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EMPOWERgmatVerbal
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The American Civil War, taking place from 1861 to 1865, is considered the first truly industrial war because of its use of steam ships, telegraphs, mass-produced weapons, and railroads.

(A) The American Civil War, taking place from 1861 to 1865,
(B) The American Civil War, which took place from 1861 to 1865,
(C) The American Civil War, which takes place from 1861 to 1865,
(D) From 1861 to 1865, the American Civil War
(E) The American Civil War, that has taken place from 1861 to 1865,

OE to follow.

(A) The American Civil War, taking place from 1861 to 1865, - taking is wrong , it is a past event.
(B) The American Civil War, which took place from 1861 to 1865, - corrct choice
(C) The American Civil War, which takes place from 1861 to 1865, - use of simple present is wrong here
(D) From 1861 to 1865, the American Civil War - changes the meaning.
(E) The American Civil War, that has taken place from 1861 to 1865, - use of present perfect is wrong- this
is a past event
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EMPOWERgmatMax
The American Civil War, taking place from 1861 to 1865, is considered the first truly industrial war because of its use of steam ships, telegraphs, mass-produced weapons, and railroads.

(A) The American Civil War, taking place from 1861 to 1865,
(B) The American Civil War, which took place from 1861 to 1865,
(C) The American Civil War, which takes place from 1861 to 1865,
(D) From 1861 to 1865, the American Civil War
(E) The American Civil War, that has taken place from 1861 to 1865,

OE to follow.
OA please ?

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The American Civil War, taking place from 1861 to 1865, is considered the first truly industrial war because of its use of steam ships, telegraphs, mass-produced weapons, and railroads.

My thought process
(A) The American Civil War, taking place from 1861 to 1865, - This sentence sounds like future, but 1861 is in past so - "Incorrect"
(B) The American Civil War, which took place from 1861 to 1865, - Sounds just right, Will keep it as valid answer is nothing else suits
(C) The American Civil War, which takes place from 1861 to 1865, - 'takes place' sounds like the event repeats again, so - "Incorrect"
(D) From 1861 to 1865, the American Civil War - This makes it sound like the civil was is continuous event and only from 1861 to 1865 is considered industrial war so - "Incorrect"
(E) The American Civil War, that has taken place from 1861 to 1865, - Taken place sounds like very recent event, while 1861 is way back in past so - "Incorrect"

This makes B the correct answer.
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Official Explanation

Tactical Analysis:
Since option D looks so different from the other four, start off by reading the sentence with that option plugged in. You should find that D doesn’t work because the modifying phrase “From 1861 to 1865” isn’t in the right place – it should be after the Civil War, not before it. Therefore, we can quickly rule this one out.

By quickly looking at each option that’s left, we see that in A, B, C, and E, the main difference is what comes after the comma. Focus on the verbs here: taking/took/takes/has taken. If we’re talking about an event that happened in the past, and isn’t still going on today, which verb tense works best? Past tense. We know that the past tense of “to take” is “took,” so there’s your answer!

B is the right answer, and here’s a breakdown of specifically why the other answers are wrong:

A is incorrect because it uses the present tense gerund “taking place” instead of past tense “took place.” Since we know the Civil War took place in the 1860s, it doesn’t make sense to use present tense.

B is correct because it uses the proper verb form, and the modifier phrase is in the right place.

C is incorrect because, like answer A, it uses a present tense verb “takes place” instead of past tense. The Civil War isn’t still going on, so it’s best to use past tense.

D is incorrect because the modifier “From 1861 to 1865” doesn’t clearly fit where it’s placed. It kind of suggests that the Civil War lasted longer, but that we’re only discussing what happened between 1861-1865.

E is incorrect because it changed “which” to “that,” which changes the meaning a little bit. By using “that,” we’re saying there was more than one American Civil War, and that we’re talking about the one that happened between 1861-1865 specifically. It also uses the present perfect “that has taken place,” which also assumes the war only recently ended, which isn’t true.
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