The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) had long been

[quote="duttsit"]The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) had long been expected to announce a reduction in output to bolster sagging oil prices, but officials of the organization just recently announced that the group will pare daily production by 1.5 million barrels by the beginning of next year, but only if non-OPEC nations, including Norway, Mexico, and Russia, were to trim output by a total of 500,000 barrels a day.


(A) year, but only if non-OPEC nations, including Norway, Mexico, and Russia, were to trim output

(B) year, but only if the output of non-OPEC nations, which includes Norway, Mexico, and Russia, is trimmed

(C) year only if the output of non-OPEC nations, including Norway, Mexico, and Russia, would be trimmed

(D) year only if non-OPEC nations, which includes Norway, Mexico, and Russia, were trimming output

(E) year only if non-OPEC nations, including Norway, Mexico, and Russia, trim output

This question is based on Subjunctive Usage and Conditional sentences.

The latter part of the sentence is a conditional one that conveys a certain result if a certain condition is fulfilled. There is a fixed structure for this kind of conditional sentence -
If + Subject + Simple Present tense, Subject + Simple Present tense/Simple Future tense
E.g.: If she calls, I speak to her.
If it rains, the roof will leak.


There is another type of conditional sentence that expresses a hypothetical result if a hypothetical condition were to be fulfilled. The construction for such a sentence is –
If + Subject + Past Subjunctive (Past form of the verb), Subject + would + Simple Present tense.
E.g.: If she knew, she would tell me.
If I were the King, I would live in a palace.

Option A has an incorrect construction. It mixes two kinds of conditional sentences. Since the result part of the conditional sentence is not underlined, we cannot change it. So, the conditional part of the sentence, which is underlined, must have the verb in the Simple present. The verb ‘were’ is the past form of the ‘to be’ verb. So, Option A can be eliminated.

Option B contains the correct tense but is in the passive voice. It also breaks the pattern of the conditional sentence with the redundant phrase ‘but only’ just as Option A does. Option B also contains a subject-verb agreement – “output of non-OPEC nations, which includes”. If the verb ‘includes’ refers to ‘nations’, the verb is incorrect because it should be ‘include’. If the verb refers to ‘output’, the meaning is illogical. So, Option B can also be eliminated.

Option C also contains the incorrect form of the verb. The modal auxiliary verb ‘would’ is used in the main clause to convey the hypothetical nature of the result of the condition’s being fulfilled. However, since the underlined portion is the conditional clause, the verb ‘would be trimmed’ is incorrect. So, Option C can be eliminated.

Option D contains the incorrect verb ‘were trimming’, which does not fit in with the pattern of a conditional sentence. The option also contains the same subject-verb agreement as in Option B. So, Option D can be eliminated.

Option E is concise and has the correct construction for a conditional sentence.

Jayanthi Kumar.