@ jaygirl

"had long seemed" is the past tense ...this seemed to be the case but then they found something new so it is no longer the case.

this is past perfect tense not simple past...my doubt was...past perfect should be used in case of two past actions, but in sentence there is only one past action so i suggest that instead of "had long seemed" which is past perfect....we should use "long seemed"...simple past...what u say???

and i understand that the use of present perfect is clearly wrong..no doubt about that...m just doubtful about the use of past perfect that it.

Thanks

atulmangal wrote:my doubt was...past perfect should be used in case of two past actions

@ Atul: Past Perfect is used to describe the following actions:

1. Actions that had been completed before a certain point in time in the past.
Example: John had moved to Seattle before 2006.

2. Actions that had been completed before another action in the past.
Example: John had moved to Seattle before he met Jane.

This sentence fall under 1st action. Hope this helps.

@Everyone

the point here is learning... It doesn't matter who is correct and who is not. I expected an expert to answer this question by now and that's why was avoiding any further inputs. discussion is healthy only till a certain limit but after a point expert opinion is necessary to ensure that we are in the right direction.

Experts........

@Target 2009:

Actions that had been completed before a certain point in time in the past.
Example: John had moved to Seattle before 2006.

Can you justify in specific how the above stmt applies to the question under discussion ?

@Atulmangal : I admire that you dont give up until it is answered. Knewton does not have good Official explanation ? In that case, you might PM som eexpert.

I would have chosen D in exam , but I am curious to know the justification of 'had seemed' ? 'Seem' is a special verb (intransitive and linking), but why Past perfect has to be used here, cant understand.

First of all thanks guys for participation and a healthy discussion

@gmatmadeeasy

I also have the same question which you asked from @target...and knewton has no OE for this question. I agree with you, even i will pick Op D which is OA in exam only because i know the correct IDIOM and Op E is wordy and awkward, but rite now we have this luxury to clear our concept...i will PM some expert for help....

Thanks to all

Atul

@GMATMadeEasy: Long back some time in past (before 1957) it had seems to be immune.

Actions (it had seems to be immune) that had been completed before a certain point ( before 1957 because since then temp risen 1 degree) in time in the past.

This is how i understand. I don't mind for to be proved wrong . It will help to clear my concept.

@Force , I agree, discussion is not for who is right or wrong but for sharing our way to justify proposed answers and that can be right or wrong. Now I feel experts must pitch in when we all exhausted otherwise it will be like spoon feeding which may limit our learning.

Anyway all these are my opinion.

True Target2009. Has someone PM'd an expert Yet?

Yes, i send the request to an expert. Meanwhile i receive and answer from Knewton also as i mailed them...now my confusion is clear and i understand why past perfect is used.

@force and @gmatmadeeasy

Here is the knewton explanation,

Because the present perfect indicates that an action began in the past and continues into the present or very recent past, it does indicate a past action (just a past action that is ongoing). So if we want to indicate that another past action occurred *before* the action expressed in the present perfect, we should use the past perfect to make the relationship of the tenses clear. Since an action in the present perfect began in the past, just using the simple past for the earlier action would not make the tense relationship clear. And if we used the present perfect for both verbs, then it would seem like they occurred at the same time. So we need the past perfect to make the order of the actions clear.

For example:

I had always planned to go to Spain, but I have been thinking that I might prefer to go to Italy.

Hope this help

Thanks