tense problem-supreme court

Question

Although the Supreme Court ruled as long ago as 1880 that Blacks could not be excluded outright from jury service, nearly a century of case-by-case adjudication has been necessary to develop and enforce the principle that all juries must be drawn from “a fair cross section of the community.” (A) has been necessary to develop and enforce the principle that all juries must be (B) was necessary for developing and enforcing the principle of all juries being (C) was to be necessary in developing and enforcing the principle of all juries to be (D) is necessary to develop and enforce the principle that all juries must be (E) will be necessary for developing and enforcing the principle of all juries being totally..confused....

scthakur · Answer

Simple past + present perfect.....hence, A should be the answer.

ALD · Answer

i will go with D
what is the OA?

prasun84 · Answer

Echo that..perfect explanation...
(the adjudication is ongoing for a century)

icandy · Answer

I agree that the adjudication is ongoing for a century and hence A is correct.

Ideally, a correct simple past sentence would be a best fit but none such exists in the answer choices. B & C are both broken even though they are in Simple past

Simple past + present perfect.....hence, A should be the answer.

Is there some rule surrounding simple past and present perfect?? If so, can some one enlighten me please?

priyankurml · Answer

Although relates two sentences in which first has simple past tense and second has present tense - either simple or perfect.

Present Perfect refers to a subject's  past actions or states  while keeping the subject in a present state of reference.

A: Although ...ruled, a century has been necessary.... - second sentence carries the continuation of past action in present form 
D: Although ...ruled, a century is necessary.... - second sentence losts the continuation from first sentence even though connected with first sentence.

tense problem-supreme court

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