According to Herbert Essame, Patton might have accomplished more

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION



• HIGHLIGHTS

• This question tests IF/THEN (conditionals) and modifiers, among other things

• Had he not been held in check = IF he had not been held in check.
Notice that the subject and verb are inverted and the IF is dropped.
Notice also that the main (result) clause precedes the IF (condition) clause.
When you see inversion in conditional sentences, the word IF is often merely implied.

• In this conditional sentence, the time is the past and the situation is counter-factual (hypothetical).

There are five types of conditionals in English.
We use particular verb tenses for the IF (condition) clause or its equivalent and the main (result/consequence) clause.
In this sentence we must use:
-- IF past perfect, THEN perfect conditional
past perfect (passive voice) = had + been + past participle (verbED)
perfect conditional = would + have + past perfect

• If THIS thing had happened, then THAT thing would/might/could have happened.

• ANSWERS A, B, and C get the IF part (or IF equivalent part) correct, in passive past perfect: had not been held in check

• That is, the non-underlined portion contains "might have accomplished [more]."
That main/result clause requires us to write the IF phrase (or IF phrase equivalent) in past perfect.
-- The main clause is in a tense called perfect continuous → →
WOULD HAVE accomplished = MIGHT HAVE accomplished = COULD HAVE accomplished = (with varying degrees of certainly)-
--- would/could/might + have + past participle (verbED)

-- we are locked in. The IF clause or its equivalent must be in past perfect [had + past participle (verbED)]
-- in other words, the structure is If THIS thing had happened, then THAT thing would have happened.

IF X had happened, then Y would have happened. (But X did not happen and Y did not happen, either.)
HAD X happened, then Y would/might/could have happened. (But neither happened.)

• This sentence is a Type 3 conditional. Often this type of conditional describes lost opportunity. (Native speakers: think woulda, coulda, shoulda).

-- Conditionals do not have to contain the words IF and THEN. Here are the two words that function as a signal for IF that you are likely to see on GMAT

→ → Had they taken the vaccine, they might not have gotten sick. (But they didn't take the vaccine, and they did get sick.)
IF they had taken the vaccine . . .

→ → Were he wise, he would watch the veterans and follow their examples.
IF he were wise . . . (but he isn't wise, and he doesn't watch and follow the veterans' example.)

• RESOURCES: As requested.
You can read about verb phrases in conditionals in my post, here and in this resource, here.
-- Other resources on conditional statements are here, an overview; and here, on modals in conditionals.

• WHEN can refer to more than just time. We can use "when" in zero conditionals (when he eats peanuts, he has an allergic reaction).
We can use when in a substantive clause.

• Read the non-underlined portion. Right after the comma we have: Alexander and Eisenhower . . . . they were Patton's superiors.
That last part of the sentence is an appositive that re-describes the noun . . . [Patton's] superiors. Be sure to check the word that comes before the second comma.

• Please do not reject answers simply because they are in the passive voice. Between 15-40% of all correct official questions are in the passive voice. It depends on which questions you look at and when and whom you listen to -- but that figure is not less than 15%. This guess is impressionistic, but from 2016-2020 OGs, I would say that 20% of correct answers are in the passive voice.

THE PROMPT



THE OPTIONS


• looks good.
• IF clause is in past perfect: had he not been held in check = IF he had not been held in check
• after superiors + comma, Alexander and Eisenhower correctly follow
KEEP


• We should see "superiors" right before the comma, because an appositive describing those superiors follows the comma.
We are locked into "Alexander in the Mediterranean and Eisenhower in Europe."
Superiors are being described by the appositive that begins with Alexander.
In this case we have "held in check."
"Held in check" makes the subsequent phrase sound like babble.
Wrong modification. Fatal
Eliminate B


• Same modifier problem as that in B. Alexander . . and Eisenhower were Patton's [i]superiors. The appositive needs to be right next to the noun superiors, not after "in check."
Eliminate C



• We need IF past perfect. We do not have that construction. The error is fatal.
If he was is not past perfect.
If he was is simple past.
If he was is wrong both for this question and generally.
If he were is correct.

• This sentence is now or any time, and hypthothetical (NOT the same as the unreal PAST. This hypothetical is NOW and ALWAYS. It's called a Type 2 conditional.)

• Do we see any form of IF HE HAD NOT BEEN? No? '

• In U.S. English and SWE, in a hypothetical (an UNreal condition now or always + a probable conclusion), we use IF HE WERE. (BUT we need if + had + been + past perfect)
[If he were . . . then he would would be correctly written but not correct for this question.]
Eliminate D.


• WHEN can substitute for IF in type zero conditionals, but not in other kinds.
To understand why WHEN can be used for IF in zero conditionals (general truths), see my posts, here and here.
This when is supposed to mean IF. Not okay in Type 3 conditionals.
• Once again, we do not have IF past perfect. Fatal.
Eliminate E

The correct answer is A

COMMENTS

New people, welcome to SC Butler.

I included extra information for people, as requested.
Start there.
Conditional statements in English have very particular verb tenses.

Many of these posts are good efforts.
Good effort gets a smiley face.

Correct answers with correct and full explanations get kudos.