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According to scientists at the University of California

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According to scientists at the University of California

by aspirant2011 » Thu Mar 03, 2011 12:42 am
According to scientists at the University of California, the pattern of changes that have occurred in human DNA over the millennia indicate the possibility that everyone alive today might be descended from a single female ancestor who lived in Africa sometime between 140,000 and 280,000 years ago.
(A) indicate the possibility that everyone alive today might be descended from a single female ancestor who
(B) indicate that everyone alive today might possibly be a descendant of a single female ancestor who had
(C) may indicate that everyone alive today has descended from a single female ancestor who had
(D) indicates that everyone alive today may be a descendant of a single female ancestor who
(E) indicates that everyone alive today might be a descendant from a single female ancestor who


Isn't "pattern of changes" one clause??????? If yes then why is " have occurred in human " there in the sentence, shouldn't it had been "has occurred in human"???????
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by HSPA » Thu Mar 03, 2011 12:54 am
1) "Pattern" == "Indicates" D or E
2) I am chosing "may" by a "thought based guess" and that is the word today

IMO D
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by HSPA » Thu Mar 03, 2011 12:57 am
I took "pattern of changes" as a singluar entity .. I also want to use "has"
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by aspirant2011 » Thu Mar 03, 2011 1:22 am
agreed but would u treat "patter of changes" as single entity...............
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by AIM GMAT » Thu Mar 03, 2011 4:49 am
pattern is singular hence using "indicates"

IMO D

According to scientists at the University of California, the pattern of changes that have occurred in human DNA over the millennia indicate the possibility that everyone alive today might be descended from a single female ancestor who lived in Africa sometime between 140,000 and 280,000 years ago.

(A) indicate the possibility that everyone alive today might be descended from a single female ancestor who

(B) indicate that everyone alive today might possibly be a descendant of a single female ancestor who had

(C) may indicate that everyone alive today has descended from a single female ancestor who had

(D) indicates that everyone alive today may be a descendant of a single female ancestor who

(E) indicates that everyone alive today might be a descendant from a single female ancestor who
Thanks & Regards,
AIM GMAT
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by Andreweng » Thu Mar 03, 2011 4:49 pm
Is there an idiom for "descendant"? In MGMAT, for example, the idiom "native to" is said of animals and "native from" refers to people.

Also, the point of the sentence is to state the possibility that humans are descendants of a single female ancestor, hence the use of "may" and not "might", right?
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by GMATGuruNY » Fri Mar 04, 2011 4:00 am
aspirant2011 wrote:According to scientists at the University of California, the pattern of changes that have occurred in human DNA over the millennia indicate the possibility that everyone alive today might be descended from a single female ancestor who lived in Africa sometime between 140,000 and 280,000 years ago.
(A) indicate the possibility that everyone alive today might be descended from a single female ancestor who
(B) indicate that everyone alive today might possibly be a descendant of a single female ancestor who had
(C) may indicate that everyone alive today has descended from a single female ancestor who had
(D) indicates that everyone alive today may be a descendant of a single female ancestor who
(E) indicates that everyone alive today might be a descendant from a single female ancestor who


Isn't "pattern of changes" one clause??????? If yes then why is " have occurred in human " there in the sentence, shouldn't it had been "has occurred in human"???????
Quick approach:

In A and B, indicate (plural) does not agree with its subject pattern. Eliminate A and B.

In C, the verb had lived should not be in the past perfect tense. Eliminate C.

In E, descendant from is not idiomatic. X descends from Y, but X is a descendant of Y. Eliminate E.

The correct answer is D.

The subject of the verb have occurred is changes: the changes have occurred. The subject of the verb indicates is pattern: the pattern indicates. Combining the two, we get the pattern of changes that have occurred...indicates.
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by aspirant2011 » Fri Mar 04, 2011 7:09 am
Hi GMATGURUNY,

Thanks a lot :-)....................I took "pattern of changes" as one clause and thats why made a mistake :-(........
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