Events & Promotions
|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Sep 1507:00 PM EDT
-09:00 PM EST
Elite scores are possible when you enroll in a powerful GMAT course, taught live online + 6 months access to TTP OnDemand video courses included! Class starts Tues/Thurs Sept. 15, 2026 - Nov. 15, 2027, 7:00pm-9:00pm EST
Sep 2107:00 PM EDT
-10:00 PM EDT
Boost your GMAT score in less than one month in a live online class + 6 months access to TTP OnDemand video courses included! Class starts Mon, Tues, Wed, Thur, Fri Sept. 21, 2026 - Oct. 9, 2027, 7:00pm-10:00pm EST
Posts: 194
Updated on: 28 Oct 2019, 04:07
Originally posted by vivektripathi on 29 Dec 2008, 07:29.
Last edited by Bunuel on 28 Oct 2019, 04:07, edited 6 times in total.
Last edited by Bunuel on 28 Oct 2019, 04:07, edited 6 times in total.
Formatted the question.
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
15%
(low)
Question Stats:
77% (01:11) correct
23%
(01:28)
wrong
based on 7714
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Thomas Eakins’ powerful style and his choices of subject—the advances in modern surgery, the discipline of sport, the strains of individuals in tension with society or even with themselves—was as disturbing to his own time as it is compelling for ours.
(A) was as disturbing to his own time as it is
(B) were as disturbing to his own time as they are
(C) has been as disturbing in his own time as they are
(D) had been as disturbing in his own time as it was
(E) have been as disturbing in his own time as
(A) was as disturbing to his own time as it is
(B) were as disturbing to his own time as they are
(C) has been as disturbing in his own time as they are
(D) had been as disturbing in his own time as it was
(E) have been as disturbing in his own time as
https://www.nytimes.com/1983/01/02/books/disturbing-once-compelling-now.html
His uncompromising realism and exacting scrutiny of the human situation give a clue to his growing appeal today. The recent currents in realism attracting our artists and the anxieties permeating modern society have together opened our eyes afresh to Eakins's powerful style of painting, as disturbing to his own time as it is compelling for ours. American art has generally felt most comfortable with the modes of realism, and Eakins has emerged as the anchor of that tradition. His choices of subject - the advances in modern surgery, the discipline of sport, the strains on individuals in tension with society or even with themselves - also link his world with our own.
His uncompromising realism and exacting scrutiny of the human situation give a clue to his growing appeal today. The recent currents in realism attracting our artists and the anxieties permeating modern society have together opened our eyes afresh to Eakins's powerful style of painting, as disturbing to his own time as it is compelling for ours. American art has generally felt most comfortable with the modes of realism, and Eakins has emerged as the anchor of that tradition. His choices of subject - the advances in modern surgery, the discipline of sport, the strains on individuals in tension with society or even with themselves - also link his world with our own.
Isn’t this also essentially a test of tense. The phrase ‘in his time’ marks a timeline that has come to close long ago. How can we drag an event of those bygone days to the current days with a present perfect? You do require a plural past tense, i,e., ‘were’. That is why E is out.
_________________
_________________
Thank you Daagh for your time on GMAT Club and all your contributions! Thank you for everything you did!
Your work will remain a great tribute to you here on GMAT Club!
-bb
Your work will remain a great tribute to you here on GMAT Club!
-bb
vivektripathi
compound subject is plural- hence A & D out.
C is out as it uses singular has
I don't see a need for continuous tense. E is out
B remains
Posts: 6,486
Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
Concepts tested here: Subject-Verb Agreement + Pronouns + Tenses + Comparison
• The simple past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the 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 simple present tense is used to indicate actions taking place in the current time frame, indicate habitual actions, state universal truths, and convey information that is permanent in nature.
• A comparison must always be made between similar elements.
A: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun phrase "powerful style and his choices of subject" with the singular verbs "was" and "is" and the singular pronoun "it".
