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getgyan
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Chocolate had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings Updated on: 08 Oct 2012, 03:02
Originally posted by getgyan on 07 Oct 2012, 23:07.
Last edited by getgyan on 08 Oct 2012, 03:02, edited 1 time in total.
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56% (01:10) correct 44% (01:12) wrong based on 582 sessions

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Chocolate had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings and now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate an exclusive luxury again

A. had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings and now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate
B. was once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings but now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate
C. had once been the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings and now a cocoa shortage will make chocolate
D. was once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings and now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate
E. was once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings although now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate
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D
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Chocolate had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings 07 Oct 2012, 23:46
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Chocolate had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings and now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate an exclusive luxury again

A. had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings and now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate
B. was once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings but now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate
C. had once been the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings and now a cocoa shortage will make chocolate
D. was once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings and now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate
E. was once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings although now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate

had been is not needed as their is no time sequence here. A simple past tense is suffice. Eliminate A and C. Among B, D and E , i think D wins as in B but is used and the author it trying to establish contrast here. Same with E.
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Chocolate had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings 08 Oct 2012, 00:56
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IMO E...
since we want a contrast to the habits of people in the present..
we need to use although...
earlier it was a luxury...but due to a shortage of cocoa... it is now again a luxury...
still confused...eh' !!!
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Chocolate had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings 08 Oct 2012, 03:07
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aditi1903
IMO E...
since we want a contrast to the habits of people in the present..
we need to use although...
earlier it was a luxury...but due to a shortage of cocoa... it is now again a luxury...
still confused...eh' !!!
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Nope, We do not want a contrast.

Earlier only king used to have chocolate because it was a luxury item. If there is a shortage of cocoa today, the chocoltae will again become a luxury item. Where is the contrast? A contrast would have been there if we would have said "that now the chocolate is no more a luxury item" i.e. it is available to everyone.
The statement draws a parallel.

:-D
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Chocolate had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings 25 Sep 2014, 08:27
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Chocolate had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings and now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate an exclusive luxury again.

A. had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings and now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate
B. was once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings but now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate
C. had once been the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings and now a cocoa shortage will make chocolate
D. was once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings and now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate
E. was once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings although now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate
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Chocolate had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings 25 Sep 2014, 08:36
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What stumps me is the OE - "The use of 'but' is incorrect since no contrast is being implied in the sentence"

I beg to differ. There IS a contrast. The contrast is ... There was a time when chocolate (was abundant), BUT as a result of its shortage, it is now a luxury to drink coffee.. Unless my understanding of the use of 'But' and contrasting statements is flawed, this sentence is screaming contrast! Please enlighten me.
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Chocolate had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings 25 Sep 2014, 08:46
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the answer is D: was once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings and now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate

the usage of "BUT" is wrong here. there is no contrast. think it like this: Chocolate was once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings-----> what does that mean? it means that "chocolate" was an exclusive luxury AND so is true even NOW .these two concept are similar concepts not contrasting.

a contrasting sentence would have been: Although Chocolate is tasty but it is bad for health
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Chocolate had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings 25 Sep 2014, 08:50
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Quote:
I beg to differ. There IS a contrast. The contrast is ... There was a time when chocolate (was abundant), BUT as a result of its shortage, it is now a luxury to drink coffee.. Unless my understanding of the use of 'But' and contrasting statements is flawed, this sentence is screaming contrast! Please enlighten me.
Show more

you are making wrong conclusion about the abundance of "chocolate". the fact that it was a drink of king is no testimony to the fact that it was abundant. but yes the fact that kings used to drink chocolate does prove that it was a luxury drink, after all kings would always have some thing more valuable
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Chocolate had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings 25 Sep 2014, 09:00
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aditya8062
Quote:
I beg to differ. There IS a contrast. The contrast is ... There was a time when chocolate (was abundant), BUT as a result of its shortage, it is now a luxury to drink coffee.. Unless my understanding of the use of 'But' and contrasting statements is flawed, this sentence is screaming contrast! Please enlighten me.

you are making wrong conclusion about the abundance of "chocolate". the fact that it was a drink of king is no testimony to the fact that it was abundant. but yes the fact that kings used to drink chocolate does prove that it was a luxury drink, after all kings would always have some thing more valuable
Show more

I am chuckling and shaking my head at my "rushed" thinking. Yes, you are correct. I should have paid more attention to the terminating words "luxury again". Yes, kings = luxury; shortage= luxury too. Sorry for my dumbness.

Thank you and kudos given :)
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Chocolate had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings 25 Sep 2014, 09:02
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Quote:
Sorry for my dumbness.
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do not worry !! we all make mistakes
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Chocolate had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings 11 Apr 2018, 06:38
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Chocolate had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings and now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate an exclusive luxury again

A. had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings and now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate
B. was once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings but now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate
C. had once been the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings and now a cocoa shortage will make chocolate
D. was once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings and now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate
E. was once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings although now a cocoa shortage may make chocolate

As this sentence is not trying to present any contrast, answer choices B and E are eliminated.
Use of had is incorrect as there are no two things taking place at different times in the past. Eliminate A and C.
The only answer left is D which indeed is the correct answer.
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Chocolate had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings 13 Aug 2021, 08:14
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Could someone explain why "D" is a better choice over "E"?

Thank you!
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Chocolate had been once the drink of Mayan and Aztec kings 01 Nov 2023, 08:21
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