Sentence Correction

Q. Quasars are so distant that their light has taken billions of years to reach the Earth; consequently, we see them as they were during the formation of the universe.
(A) we see them as they were during
(B) we see them as they had been during
(C) we see them as if during
(D) they appear to us as they did in
(E) they appear to us as though in

OA is [spoiler](A)[/spoiler]. What's wrong with [spoiler](B)[/spoiler]?

Thanks,
Rohit.

Why you want to use past pefect when a simple past tense will work?

Please underline the problem part.

You want the simple past tense here of the verb "to be." The past tense of "to be" is "were."

You would use the past perfect tense (had been) when stating that something had been happening before something else occurred.

For example, Jim had been studying for three hours before he finally gave up.