B: Correct. This answer choice correctly refers to the plural noun phrase "powerful style and his choices of subject" with the plural verbs "were" and "are" and the plural pronoun "they". Further, Option B correctly uses the simple past tense "were" to refer to an action that concluded in the past. Moreover, Option B correctly uses the simple present tense verb "are" to refer to an action that takes place in the current time frame. Additionally, Option B correctly compares the verb phrase "were...disturbing to his own time" with the verb phrase "they are compelling for ours".
C: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun phrase "powerful style and his choices of subject" with the singular verb "has been". Further, Option C incorrectly uses the present perfect tense verb "has been" to refer to an event that concluded in the past; please remember, the simple past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the 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.
D: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun phrase "powerful style and his choices of subject" with the singular verb "was" and the singular pronoun "it". Further, Option D incorrectly uses the simple past tense verb "was" to refer to an action that takes place in the current time frame; please remember, the simple present tense is used to refer to actions that take place in the current time frame, and the simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past.
E: This answer choice incorrectly uses the present perfect tense verb "have been" to refer to an event that concluded in the past; please remember, the simple past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the 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. Further, Option E incorrectly compares the verb phrase "have been...disturbing in his own" to the adjective phrase "compelling for ours"; please remember, a comparison must always be made between similar elements.
Hence, B is the best answer choice.
To understand the concept of "Simple Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
To understand the concept of "Present Perfect Tense" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
_________________
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
vivektripathi
Concepts tested here: Subject-Verb Agreement + Pronouns + Tenses + Comparison
• The simple past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the 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 simple present tense is used to indicate actions taking place in the current time frame, indicate habitual actions, state universal truths, and convey information that is permanent in nature.
• A comparison must always be made between similar elements.
A: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun phrase "powerful style and his choices of subject" with the singular verbs "was" and "is" and the singular pronoun "it".
B: Correct. This answer choice correctly refers to the plural noun phrase "powerful style and his choices of subject" with the plural verbs "were" and "are" and the plural pronoun "they". Further, Option B correctly uses the simple past tense "were" to refer to an action that concluded in the past. Moreover, Option B correctly uses the simple present tense verb "are" to refer to an action that takes place in the current time frame. Additionally, Option B correctly compares the verb phrase "were...disturbing to his own time" with the verb phrase "they are compelling for ours".
C: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun phrase "powerful style and his choices of subject" with the singular verb "has been". Further, Option C incorrectly uses the present perfect tense verb "has been" to refer to an event that concluded in the past; please remember, the simple past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the 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.
D: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun phrase "powerful style and his choices of subject" with the singular verb "was" and the singular pronoun "it". Further, Option D incorrectly uses the simple past tense verb "was" to refer to an action that takes place in the current time frame; please remember, the simple present tense is used to refer to actions that take place in the current time frame, and the simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past.
E: This answer choice incorrectly uses the present perfect tense verb "have been" to refer to an event that concluded in the past; please remember, the simple past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the 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. Further, Option E incorrectly compares the verb phrase "have been...disturbing in his own" to the adjective phrase "compelling for ours"; please remember, a comparison must always be made between similar elements.
Hence, B is the best answer choice.
To understand the concept of "Simple Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
To understand the concept of "Present Perfect Tense" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
_________________
General Discussion
"his choices of subject" requires "were"
(B)
(B)
Posts: 13
B is he answer as the question in question 
is refering to two things so plural form will be used. As the question talks about present tense so are.
Regards
is refering to two things so plural form will be used. As the question talks about present tense so are.Regards
“Thomas Eakins’ powerful style and his choices of subject” is a plural subject and require a plural verb. So choice A, C and D are out.
The first event happened in the past and the second event is occurring in the present. So the tense should reflect the occurrence. Hence the first verb should be in past tense and second verb should be present tense. So choice E is out
So the answer is B
The first event happened in the past and the second event is occurring in the present. So the tense should reflect the occurrence. Hence the first verb should be in past tense and second verb should be present tense. So choice E is out
So the answer is B
Between B and E,the comparison element is missing in E.
B clearly has reference they are. Hence better.
have been is not necessary here.
B clearly has reference they are. Hence better.
have been is not necessary here.
