Since 1989, after the Berlin Wall had been demolished, one of the most

Question

Since 1989, after the Berlin Wall had been demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic
groups in the reunified Germany, in cultural and economic assimilation terms, were the former
East Germans, who have had to acclimate to an entirely different political system.

(A) after the Berlin Wall had been demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the reunified German, in cultural and economic assimilation terms, were the former East Germans

(B) after the Berlin Wall was demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the reunified Germany, in cultural terms as well as those of economic assimilation, were the former East Germans

(C) when the Berlin Wall was demolished, one of the reunified Germany's most problematic ethnic groups, in terms of cultural and economic assimilation, was the former East Germans

(D) when the Berlin Wall was demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the reunified Germany, in terms of cultural and economic assimilation, has been the former East Germans

(E) after the Berlin Wall had been demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the reunified Germany, in both terms of cultural and economic assimilation, have been the former East Germans

esledge · Accepted Answer

No one has mentioned the after/when split, so just for completeness...

Outside knowledge of history dictates that it must be "when" because the reunification was a single event in 1989, not in a previous year. Even though the GMAT does not test such knowledge, the meaning is still more clear with "when," so you've got to lean that way (checking the other splits, of course). Compare the following:

Since Tuesday, after the factory had been destroyed by fire, the employees have been working at the facility across town.
Since Tuesday, after the factory was destroyed by fire, the employees have been working at the facility across town.
Since Tuesday, when the factory was destroyed by fire, the employees have been working at the facility across town.

The 3rd example is most clear: the fire destroyed the factory on Tuesday, and as a result, the employees then started working at another location. With the other two examples, the fire may have happened anytime before or on Tuesday (uncertain), but the employees started working at the other facility on Tuesday.

souvik101990 · Answer

Since 1989, after the Berlin Wall had been demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic
groups in the reunified Germany, in cultural and economic assimilation terms, were the former
East Germans, who have had to acclimate to an entirely different political system.

A. after the Berlin Wall had been demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the reunified German, in cultural and economic assimilation terms, were the former East Germans

B. after the Berlin Wall was demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the reunified Germany, in cultural terms as well as those of economic assimilation, were the former East Germans

C. when the Berlin Wall was demolished, one of the reunified Germany's most problematic ethnic groups, in terms of cultural and economic assimilation, was the former East Germans

D. when the Berlin Wall was demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the reunified Germany, in terms of cultural and economic assimilation, has been the former East Germans

E. after the Berlin Wall had been demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the reunified Germany, in both terms of cultural and economic assimilation, have been the former East Germans

MANHATTAN GMAT OFFICIAL EXPLANATION:

The subject of the sentence is "one of the most problematic ethnic groups", a singular noun. The verb, however, is "were," which is plural. We need to find a choice that uses a singular verb instead.

(A) This choice is the same as the original sentence.

(B) This choice does not correct the subject-verb issue; it still uses "were" to refer to "group."

(C) This choice uses the singular "was," but the simple past is not the appropriate tense here because of the ongoing nature of the problem. Moreover, "the reunified Germany's most problematic ethnic groups" is an awkward construction.

(D) CORRECT. This choice uses the singular "has been," which is also in the present perfect tense, indicating the ongoing nature of the problem. Moreover, "in terms of cultural and economic assimilation" is a more idiomatic and elegant phrasing than that of the original.

(E) This choice does not correct the subject-verb issue; it uses "have been" to refer to "group."

dimitri92 · Answer

one  of the most problematic ethnic groups  ... WAS/WERE the former east germans
WAS is correct ... so A & B are out ..... so is E for using HAVE (plural)

now between B & D

Since  1989 .. one of the groups ...  was  east germans
 Since  1989 .. one of the groups ...  has been  east germans
let's flip to see which is correct

Since  1989 ... xyz  was  one of the groups ..
OR
 Since  1989 ... xyz  has been  one of the groups ..

HAS BEEN is correct as it indicates the ongoing situation

IMO the ans is D

what is the OA?

ykaiim · Answer

Challenge is b/w C and D. IMO D.

I prefer D because it matches with the following verb -   who  have  had to acclimate to an entirely different political system.

Since  1989,..... has been  the......, who  have ....

one of the reunified Germany's most problematic ethnic groups  
  one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the reunified Germany   
Both are correct usage.

Please post the OA.

nusmavrik · Answer

esledge

Does that mean : "when" is always preferable whenever there is after/when split?
Pls comment. thanks

esledge · Answer

No, not always. It would depend on the intended/logical meaning.

Since 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed, Americans have commemorated the 4th of July.
Since 1776, after the Declaration of Independence was signed, Americans have commemorated the 4th of July. 
Here, "when" is more accurate, as the signing was actually in 1776 and the when/after phrase modifies 1776.

