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Senator John McCain had later conceded: wrong, A,B,E out

C: The action 'disapprove' occurs before 'concede' --> 'has disapproved' wrong

OA: D
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Although he disapproved of the political platform set forth by Senator Barack Obama during the 2008 U.S. presidential primaries, Senator John McCain had later conceded that there must be a basis for a coalition government and urged members of both parties to seek compromise.

A. disapproved of the political platform set forth by Senator Barack Obama during the 2008 U.S. presidential primaries, Senator John McCain had later conceded

B. has disapproved of the political platform set forth by Senator Barack Obama during the 2008 U.S. presidential primaries, Senator John McCain had later conceded

C. has disapproved of the political platform set forth by Senator Barack Obama during the 2008 U.S. presidential primaries, Senator John McCain later conceded

D. had disapproved of the political platform set forth by Senator Barack Obama during the 2008 U.S. presidential primaries, Senator John McCain later conceded

E. had disapproved of the political platform set forth by Senator Barack Obama during the 2008 U.S. presidential primaries, Senator John McCain had later conceded

Official Explanation:


Choice D
Classification: Verb Tenses
Snapshot: This problem is included to highlight the past perfect tense and the precise use of the auxiliary “had” in forming this tense. The original sentence contains two critical past tense verbs: “disapproved” and “conceded.” It also contains the time word “later,” as in “later conceded,” which serves to further clarify the sequence of past events. This problem highlights an important characteristic of the past perfect tense, namely that the auxiliary “had” is used before the first of two past events. In this example, Senator John McCain “disapproved” before he “conceded.” Thus, the auxiliary “had” must be placed before the first (not the second) of the two past events: “had disapproved … later conceded.” Choice A erroneously proposes a reversal in sequence (“disapproved … had later conceded”), while choice E doubles the use of “had” to create a verbal muddle (“had disapproved … had later conceded”). Both of these choices result in illogical alternatives. Choices B and C incorrectly employ the present perfect tense (“has”) when the past perfect tense (“had”) is what is called for. NOTE Another correct answer would have included the following: “Although he disapproved of the political platform set forth by Senator Barack Obama during the 2008 U.S. presidential primaries, Senator John McCain later conceded …” This option is also correct, although it doesn’t use the past perfect tense. It instead uses two past tense verbs, namely “disapproved” and “conceded,” and the temporal word “later.” Because the sequence of past tense events is clear, the use of the auxiliary “had” is considered optional.
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