Thomas Eakins’ powerful style and his choices of subject [needs plural verb]
—the advances in modern surgery, the discipline of sport, the strains of individuals in tension with society or even with themselves—
was as disturbing to his own time as it is compelling for ours.
(A) was as disturbing to his own time as it is
(B) were as disturbing to his own time as they are
(C) has been as disturbing in his own time as they are
(D) had been as disturbing in his own time as it was
(E) have been as disturbing in his own time as
B Vs E:
We are making comparison between 2 times Eakin's time(Past) and our (present) time. Have been shows present and hence incorrect.
B is correct.
—the advances in modern surgery, the discipline of sport, the strains of individuals in tension with society or even with themselves—
was as disturbing to his own time as it is compelling for ours.
(A) was as disturbing to his own time as it is
(B) were as disturbing to his own time as they are
(C) has been as disturbing in his own time as they are
(D) had been as disturbing in his own time as it was
(E) have been as disturbing in his own time as
B Vs E:
We are making comparison between 2 times Eakin's time(Past) and our (present) time. Have been shows present and hence incorrect.
B is correct.
navaljoshi
NUS School Moderator
Joined: 14 Jul 2013
Last visit: 10 Oct 2015
Posts: 37
Affiliations: Oracle certified java programmer , adobe certified developer
GMAT Date: 02-12-2015
GPA: 3.87
WE:Programming (Telecommunications)
Posts: 37
(A) was as disturbing to his own time as it is - SINGULAR
(B) were as disturbing to his own time as they are
(C) has been as disturbing in his own time as they are -- SINGULAR
(D) had been as disturbing in his own time as it was - - SINGULAR
(E) have been as disturbing in his own time as-CONTINUOUS tense
(B) were as disturbing to his own time as they are
(C) has been as disturbing in his own time as they are -- SINGULAR
(D) had been as disturbing in his own time as it was - - SINGULAR
(E) have been as disturbing in his own time as-CONTINUOUS tense
Posts: 18
Hi all,
can I ask a silly question ? Would it be correct if we change it option E to "were as disturbing in his own time as"? I think it is still wrong as in this case , we are comparing disturbing to compelling? Thanks all in advance
can I ask a silly question ? Would it be correct if we change it option E to "were as disturbing in his own time as"? I think it is still wrong as in this case , we are comparing disturbing to compelling? Thanks all in advance
katzzzz
True; E is a multiple error choice with a tense, subject-pronoun agreement and comparison issues ; Tinkering with just one of the errors isn't going to help. And even if you emend all the errors in choice E, and make it comparable to B, amusingly it will add more problems with two correct answers for a single problem.
_________________
True; E is a multiple error choice with a tense, subject-pronoun agreement and comparison issues ; Tinkering with just one of the errors isn't going to help. And even if you emend all the errors in choice E, and make it comparable to B, amusingly it will add more problems with two correct answers for a single problem.
_________________
Thank you Daagh for your time on GMAT Club and all your contributions! Thank you for everything you did!
Your work will remain a great tribute to you here on GMAT Club!
-bb
Your work will remain a great tribute to you here on GMAT Club!
-bb
GMAT 1: 750 Q49 V43
Posts: 463
"AND" when introducing a list of items is always plural.
A and C are out because they are using singular verb -was,has,
B, D and E remaining
D is out because it uses "was" for present tense.
E is out because of parallelism -
X have been as disturbing in his own time as compelling for ours. Wrong
X have been as disturbing in his own time as X (it) is compelling for ours. <----THIS WOULD BE THE CORRECT USAGE
so E is out
Therefore B is correct. CORRECT VERB CORRECT PARALLELISM.
A and C are out because they are using singular verb -was,has,
B, D and E remaining
D is out because it uses "was" for present tense.
E is out because of parallelism -
X have been as disturbing in his own time as compelling for ours. Wrong
X have been as disturbing in his own time as X (it) is compelling for ours. <----THIS WOULD BE THE CORRECT USAGE
so E is out
Therefore B is correct. CORRECT VERB CORRECT PARALLELISM.
gurpreet07
Thomas Eakins’ powerful style and his choices of subject—the advances in modern surgery, the discipline of sport, the strains of individuals in tension with society or even with themselves—was as disturbing to his own time as it is compelling for ours.