When the Declaration of Independence was issued, Americans gathered annually to celebrate the 4th of July.
After the Declaration of Independence was issued, Americans gathered annually to celebrate the 4th of July. 
In this one, “after” is more accurate, as the when/after phrase modifies “Americans gathered annually,” which by definition didn’t just happen at the one moment “when” the Declaration was issued.

After he lost his job, Luis decided to go to business school.
When he lost his job, Luis decided to go to business school. 
Either of these would be fine. At least the order of events is the same in both, and who knows exactly when Luis made the decision—the moment he lost his job or afterwards? I wouldn't use after/when to eliminate anything on such a question--find other splits.

pqhai · Answer

Since 1989,  after the Berlin Wall had been demolished,   one   of the most problematic ethnic 
groups in the reunified Germany, in cultural and economic assimilation terms,   were   the former 
East Germans , who have had to acclimate to an entirely different political system.

• after the Berlin Wall had been demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the 
reunified German, in cultural and economic assimilation terms,   were   the former East Germans 
 Wrong.  "one of the most..." is singular

• after the Berlin Wall was demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the 
reunified Germany, in cultural terms as well as those of economic assimilation,   were   the 
former East Germans 
 Wrong.  "one of the most..." is singular

• when the Berlin Wall was demolished, one of the reunified Germany's most problematic ethnic 
groups, in terms of cultural and economic assimilation, was the former East Germans 
 Wrong.  Change meaning: " one of the reunified Germany's  most problematic ethnic groups" differs from " one of the most problematic ethnic groups  in the reunified Germany"

• when the Berlin Wall was demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the 
reunified Germany, in terms of cultural and economic assimilation,   has   been the former East 
Germans 
  Correct.

• after the Berlin Wall had been demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the 
reunified Germany, in both terms of cultural and economic assimilation,   have   been the former 
East Germans
 Wrong.  "one of the most..." is singular

HumptyDumpty · Answer

"Since" calls for perfect tense so A, B, and C are out for this reason alone.
 
Modified noun is the "group", so singular verb is correct.

ankurgupta03 · Answer

Since 1989, after the Berlin Wall had been demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic 
groups in the reunified Germany, in cultural and economic assimilation terms, were the former 
East Germans, who have had to acclimate to an entirely different political system.

• after the Berlin Wall had been demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the 
reunified German, in cultural and economic assimilation terms, were the former East Germans 
• after the Berlin Wall was demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the 
reunified Germany, in cultural terms as well as those of economic assimilation, were the 
former East Germans 
• when the Berlin Wall was demolished, one of the reunified Germany's most problematic ethnic 
groups, in terms of cultural and economic assimilation, was the former East Germans 
• when the Berlin Wall was demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the 
reunified Germany, in terms of cultural and economic assimilation, has been the former East 
Germans 
• after the Berlin Wall had been demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the 
reunified Germany, in both terms of cultural and economic assimilation, have been the former 
East Germans

We have to use past perfect tense with "since" so A, B, C can be ruled out.
E is worng, because "have" does not agree with one of the most problematic ethnic group n numbers.
We are talking about one group only, so has should be used.

So we are left with the correct option: D

veenu08 · Answer

Since 1989,  after the Berlin Wall had been demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic 
groups in the reunified Germany, in cultural and economic assimilation terms, were the former 
East Germans , who have had to acclimate to an entirely different political system.

•  after  the Berlin Wall  had been  demolished,  one of the  most problematic ethnic groups in the 
reunified German, in cultural and economic assimilation terms,  were  the former East Germans --  usage of after is making clear the sequence of event so past prefect not required, and subject-verb disagreement 
• the Berlin Wall was demolished,  one of  the most problematic ethnic groups in the 
reunified Germany, in cultural terms as well as those of economic assimilation,  were  the 
former East Germans --  subject-verb disagreement 
• when the Berlin Wall was demolished, one of the reunified Germany's most problematic ethnic 
groups, in terms of cultural and economic assimilation,  was  the former East Germans --  Since 1989, calls for the present prefect tense to be used. 
• when the Berlin Wall was demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the 
reunified Germany, in terms of cultural and economic assimilation, has been the former East 
Germans --  correct 
•  after  the Berlin Wall  had been  demolished,  one of  the most problematic ethnic groups in the 
reunified Germany, in both terms of cultural and economic assimilation,  have been  the former 
East Germans --  same as A

kindly correct me if I am wrong or missed some other error

Zarrolou · Answer

Since 1989, after the Berlin Wall had been demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic
groups in the reunified Germany, in cultural and economic assimilation terms, were the former
East Germans, who have had to acclimate to an entirely different political system.

