The starling a bird mentioned in one of Shakespeare’s plays was

Question

Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC1) 
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The starling, a bird mentioned in one of Shakespeare’s plays,  was first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become  a significant pest species.

(A) was first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become

(B) were first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become

(C) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and would since become

(D) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and since became

(E) were first introduced to the United States in 1890 and since has become

generis · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC1)

THE PROMPT  
 
• Remove the nonessential modifier (the appositive that follows  starling ):
 The starling . . .  was first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become  a significant pest species.

• Glance at the answer choices. Which word in that shortened sentence is the most important? 
→  Since.  
→ This word is a verb tense marker, just as is the phrase  by the time  (try  this question,  here ,  and see my answer,  here .

• In this sentence,  since  means  between a specific past time and the present. 
→ the sentence describes an action that began in the past and that is continuing into the future.
→ to talk about that kind of time period, we use  has/have + past participle  (verbED)
→ that verb tense is called  present perfect

• I see no errors
•  the starling , singular, is paired with  was , also singular
• the verb tense,  has   become , is correct
→ the action began in the past and continues into the present
KEEP

• The starling, singular, cannot be paired with the plural verb  were 
• even if you can't quite figure out whether  the starling  is singular or plural, it can't be both in a compound predicate (one subject does two things)
→  were  is plural whereas  has   become  is singular
ELIMINATE B

(C) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and would since become 
• wrong verb tense; there is no such thing as  would since  do anything
• because of the word  since  and the context, as I noted, we need  has since become 
ELIMINATE C

• wrong verb tense; there is no such thing as  since became 
→ we need the past participle (verbED), not simple past
→ past perfect requires HAS/HAVE + ___ED (verbED)—that is, has since  become 
• the verbs do not have to be parallel ( was  and  became  are both simple past, but this answer is 100% wrong) 
→ when one subject does two (or more) things, we call the part with the verbs a  compound predicate  in which verb tenses can shift.
ELIMINATE D
 
• singular subject starling does not agree with plural verb  were 
ELIMINATE E

The answer is A.

COMMENTS

Akp880  and  AyushGogia21  , welcome to SC Butler.

Word of the day:  mellifluous .

Explanation is key.
Most of these answers give very good explanations. Nice work.

Ranasaymon · Answer

The starling, a bird mentioned in one of Shakespeare’s plays, was first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become a significant pest species.
 
Meaning: 
1. The starling is a bird mentioned in one of Shakespeare’s plays
2. The bird was first introduced in the United States in 1890  (one time event in, so we need to use simple past) 
3. The bird has since become a significant pest species.  (The action has started in the past and it still continues.We need to use present perfect)

POE: 
A) was first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become   Correct 
 
(B) were first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become  Incorrect

=> The starling (singular)...were..(SV error)

(C) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and would since become  Incorrect

=> The starling.....would since become (It should be in present perfect form because the effect still exists)

(D) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and since became  Incorrect

=> The starling..... since become (It should be in present perfect form because the effect still exists)

(E) were first introduced to the United States in 1890 and since has become  Incorrect

=> The starling (singular)...were..(SV error)

Varunsawhney8 · Answer

Singular subject - Incorrect verb

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XyLan · Answer

Sentence Structure Subject - Verb - Modifier The starling , a bird mentioned in one of Shakespeare’s plays , was first introduced in the United States in 1890 AND has since become a significant pest species. Issue: Everything grammatically seems alright. Alert-cap ON!

The starling is a SINGULAR subject because it is mapped to "A bird" in the modifier. B and E : SV-mismatch Catch: Focus on the non-underlined part of the SC! Answer choice analysis (A) was first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become Mellifluous. A is the winner! (B) were first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become SV-mismatch. OUT (C) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and would since become The usage of "would become" is INCORRECT since it shows prediction in the future that does NOT create a coherent structure. OUT (D) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and since became To showcase the duration, ongoing event OR the result that is still in the picture, present-perfect is utilised. Thus, became ----> Past Tense | Has become ----> Present-Perfect OUT Learning - Past Tense: Sir Alexander Fleming discovered Penicillin in 1928. - ONE time event. Present Perfect tense: The penicillin-cure has been in action since 1928 - Effect that is still relevant in the present. (E) were first introduced to the United States in 1890 and since has become SV-mismatch. OUT

Akp880 · Answer

The starling, a bird mentioned in one of Shakespeare’s plays, was first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become a significant pest species.

(A) was first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become

(B) were first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become

(C) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and would since become

(D) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and since became

(E) were first introduced to the United States in 1890 and since has become

Explanation:

A- correct choice,proper use of present perfect for an action whose effect still exists.

B- Subject verb agreement error."The Starling" is singular hence verb should be "was"

C-Tense error. Usage of present perfect is required here for an action whose effect still exists.

D- incorrect tense usage.'Since' is a time marker indicating an action (or effect)that still exists.

E-Subject verb agreement error."The Starling" is singular hence verb should be "was".