Issues: Verb form | S-V Agreement
Analysis:
1. The subject of the sentence is plural: 1) Thomas Eakins’ powerful style and 2) his choices of subject. Hence the verb immediately following "-" should be plural (Eliminate A and C)
- The form of the verbs should lead to a logical sentence. One effect occurs in past while another occurs in present and this meaning should be properly conveyed by the correct option
(A) was as disturbing to his own time as it is
- "was" and "it" do not agree with plural subject
(B) were as disturbing to his own time as they are
(C) has been as disturbing in his own time as they are
- "has" here ungrammatically refers to plural subject
(D) had been as disturbing in his own time as it was
- "had been" refers time before a past event which is incorrect here
- "it was" is illogical as "our" time exists in present and should have present tense form
(E) have been as disturbing in his own time as
- "have been as disturbing" distorts the intended meaning
Answer: (B)
Issues: Verb form | S-V Agreement
Analysis:
1. The subject of the sentence is plural: 1) Thomas Eakins’ powerful style and 2) his choices of subject. Hence the verb immediately following "-" should be plural (Eliminate A and C)
- The form of the verbs should lead to a logical sentence. One effect occurs in past while another occurs in present and this meaning should be properly conveyed by the correct option
(A) was as disturbing to his own time as it is
- "was" and "it" do not agree with plural subject
(B) were as disturbing to his own time as they are
(C) has been as disturbing in his own time as they are
- "has" here ungrammatically refers to plural subject
(D) had been as disturbing in his own time as it was
- "had been" refers time before a past event which is incorrect here
- "it was" is illogical as "our" time exists in present and should have present tense form
(E) have been as disturbing in his own time as
- "have been as disturbing" distorts the intended meaning
Answer: (B)
BillyZ
Current Student
Joined: 14 Nov 2016
Last visit: 06 Jun 2026
Posts: 1,134
Location: Malaysia
Concentration: General Management, Strategy
Schools: Sloan '23 (D) Tuck '23 (D) Darden '23 (D) Ross '23 (D) Kellogg '23 (D) Wharton '23 (D) Booth '23 (D) Fuqua '24 (A) Harvard '24 (D) Stanford '24 (D)
GMAT 1: 750 Q51 V40 (Online)
GPA: 3.53
Products:
Schools: Sloan '23 (D) Tuck '23 (D) Darden '23 (D) Ross '23 (D) Kellogg '23 (D) Wharton '23 (D) Booth '23 (D) Fuqua '24 (A) Harvard '24 (D) Stanford '24 (D)
GMAT 1: 750 Q51 V40 (Online)
Posts: 1,134
Thomas Eakins’ powerful style and his choices of subject—the advances in modern surgery, the discipline of sport, the strains of individuals in tension with society or even with themselves—was as disturbing to his own time as it is compelling for ours.
(A) was as disturbing to his own time as it is
(B) were as disturbing to his own time as they are
(C) has been as disturbing in his own time as they are
(D) had been as disturbing in his own time as it was
(E) have been as disturbing in his own time as
GMATNinja How cold past tense "were" and present tense "are" coexist on the sentence?
(A) was as disturbing to his own time as it is
(B) were as disturbing to his own time as they are
(C) has been as disturbing in his own time as they are
(D) had been as disturbing in his own time as it was
(E) have been as disturbing in his own time as
GMATNinja How cold past tense "were" and present tense "are" coexist on the sentence?
hazelnut
Hi hazelnut ,
It is possible. We are comparing two things here:
1. What happened in the past
2. What is happening now.
Example, I am as intelligent as I was when I was 10 years old.
In the given sentence, we are basically saying the disturbing has not changed since Thomas Eakins' time.
Did you see the similar construction?
I hope that makes sense.
_________________
My LinkedIn abhimahna. | My GMAT Story: From V21 to V40 | My MBA Journey: My 10 years long MBA Dream
My Secret Hacks: Best way to use GMATClub | Importance of an Error Log!
