In addition to the great benefits mankind has enjoyed since the discov

Question

In addition to the great benefits mankind has enjoyed since the discovery of certain technologies, many atrocities would have been prevented  had the scientists who made the discoveries had  the wisdom to discard such power.

A. had the scientists who made the discoveries had
B. if the scientists who made the discoveries have had
C. if the scientists who made the discoveries had
D. had the scientists who made the discoveries have
E. had the scientists who made the discoveries showed

FazliddinKD · Answer

In addition to the great benefits mankind has enjoyed since the discovery of certain technologies,  many atrocities would have been prevented   had the scientists who made the discoveries had  the wisdom to discard such power.

Tested past If conditional " If ... had + Verb (past), would have been prevented"

A.  had  the scientists who made the discoveries  had  - If had had - CORRECT
B. if the scientists who made the discoveries  have  had - If have had - INCORRECT
C. if the scientists who made the discoveries had - If had ___ omitted main verb - INCORRECT 
D. had the scientists who made the discoveries  have  - If had have - INCORRECT
E. had the scientists who made the discoveries  showed  - If had  showed   - INCORRECT changed intended meaning by replacing have with show

harsha3699 · Answer

GMATNinja  could you please explain why A is incorrect?

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

In addition to the great benefits mankind has enjoyed since the discovery of certain technologies, many atrocities would have been prevented  had the scientists who made the discoveries had  the wisdom to discard such power.

A. had the scientists who made the discoveries had

This answer choice is the only grammatically correct one. The conditional in this question begins with the result part ( many atrocities would have been prevented ) and continues with the condition part ( had the scientists... power ).

The result part is not underlined, so it must be correct. It is in Future Past Perfect ( would have been ), which indicates Conditional 3. Therefore, the condition part must also be consistent with Conditional 3, that is, must be in Past Perfect, as is the case in this answer choice ( had had ).

In Conditional 3 sentences,  if  may be omitted, in which case the condition part begins with the word  had  (as it does in this and in some of the other answer choices).

B. if the scientists who made the discoveries have had

This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. The conditional in this question begins with the result part ( many atrocities would have been prevented ) and continues with the condition part ( had the scientists... power ).

The result part is not underlined, so it must be correct. It is in Future Past Perfect ( would have been ), which indicates Conditional 3. Therefore, the condition part must also be consistent with Conditional 3, that is, must be in Past Perfect. However, in this answer choice the condition part is in Present Perfect ( if... have had ).

What helps us identify this question as a Conditionals question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign:

If / Unless

C. if the scientists who made the discoveries had

This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. The condition part is in Past Simple ( if... had ), which indicates Conditional 2, while the result part is in Future Past Perfect ( would have been ), indicating Conditional 3.

What helps us identify this question as a Conditionals question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign:

If / Unless

What is confusing about this answer choice is the use of the verb  had  in the condition part. Since  had  is also used in Conditional 3 sentences (only there it is followed by a verb in the third form - V3), it is easy to mistake the condition part for that of a Conditional 3.

D. had the scientists who made the discoveries have

This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. The conditional in this question begins with the result part ( many atrocities would have been prevented ) and continues with the condition part ( had the scientists... power ).

The result part is not underlined, so it must be correct. It is in Future Past Perfect ( would have been ), which indicates Conditional 3. Therefore, the condition part must also be consistent with Conditional 3, that is, must be in Past Perfect. The Past Perfect structure is  had +  V3. However, in this answer choice the verb  had  is followed by a verb in Base form ( have ).

E. had the scientists who made the discoveries showed

This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. The conditional in this question begins with the result part ( many atrocities would have been prevented ) and continues with the condition part ( had the scientists... power ).

The result part is not underlined, so it must be correct. It is in Future Past Perfect ( would have been ), which indicates Conditional 3. Therefore, the condition part must also be consistent with Conditional 3, that is, must be in Past Perfect. The Past Perfect structure is  had + V3 . However, in this answer choice the verb  had  is followed by a verb in past form ( showed ). The third form of the verb  show  is  shown .

Another way of identifying the grammatical incorrectness of this answer choice is the following: The verb  showed  is conjugated - it is in the past form (V2). The first verb, and only the first verb, of a sentence must be conjugated. Since  showed  is not the first verb ( had  is), it shouldn't be conjugated.

lostminer · Answer

In Conditional 3 sentences, if may be omitted, in which case the condition part begins with the word had (as it does in this and in some of the other answer choices).

What are the other conditional clauses and where can I find them ? Please help

Posted from my mobile device

VerbalBot · Answer

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In addition to the great benefits mankind has enjoyed since the discov

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In addition to the great benefits mankind has enjoyed since the discov

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