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2016 OG 89

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2016 OG 89

by Crystal W » Sun Mar 13, 2016 6:55 pm
His studies of ice-polished rocks in his Alpine homeland, far outside the range of present-day glaciers, led Louis Agassiz in 1837 to propose the concept of an age in which great ice sheets had existed in what are now temperate areas

(A) in which great ice sheets had existed in what are now temperate areas
(B) in which great ice sheets existed in what are now temperate areas
(C) when great ice sheets existed where there were areas now temperate
(D) when great ice sheets had existed in current temperate areas
(E) when great ice sheets existed in areas now that are temperate
I understand existed can't be compare with led but I think the part underlined is the content of the concept and this concept was proposed in 1837. Thus I believe it should use past perfect.
Also, the explanation of choice E on OG is "Now is an adverb and shouold be placed just after the verb are". Can I understand this like if I put now after are, this choice is right?
Thanks in advance!
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by MartyMurray » Sun Mar 13, 2016 8:30 pm
Crystal W wrote:I understand existed can't be compare with led but I think the part underlined is the content of the concept and this concept was proposed in 1837. Thus I believe it should use past perfect.
In the correct version, the one created using choice B, in which great ice sheets existed modifies an age. What kind of age is being discussed? An age in which great ice sheets existed.

Notice the following. The construction, an age in which great ice sheets had existed, basically conveys that by the time of that age, the ice sheets had existed but no longer existed. So in the modifier you need to use the simple past to convey that the ice sheets existed during that age.

A key takeaway from this analysis is that you can't get GMAT sentence correction questions right simply by knowing a bunch of rules. You really need to notice the logic of what is going on in the sentences and what is being conveyed by the constructions in the various answer choices.
Also, the explanation of choice E on OG is "Now is an adverb and shouold be placed just after the verb are". Can I understand this like if I put now after are, this choice is right
Yes.
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