The rhythms used by Emily Dickinson was radically different than the

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Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

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 the rhythms used by Emily Dickinson differed radically from those that had been used by poets for millennia in Western verse before hers.

Concepts tested here: Subject - Verb Agreement + Tenses + Idioms

• 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".
• The present perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “has/have”) is used to describe events that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present.
• The idiomatic construction "different from" is preferred over the construction "different than".
• When the chronology is clear because of term such before/after/when/earlier/later…or because of clear mention of dates, use past perfect tense is not required, though not incorrect either.

A: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun "rhythms" with the singular verb "was". Moreover, Option A alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "during millennia in Western verse"; the construction of this phrase leads to an incoherent meaning; the intended meaning is that the poets used their rhythms in Western verse for millennia before Emily Dickinson used hers. Further, Option A uses the construction "different than" rather than "different from"; please remember, the idiomatic construction "different from" is preferred over the construction "different than".

B: This answer choice is awkward and needlessly wordy due to its use of the verb "being"; please remember, “being” is only to be used when it is part of a noun phrase or represents the passive continuous verb tense; the use of passive continuous must be justified in the context.

C: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "were different "; the omission of the word "radically" incorrectly implies that the rhythms used by Emily Dickinson differed, to an unspecified degree, from those that had been used by poets before; the intended meaning is that the rhythms used by Emily Dickinson differed to a radical degree from those that had been used by poets before. Further, Option C incorrectly uses the present perfect tense verb "have been in use" to refer to the earlier of two actions -- the rhythms of other poets being used before Emily Dickinson's were and her rhythms differing radically from theirs; please remember, 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", and the present perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “has/have”) is used to describe events that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present. Moreover, Option C further alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "during millennia in Western verse"; the construction of this phrase leads to an incoherent meaning; the intended meaning is that the poets used their rhythms in Western verse for millennia before Emily Dickinson used hers. Additionally, Option C uses the construction "different than" rather than "different from"; please remember, the idiomatic construction "different from" is preferred over the construction "different than".

D: Correct. This answer choice correctly refers to the plural noun "rhythms" with the verb "differed", which can be both plural and singular. Further, Option D uses the phrases "differed radically" and "for millennia in Western verse", conveying the intended meaning - that the rhythms used by Emily Dickinson differed to a radical degree from those that had been used by poets in Western verse for millennia before hers. Additionally, Option D correctly uses the past perfect tense verb "had been used" to refer to the earlier of two actions -- the rhythms of other poets being used before Emily Dickinson's were and her rhythms differing radically from theirs. Besides, Option D uses the preferred construction "different from" and is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.

E: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "during millennia in Western verse"; the construction of this phrase leads to an incoherent meaning; the intended meaning is that the poets used their rhythms in Western verse for millennia before Emily Dickinson used hers.

Hence, D is the best answer choice.

Additional Note: Please note that in this sentence, the use of the past perfect tense is not mandatory, but not incorrect either; when the chronology of events is clear due to the use of certain terms ("before" in this case) or the mention of dates or times, the simple past tense can be used in place of the past perfect tense. This is why the use of the simple past tense verb "were used" in Option A is not incorrect.

To understand the concept of "Past Perfect Tense" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):



To understand the concept of "Present Perfect Tense" , you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):



All the best!
Experts' Global Team