C when the Berlin Wall was demolished, one of the reunified Germany's most problematic ethnic groups, in terms of cultural and economic assimilation,    was    the former East Germans
D when the Berlin Wall was demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the reunified Germany, in terms of cultural and economic assimilation,    has been    the former East Germans

C vs D =  was  VS  has been . To correctly express the intended meaning, we have to look at the beginning of the sentence : " Since 1989, ... ".
With this construct the author want to express an action that happens "since 1989", so it's an action that started in the past, whose consequences/ who still goes on in the present => Present Perfect is the correct tense.

Hope it's clear

321kumarsushant · Answer

Since 1989, after the Berlin Wall had been demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic
groups in the reunified Germany, in cultural and economic assimilation terms, were the former
East Germans, who have had to acclimate to an entirely different political system.

Subject : one of the most problematic ethnic groups - Singular 
Require Singular Verb : were/have wrong 
left with C &D.
was is past tense . non-underlined part is in Present tense. hence Has is correct. D

ankittiss · Answer

Whenever Since is mentioned in the sentence along with a time frame, Present Perfect is used.
So the verb can be has/have.
Since the subject is Singular, hence we are left with only one answer choice i.e nothing but D

noTh1ng · Answer

I have the same question. E makes more sense, in my opinion. Groups seems to be plural

tarunk31 · Answer

Option E has multiple problems.

Sentence with Option E is as follows:
Since 1989,  after the Berlin Wall had been demolished , one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the reunified Germany, in both terms of cultural and economic assimilation,  have  been the former East Germans, who have had to acclimate to an entirely different political system.

First understand the meaning. The meaning of the sentence is that From 1989 till now,  one of the most problematic ethnic groups  in the reunified Germany has been the former East Germans, who have had to acclimate to an entirely different political system.

Presence of the modifier "Since 1989" indicates that we are talking about some situation which started in the past and is still present.

Modifier  after the Berlin Wall had been demolished  is not correct as 1) it unnecessarily uses past perfect tense as there is no other later past event in the sentence relative the event indicated in the past perfect. 2) This modifier basically modifies the year 1989 so it should just describe what happened in the year 1989. So the correct modifier to describe the year should be "when the Berlin Wall was demolished" as is used correctly in option C and D.

Bigger problem in option E is subject verb disagreement. Here the subject of the sentence is one of the most problematic ethnic groups. Now this subject is singular here as we are really talking about just one of the groups and not all the groups. So we should have helping verb "has" instead of "have".

Further, both A and B require parallel construction. In option E we have "in both terms of cultural and economic assimilation". This construction is not parallel. We should have "in terms of both cultural and economic assimilation" instead.

Hope it helps.

HimanshuW11 · Answer

Since 1989, after the Berlin Wall had been demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic
groups in the reunified Germany, in cultural and economic assimilation terms, were the former
East Germans, who have had to acclimate to an entirely different political system.

2 errors: Subject Verb Agreement and present perfect tense.
Subject of the sentence: “One of the most problematic ethnic groups” (Singular)
Verb in the original sentence: Were
Because of the plural verb 
A, B and E go out.

A.  after the Berlin Wall had been demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the reunified German, in cultural and economic assimilation terms, were the former East Germans

B.  after the Berlin Wall was demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the reunified Germany, in cultural terms as well as those of economic assimilation, were the former East Germans

C.  when the Berlin Wall was demolished, one of the reunified Germany's most problematic ethnic groups, in terms of cultural and economic assimilation, was the former East Germans

As the sentence starts with “Since 1989” and shows that the effect of that time is still present “who have had to acclimate to an entirely different political system.” Hence present perfect is required.
Hence Option C go out.

D.  when the Berlin Wall was demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the reunified Germany, in terms of cultural and economic assimilation, has been the former East Germans

As the sentence starts with “Since 1989” and shows that the effect of that time is still present “who have had to acclimate to an entirely different political system.” Hence present perfect is required.
Hence Option D is the correct option.

E.  after the Berlin Wall had been demolished, one of the most problematic ethnic groups in the reunified Germany, in both terms of cultural and economic assimilation, have been the former East Germans

anoop1995 · Answer

I still am confused as to how the above subject is a singular subject. I thought "One of ...that" is always plural. 
For example " Cleaveland is but one of a large number of communities on the great lakes that are looking to their waterfront to improve the quality of urban life and attract new businesses."

Can someone please help understand whether the subject is singular or plural when "one of X" is used?

Thank you very much in Advance.

NoMatterWhat · Answer

you have to figure out whether we are talking about the main subject or the secondary subject, which is plural.

Both of them are Correct

one of the red cars has won the race. (we are talking about the main subject; Hence using 'has')

one of the cars that were red has won the race('were' is used when we are talking about Cars and 'has ' is used when we are positioning the primary subject)

DeepanshuGupta · Answer

How is "one of the most" the subject? Anything between commas, phrases, cant contain the subject. In fact we often strike them off to find the subject. That was the very basic rule. So how can this be true?

Since 1989, after the Berlin Wall had been demolished, one of the most

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Since 1989, after the Berlin Wall had been demolished, one of the most

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