Hence A is the correct answer.

Award kudos if you like the explanation.?

Regards,
Atul Pandey

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raunakd11 · Answer

Hello guys! Eliminate Options B and E for incorrect usage of the word 'were'. It is singular because it refers to a bird , not to birds. Eliminate Option C for incorrect usage of the preposition. Eliminate Option D , Same as C and the usage of past tense 'became', which doesn't sound correct. Option A seems fine to me. Hit Option A Thank you! Regards, Raunak Damle

AyushGogia21 · Answer

The starling, a bird mentioned in one of Shakespeare’s plays,  was first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become a significant pest species.

(A) was first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become
 So far so good. The subject verb pair agree in number and make sense. The choice conveys the intended meaning properly. No reason to eliminate A.

(B) were first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become
 'were' is a plural verb and is used with a singular subject 'The starling'. Therefore B is out.

(C) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and would since become
 The verb 'was' here agree with singular subject but the usage of 'would' after and is nonsensical and doesn't make any sense.The verb should be present perfect since the effect of the action lasts in the present too. Choice C is out too.

(D) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and since became
 Usage of since became is wrong. The intended meaning of the sentence says that affect of the action lasts in present time too. Therefore choice D is out too.

(E) were first introduced to the United States in 1890 and since has become
 usage of were is wrong with the singular subject. Choice E is out too.

Therefore Choice A is the correct Answer.

youggotthis95 · Answer

The first obvious split we see is between was and were. Since we are talking about a singular bird we need to take the singular verb that is was.

(A) was first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become 
 - CORRECT. Introduced in is preferred over introduced to. The use of has since is also conveying the right meaning.

(B) were first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become
 - The use of were is incorrect.

(C) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and would since become
 - Introduced to is unidiomatic. Also, placing would since become on a timeline is confusing as hell. So eliminate. 
 
(D) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and since became
 - Since + became is incorrect as since should follow a continuous verb. Also, introduced to is unidiomatic.

(E) were first introduced to the United States in 1890 and since has become
 - Same as B

monk123 · Answer

The starling, a bird mentioned in one of Shakespeare’s plays, was first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become a significant pest species.
 
POE:
Stop sign- SV agreement. 'starling.....was'.Eliminate (B) & (E)
Eliminate (C)& (D) - Tense error. 'bird is still a significant species'

(A) was first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become -   CORRECT

(B)  were  first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become

(C) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and  would since become
 
(D) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and  since became

(E)  were  first introduced to the United States in 1890 and since has become

KaramveerBakshi · Answer

The starling, a bird mentioned in one of Shakespeare’s plays,  was first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become  a significant pest species.

(A) was first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become -  Sv pair is correct. 'has since become' conveys the meaning of it being significant in the past and still being significant. Correct.

(B) were first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become -  SV error. Incorrect.

(C) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and would since become -  'would' changes meaning. Incorrect.

(D) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and since became -  It's still a significant species. conveys a different meaning. Incorrect.

(E) were first introduced to the United States in 1890 and since has become -  SV error. Incorrect.

Hence, the answer is Option (A).

ankaua · Answer

B and E - low hanging fruits: S-V error ("The starling, a bird.. " - single subject, "were" - plural verb).

"Since" is a marker of perfect tenses so among "has since become" (A), "would since become" (C), and "since became"(E) -  A wins .

ArindamLucky · Answer

IMO A

(A) was first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become

(B) were first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become

(C) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and would since become

(D) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and since became

(E) were first introduced to the United States in 1890 and since has become

The starling is singular so singular verb, hence A,C,D remain

D has  became  which is past tense is incorrect as the bird is still a significant pest species. So D out

Coming to C , would since become  doesn't make sense and usage of would is incorrect.

Also both C and D have incorrect preposition  to 
We don't introduce to in some place we introduce in some place

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generis · Answer

The official explanation is  here.

Rohi02 · Answer

The starling, a bird mentioned in one of Shakespeare’s plays,  was first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become  a significant pest species.

(A) was first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become

Correct

(B) were first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become

Incorrect- Were

(C) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and would since become

Incorrect- would since ( The action is in an ongoing state)

(D) was first introduced to the United States in 1890 and since became

Incorrect- since became ( the action has started in past but is still going on)

(E) were first introduced to the United States in 1890 and since has become

Incorrect- were

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mSKR · Answer

The starling, a bird mentioned in one of Shakespeare’s plays, was first introduced in the United States in 1890 and has since become a significant pest species.

The starling has since become a significant pest species.- what is the meaning and structure of this sentence?
The bird has < what> since it becomes a significant pest species 
OR
Since then , the bird has become a significant pest species .

generis

Akp880 · Answer

Hello friend I understand you doubt.

This sentence actually contains time marker "since" to indicate the still existing effect of the introduction of that bird way back in 1890.

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VerbalBot · Answer

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The starling a bird mentioned in one of Shakespeare’s plays was

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GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

The starling a bird mentioned in one of Shakespeare’s plays was

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