If the ice of Greenland and Antarctica were to melt, the sea level wou

Question

If the ice of Greenland and Antarctica were to melt, the sea level would rise at least 100 feet or more.

A. If the ice of Greenland and Antarctica were to melt, the sea level would rise at least 100 feet or more.

B. Were the ice of Greenland and Antarctica to melt, the sea level would rise at least 100 feet.

C. Was the ice of Greenland and Antarctica to melt, the sea level woudl rise at least 100 feet or more.

D. If the ice of Greenland and Antarctica was melting, the sea level would rise at least 100 feet.

E. Should the ice of Greenland and Antarctica melt, the sea level would rise at least 100 feet or more.

rthothad · Accepted Answer

I will go with 'B'
'A' 'at least 100 feet or more' seems to be redundant - at least 100 feet will suffice.

souvik101990 · Answer

This is a case of hypothetical/conditional subjunctive. That means "if something were to happen, other thing would happen"
So I need "were"
So I have A and B.

A is wrong because at least 100 feet or more is quite redundant.

B it is.

Hope this helps.

ywilfred · Answer

You're right, I missed out the 'more', the use of which is redundant.

B is correct, as the opening phrase constitues a 'if' clause well (subjunctive - i.e. tsting a condition that is contrary to the truth)

perezhan · Answer

Absolutely!!!

Choice Bis the best......Or more id redundant

KristinHR · Answer

OA is B.

This is a tough one- starting the sentence with Were the ice... just does not sound correct and threw me off.

thearch · Answer

As far as I know, it is usual in GMAT to structure a hypothetical period this way, so get used :-D

ywilfred · Answer

I believe this is a conditional sentence with a hidden if clause and a hidden then clause. The if clause is given by the 'were' and since it's in the past tense, the then clause would have to be would/could + base verb

HongHu · Answer

Similar to this:

Had I known it I would have done something about it.

Meaning
If I had known it I would have done something about it.

PiyushK · Answer

If the ice of Greenland and Antarctica were to melt, the sea level would rise  at least  100 feet or  more  .
A. ....

B. Were the ice of Greenland and Antarctica to melt, the sea level would rise  at least 100 feet.

C. Was the ice of Greenland and Antarctica to melt, the sea level woudl rise at least 100 feet or more.

D. If the ice of Greenland and Antarctica was melting, the sea level would rise at least 100 feet.

E. Should the ice of Greenland and Antarctica melt, the sea level would rise at least 100 feet or more.

roneidaselva · Answer

If the ice of Greenland and Antarctica were to melt, the sea level would rise at least 100 feet or more. A. If the ice of Greenland and Antarctica were to melt, the sea level would rise at least 100 feet or more.

aaditya005 · Answer

Can someone tell me if the last option did not have the redundant part, would that be a better construction than the official answer since as per my learning, "Should" is also correct.

bratbg · Answer

HI Experts can you please explain why B is correct, though I get the atleast 100 or more concept but what I am not able to get my head around this SUBJUNCTIVE usage on GMAT questions. I am getting most of such answers wrong.

Thanks in advance
AjiteshArun , egmat, GMATNinja, carcass, generis

Thanks in advance
 AjiteshArun  ,  egmat ,  GMATNinja ,  carcass ,  generis

vaibhav1221 · Answer

At least 100 feet or more - redundant. Rules out A, C, and E
Were... would - correct structure. Rules out D.

Hence, B is correct.

yashmatai · Answer

Hello Experts can you please help me with the question. My only point of confusion is option B and D. If possible could you please explain why the usage of were is correct in option B ?

AjiteshArun , egmat, GMATNinja, carcass, generis

AjiteshArun · Answer

Hi  yashmatai ,

The author believes that (all) the ice of Greenland and Antarctica  is  not  actually going to melt  (about that "all": it seems that the author is talking about either all the ice or a significant amount of the ice there, as 100+ feet is a lot). In this sentence, the author is exploring a (hypothetical) situation in which all the ice in Greenland and Antarctica melted. In such (hypothetical) cases, if we choose to use a  be  form (the  be  forms are  be ,  is ,  am ,  are ,  was ,  were ,  been , and  being ), we are restricted to  were ,  even if the subject is singular . This is something that we must remember, as the exam does seem to test this concept.

1.  If the ice melts, something will happen.  ← The author thinks that it is possible for the ice to melt.

2.  If the ice were to melt, something would happen.  ← The author does  not  think that it is possible to the ice to melt.

inesricardette · Answer

Hello Everyone,

could someone please explain me why D is not correct? I was down to either B or D. But as the ice is singular the use of "were" seemed weird to me. I understand the hypothetical approach of the sentence but why can't D be correct?

Thanks

smmc29 · Answer

We can narrow down our options immediately to options A and B. Option A has redundancy in its construction. Our answer is B.

ravigupta2912 · Answer

This is a theoretical sentence and hence of type 3 conditional. We need the subjunctive form “were” in the if clause and “would” in the “then” clause.

Eliminate C, D and E on that basis.

A. If the ice of Greenland and Antarctica were to melt, the sea level would rise at least 100 feet or more. — redundancy. “Atleast” and “or more” convey the same thing. Eliminate.

B. Were the ice of Greenland and Antarctica to melt, the sea level would rise at least 100 feet. — Correct choice.

Posted from my mobile device

pearljiandani · Answer

Hi  souvik101990 ,

Can you please explain the rules around the use of "were" as a hypothetical/conditional subjunctive. Does it always have to be followed by would+verb or would have + verb? Also, how is this different from a normal if then construction where "were" is used?

If the ice of Greenland and Antarctica were to melt, the sea level wou

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If the ice of Greenland and Antarctica were to melt, the sea level wou

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

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Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards