DrHuber
The local government announced that
it was mandating that people must carry identification at all times.
(A) it was mandating that people must carry identification at all times.
(B) it was mandating that people constantly carry identification at all times.
(C) it was mandating that people should constantly carry identification.
(D) they were mandating that people carry identification at all times.
(E) it was mandating that people constantly carry identification.
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(A) it was mandating that people must carry identification at all times.
"was mandating" and "must" usage is redundant. When a government is mandating something, that condition by itself is a must condition for its' public. Eliminate A.
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(B) it was mandating that people constantly carry identification at all times.
"Constantly" & "at all time" have the same intended meaning. So the usage is redundant. Eliminate B.
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(C) it was mandating that people should constantly carry identification.
"was mandating" & "should" usage is redundant, similar to what is happening in A. Hence, eliminate C.
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(D) they were mandating that people carry identification at all times.
"they" can refer back to people which will mean, "People were mandating people" ~ it doesn't make any sense.
OR,
"they" can also refer back to "the local government" which will be fine per the meaning. Hence there is some pronoun ambiguity. Also, Choice E is much more concise than D by using "constantly" instead of using "at all times" in D. Eliminate D.
PS- collective nouns can sometimes act as a plural subject.
More on this topic.Quote:
(E) it was mandating that people constantly carry identification.
E is concise, with no redundancy and no pronoun ambiguity. Correct Answer.