I think it is A.

'crucial in binding' is correct usage, I believe. So, B, C and E are eliminated. D sounds 'round-about' in saying 'has become crucial' because no sense of 'has become' implied in the sentence.

IMO, both (A) and (D) are grammatically correct. I will pick (A) because there is nothing wrong in original sentence..

The debate over bilingual education centers on the issue of whether the United States should foster the idea of single common language, an idea, some believe, that has in the past been crucial in binding diverse constituencies together.


"an idea.. that..." (Noun+Modifier) is an example of Absolute Construction.

"It has been crucial in the past" is better than "it has become" in this case. "Has been" indicates it is always this way, "become" indicate changes. I don't see changes in this case. In other words D and E are ruled out.

"Crucial in binding" is the correct usage, So (A) is the answer.

I pick (A) but I'm not entirely happy with the solution given.
'together' is redundant as it has already been suggested in the word 'binding'

However, since we need the past tense 'been', we're left with A,B and C.
B has a clumsy construction 'as a binding together' and C is no better
with the construct 'been crucial to bind together'.

So A among these three is the best.

A

B, D and E are out at first glance. "crucial in binding" is the correct usage so C is out.
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....has been.... present perfect tense
....crucial in..... correct idiom

(A)

(A) been crucial in binding diverse constituencies together-
--> correct usage

(B) been crucial as a binding together of diverse constituencies
--> "crucial as a binding" is not proper grammar

(C) been crucial to bind together constituencies that are diverse
--> "crucial to bind" is again not good grammar in this context

(D) become crucial in binding together diverse constituencies
(E) become crucial to bind together constituencies that are diverse

--> for both "become" is wrong because of the tense used here
"that has" is present tense
"become" means "come to be". it puts an end to the process.
"been" is past tense and continuing.
Here the sentence conveys "The debate over something centers around.." This is the present tense, so a continuing tense is more approprite for the later part of the sentence... "has been and will continue to do so.."

The answer turns on point of view. The sentence discusses something that happened in the past, rather than the point of view of being in the past viewing something that has become crucial. This idea has been crucial in the past in binding people together. This implies that the event (the idea being crucial) is finished, whereas "has in the past become" implies that the event is still being crucial.

Should BIND st TOGETHER
BECOME is short-term verb ==> should not be used with participle.
A is best answer.
If C is : "been crucial to bind diverse constituencies together" I will pick C. But in fact C has problem in tail.

A for me.

The sentence puts "an idea" in the past. So I like the has...been... simple past tense for this one. Also, I believe there may be an idiom of "crucial in" that's being tested here. In this context, "crucial in" seems appropriate. "An idea that in the past has become" is the wrong tense.

Excellent and confusing question. I applied MGMAT SC categorization and noticed no errors. Basically this is possibly a verb tense issue or an idiom issue. crucial-in is the correct idiom, check this http://catindiaonline.wordpress.com/200 ... notes-iii/ and browser search (Ctrl + F) for "crucial".

"crucial in" is the correct idiom

"has been"......makes sense.

A it is.

Idiom?

I found in Oxford dictionary the following:


crucial /kru:{sh}l/ adjective
(to / for sth) | (that...) extremely important, because it will affect other things:
a crucial factor / issue / decision * topics of crucial importance for education * Winning this contract is crucial to the success of the company. * The next few weeks are going to be crucial. * It is crucial that we get this right. * Parents play a crucial role in preparing their child for school. * He wasn't there at the crucial moment (= when he was needed most).

there is not crucial in - idiom , could you please help

thanks
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Got correct answer using google and its "A"

Unable to post link due to restrictions, just perform following search for google and follow 3rd result (Titled as Master key to Mba.....)

"The debate over bilingual education centers on the issue of whether the United States should foster the idea of single common language, an idea, some believe, that has in the past"

Check Q 18 and answer is provided after few questions

The correct idiom is "crucial in" and with that in mind we can eliminate options B,C and E.
IMO, Option D, as it seems changes the meaning in the sentence by using "become".

after 9 years I would like to answer your Q ! USE longman not oxford ! then you can see "crucial + in/to " both are correct ....
crucial to
This aid money is crucial to the government’s economic policies.
crucial in/to doing something
The work of monks was crucial in spreading Christianity.
play a crucial role/part in something



hope my answer helpful ARE you still alive
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