Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
lexis wrote:
The number of undergraduate degrees in engineering awarded by colleges and universities in the United States
increased by more than twice from 1978 to 1985.
(A) increased by more than twice
(B) increased more than two times
(C) more than doubled
(D) was more than doubled
(E) had more than doubled
Please compare TWICE with DOUBLE with INCREASE.
Choice A is faulty because an adverb such as twice cannot function as an object of the preposition by.
B distorts the sentence’s meaning, stating that the number of engineering degrees conferred increased on more than two distinct occasions.
D’s passive verb was…doubled suggests without warrant that some unnamed agent increase the number of engineering degrees.
The past perfect tense in E, had… doubled, is inappropriate unless the increase in engineering degrees is specifically being viewed as having occurred further back in the past than some subsequent event.
Choice C is best.
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this sentence is that between 1978 and 1985, the number of undergraduate degrees in engineering awarded by colleges and universities in the United States increased more than twofold.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Tenses• The simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past.
• The past perfect tense (marked by the use of helping verb "had") is used when a sentence contains two actions in the past; the helping verb "had" is used with the action in the "greater past".
A: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "increased by more than twice"; the construction of this phrase leads to an incoherent meaning; the intended meaning is that between 1978 and 1985, the number of undergraduate degrees in engineering awarded by colleges and universities in the United States increased more than twofold.
B: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "increased more than two times"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that between 1978 and 1985, the number of undergraduate degrees in engineering awarded by colleges and universities in the United States increased
on more than two occassions; the intended meaning is that between 1978 and 1985, the number of undergraduate degrees in engineering awarded by colleges and universities in the United States increased
more than twofold.
C: Correct. This answer choice uses the phrase "more than doubled", conveying the intended meaning - that between 1978 and 1985, the number of undergraduate degrees in engineering awarded by colleges and universities in the United States increased
more than twofold,
by itself. Further, Option C correctly uses the simple past tense verb "doubled" to refer to an action that concluded in the past.
D: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "was more than doubled"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that between 1978 and 1985,
some unspecified entity increased number of undergraduate degrees in engineering awarded by colleges and universities in the United States more than twofold; the intended meaning is that between 1978 and 1985, the number of undergraduate degrees in engineering awarded by colleges and universities in the United States increased more than twofold,
by itself.
E: This answer choice incorrectly uses the past perfect tense verb "had...doubled" to refer to an action that concluded in the past; remember, the simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past, and the past perfect tense (marked by the use of helping verb "had") is used when a sentence contains two actions in the past; the helping verb "had" is used with the action in the "greater past".
Hence, C is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Simple Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):
To understand the concept of "Past Perfect Tense" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
_________________