memory of getting behind the wheel after ingesting the pills.

(A) Sleeping pills had been showing up with regularity as a factor in traffic arrests

(B) Sleeping pills had been showing up with regularity as factors in traffic arrests

(C) Sleeping pills have been showing up with regularity as a factor in traffic arrests

(D) Sleeping pills have been showing up with regularity as factors in traffic arrests

(E) Sleeping pills have been showing up with regularity in traffic arrests

buzzgaurav · Answer

Picking C.

We need "have been" for correct SVA.
This leaves C,D and E.

D) Sleeping pills have been showing up with regularity as  factors  in traffic arrests
E) Sleeping pills have been showing up with regularity in traffic arrests...... this seems to suggest that pills are found in traffic arrests

bmwhype2 · Answer

Why do we use present perfect rather than simple past?

buzzgaurav · Answer

That's because the non-underlined portion in the question does not hint that the the event occurred in the past. It is still happening.

leeye84 · Answer

C. 

Was stuck between C and D. But... Sleeping pills, though plural, is only one factor. Close one.

pkmme · Answer

+1 C , present perfect because of "involving"

tarunk31 · Answer

Sleeping pills had been showing up with regularity as a factor in traffic arrests, sometimes involving drivers who later claim that they have no memory of getting behind the wheel after ingesting the pills.

Error Analysis:
Usage of past perfect is not justified. You have to have another past event to relate to.

POE:

A) Sleeping pills had been showing up with regularity as a factor in traffic arrests

Usage of past perfect is not justified. You have to have another past event to relate to.

B) Sleeping pills had been showing up with regularity as factors in traffic arrests

Usage of past perfect is not justified. You have to have another past event to relate to. Sleeping pills is one of the factor for traffic arrests not factors.

C) Sleeping pills have been showing up with regularity as a factor in traffic arrests

This looks fine.

D) Sleeping pills have been showing up with regularity as factors in traffic arrests

Sleeping pills is one of the factor for traffic arrests not factors.

E) Sleeping pills have been showing up with regularity in traffic arrests

This changes the meaning. Does it mean that Sleeping pills are frequently found with people arrested in traffic arrests irrespective of factors.

Should be C

suramya26 · Answer

Why can't the answer be E????
I thought the meaning is sleeping pills are found in the crime site...
Can't it be like the cops did investigation and they found sleep pills...
Can't it be this case?????

Posted from my mobile device

santoshreddyk · Answer

If Sleeping pills is a factoR .... then shouldn't it be sleeping pills has been showing up as a factor in .....

Sleeping pills (factor) has been showing up??? what is wrong in this. (pills is plural but sleeping pills is a factor here and not actually sleeping pill right?)
Help me with this question please

lpardess · Answer

same question here...I didn't think I can assume that sleeping pills are one factor-

NinetyFour · Answer

In regards to answer choice D: Sleeping Pills in this sentence is plural. There are multiple sleeping pills involved hence there should be multiple factors considered. Why is my reasoning wrong here? Thanks!

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi kchen1994.

There is nothing wrong with your reasoning. Choice (D) makes sense.

This question has at least two debatably correct answers.

kaladin123 · Answer

OA:
 
The sentence incorrectly uses the past perfect verb phrase "had been showing up." The past perfect is only used when a sentence involves two past events; the past perfect tense ("had . . .") is used for the earlier past event while the simple past tense is used for the later past event. However, in this sentence there is no second event that takes place in the past. Therefore, the past perfect cannot be used.

(A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence.

(B) This choice incorrectly uses the past perfect verb phrase "had been showing up." The past perfect is only used when a sentence involves two past events; the past perfect tense ("had . . .") is used for the earlier past event while the simple past tense is used for the later past event. However, since, in this sentence, there is no second event that takes place in the past, the past perfect cannot be used. In addition, this choice uses the phrase "as factors in traffic arrests." The plural "factors" is incorrect since "sleeping pills" represent only one factor in traffic arrests.

(C) CORRECT. This choice correctly uses the present perfect tense "have been showing up" to indicate an event that started in the past and continues into the present. This choice also correctly uses the phrase "as a factor" rather than "as factors" because sleeping pills constitute only one factor in arrests.

(D) This choice correctly uses the present perfect tense "have been showing up" to indicate an event that started in the past and continues into the present. However, this choice incorrectly uses the phrase "as factors in traffic arrests." The plural "factors" is incorrect since "sleeping pills" represent only one factor in traffic arrests.

(E) This choice correctly uses the present perfect tense "have been showing up" to indicate an event that started in the past and continues into the present. However, the phrase "sleeping pills have been showing up . . .in traffic arrests" nonsensically suggests that the pills themselves have shown up in traffic arrests. In fact, the pills have shown up as a factor in traffic arrests (while the pills themselves are safely hidden in the driver's stomach).

VerbalBot · Answer

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Sleeping pills had been showing up with regularity as a factor in

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Sleeping pills had been showing up with regularity as a factor in

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