Verbal Resources: All SC Resources at one place | All CR Resources at one place
GMAT Club Inbuilt Error Log Functionality - View More | Best Reply Functionality on GMAT Club!
New Visa Forum - Ask all your Visa Related Questions - here | Have OPT questions? - Post them here.
Find a bug in the new email templates and get rewarded with 2 weeks of GMATClub Tests for free
Check our new About Us Page here. | Blog: Subscribe to Question of the Day Blog
New! Executive Assessment (EA) Exam - All you need to know!
My Secret Hacks: Best way to use GMATClub | Importance of an Error Log!
Verbal Resources: All SC Resources at one place | All CR Resources at one place
GMAT Club Inbuilt Error Log Functionality - View More | Best Reply Functionality on GMAT Club!
New Visa Forum - Ask all your Visa Related Questions - here | Have OPT questions? - Post them here.
Find a bug in the new email templates and get rewarded with 2 weeks of GMATClub Tests for free
Check our new About Us Page here. | Blog: Subscribe to Question of the Day Blog
New! Executive Assessment (EA) Exam - All you need to know!
abhimahna
Complete agreement with abhimahna here. In real life, it's 100% normal to speak of different time periods in the same sentence, since we're constantly comparing the past to the present, or the present to the future.
On the GMAT, it's just a question of meaning: do the verb tenses correctly reflect the logical sequence of events? As long as the "mismatched" verb tenses align correctly to events in different time periods, it's all good.
I hope this helps!
_________________
GMAT/GRE/EA tutors @ www.gmatninja.com | YouTube | Articles | IG
Beginners' Guides: RC | CR | Complete Resource Compilations: RC | CR
YouTube LIVE webinars: all videos by topic + 24-hour marathon for Ukraine
Question Explanation Collections: RC | CR | SC
Beginners' Guides: RC | CR | Complete Resource Compilations: RC | CR
YouTube LIVE webinars: all videos by topic + 24-hour marathon for Ukraine
Question Explanation Collections: RC | CR | SC
gaitbhu
GMATNinja - i got the same query. I thought in his own time was the right idiom.
To his own time makes it sound like he was jerk to his own time
where as In his own time makes it sound like back in the day, in his time he was a jerk.
I ended up eliminating A n B based on that.
mbsingh
Yeah, that's the trouble with idioms: they're arbitrary and sometimes subjective, so you can't always rely on them.
I actually agree with you in this particular case: "to his own time" seems odd to me in this context. But unless I'm 100% certain about the idiom, I won't make any eliminations based on it. I'll look for ANYTHING else that's more convincing, and will base my eliminations on a not-100%-certain idiom only if I absolutely have to. More on that here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/experts-topi ... 41848.html
And in case you didn't already see it, we also went through the verb tense issues in this question in last Wednesday's YouTube webinar, available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxANHcxwbeM
I hope this helps!
_________________
GMAT/GRE/EA tutors @ www.gmatninja.com | YouTube | Articles | IG
Beginners' Guides: RC | CR | Complete Resource Compilations: RC | CR
YouTube LIVE webinars: all videos by topic + 24-hour marathon for Ukraine
Question Explanation Collections: RC | CR | SC
Beginners' Guides: RC | CR | Complete Resource Compilations: RC | CR
YouTube LIVE webinars: all videos by topic + 24-hour marathon for Ukraine
Question Explanation Collections: RC | CR | SC
Moderators:
Announcements
How to Tell If Your GMAT Prep Resources Are Actually Helping You
Subscribe to GMAT Club for New Podcast Episodes, Debriefs, & Insightful Sessions on GMAT Preparation
Subscribe to GMAT Club for New Podcast Episodes, Debriefs, & Insightful Sessions on GMAT Preparation
Tuck at Dartmouth
AI at Dartmouth Tuck: How the School Is Preparing Leaders for the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Inside the courses, research, and hands-on learning defining wise, decisive leadership in an AI-driven world.
Read More
Inside the courses, research, and hands-on learning defining wise, decisive leadership in an AI-driven world.
Read More
Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos
Success stories and strategies from high-scoring candidates.