While the skeleton of a typical human adult will contain 206 bones, th

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION





This question tests verb tense and parallelism.

When we write or speak about general truths or scientific facts, we use the present tense.
We do so because the statement is always true.
(When is it true? Right now and always.)

The sun rises in the east.
The rarest eye color in human beings is green.

Options A, C, D, and E use the wrong tense to speak about a general truth.
The correct answer is B.

Suppose that you did not know that general truths require present tense.
Get strategic and look at patterns in the answers.

Option A's verbs are future, present, present, present
Option B's verbs are present, present, present, present
Option C's verbs are past, future, future, present
Option D's verbs are present, present, present, future
Option E's verbs are present, future, present, present

Option C's past tense "contained" and option D's future tense "will grow" are incredibly weird.
Perhaps those two anomalies might spark a guess that B's use of present tense is correct.

COMMENTS

ankurjuit , yashikaaggarwal , and thenikhilseth , welcome to SC Butler.

hero_with_1000_faces , I've always wanted to ask: Joseph Campbell? George Lucas?

These answers are very good. Kudos to all.

OA is supposedly B
A) will contain- human body already have 206 bones in general it's not a future clause. (Incorrect)
B) Better option amongst all.
C) again will clause. Will have approximately 270 (seems incorrect)
D) Last line-will grow- all babies grow, it's a universal truth. Seems incorrect here
E) New Born baby will have- babies already have 270 bones in there body, using future tense here is illogical.

Posted from my mobile device
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problem with original sentence is use of "will". These are facts so Simple Present tense should be suffice.

Option A ruled out.

Option B corrects the mistake.

Option C "contained" means that it contained in the past and is not true in present.

Option D "grow" Plural but the subject "baby's body" is Singular.

Option E use of "will have" means that sometime in future newborn human baby will have 270 bones.

Hence B is correct.
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This question is testing tenses

We use simple present tense for universal truths, Hence "contains" is needed and will and contained can be eliminated.
get rid of A and C

Also, E can be eliminated for usage of "will" in the mid part of sentence.

Now difference lies between

"fuse together as the baby's body grows" and "fuse together as the baby's body will grow"

the fusing will happen as the body grows, not will grow.


A) will contain 206 bones, that of a newborn human baby usually has approximately 270, some of which fuse together as the baby's body grows

B) contains 206 bones, that of a newborn human baby usually has approximately 270, some of which fuse together as the baby's body grows

C) contained 206 bones, that of a newborn human baby usually will have approximately 270, some of which will fuse together as the baby's body grows

D) contains 206 bones, that of a newborn human baby usually has approximately 270, some of which fuse together as the baby's body will grow

E) contains 206 bones, that of a newborn human baby usually will have approximately 270, some of which fuse together as the baby's body grows
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My answer is B option.
Skeleton of a typical human adult requires singular verb, therefore eliminate A and C.
E option is wrong because of Will Have, Of a new born baby also requires singular verb, Has is recommended here.
In D , as baby's body will grow, will is not required here, Also grow is plural and baby's body is singular

The official explanation is here

Hello generis

It is Joseph Campbell
Although I have read only "Power of Myth" and not "Hero with thousand faces".

By the way are you a professional writer or editor ?
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