BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem
TTP OnDemand GMAT Video Course
Featured Course

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Scott Woodbury-Stewart’s private virtual classroom — 400 hours of master-class video lessons for the GMAT Focus Edition.

  • 715+ score guarantee — highest in the industry (99th percentile)
  • 52 chapters · 1,500+ lessons · 4,000+ practice questions
  • 400 hours of video · 1,500+ instructor-led HD smartboard lessons
  • 300,000+ students accepted to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth & Sloan & more
  • 24/7 live support + weekly Zoom office hours with GMAT instructors
  • TTP AI Assist — 24/7 AI-powered virtual tutor for instant help
  • 1,200+ flashcards + AI-powered study assistant & daily calendar
  • OnDemand, LiveTeach & GMAT Bootcamp formats available
  • Also: GRE, SAT Math & Executive Assessment courses
  • MBA Admissions Consulting now available
  • 🏆 2025 EdTech Breakthrough Award: Test Prep Solution Provider of the Year
  • 200,000+ students served
  • 5-day free trial — $0 to start, no auto-billing, cancel anytime
★★★★★ 5.0 (559 reviews)
130-pt guarantee
$0 to start then $127/mo
Start Free 5-Day Trial Read 559 Reviews →

sales of the new vehicle

Expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 582
Joined: Tue Mar 08, 2011 12:48 amFollowed by: 6 members
Thanked: 61 times
GMAT Score:740
by force5 » Sat Apr 30, 2011 4:21 am
Sales of the new vehicle are not what they should be, because the car has an idiosyncratic appearance which prevented more conservative consumers from buying it.

(A) which prevented
(B) that has been preventing
(C) which has prevented
(D) having prevented
(E) that prevents

Source: Princeton
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Source: — Sentence Correction |
Legendary Member
Posts: 759
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 10:15 amFollowed by: 3 members
Thanked: 85 times

by clock60 » Sat Apr 30, 2011 4:39 am
vote for E here
A) no comma before which, and unnecessary shift from present (vehicles are..) to past -prevented
B)wrong tense
C)again no comma before which, wrong tence
D)wrong tense
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 2330
Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2010 5:14 amFollowed by: 26 members
Thanked: 56 times

by mundasingh123 » Sat Apr 30, 2011 4:58 am
clock60 wrote:vote for E here
A) no comma before which, and unnecessary shift from present (vehicles are..) to past -prevented
B)wrong tense
C)again no comma before which, wrong tence
D)wrong tense
https://www.beatthegmat.com/usage-of-whi ... 73755.html
I Seek Explanations Not Answers
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 1112
Joined: Sat Feb 26, 2011 11:16 amFollowed by: 49 members
Thanked: 77 times

by atulmangal » Sat Apr 30, 2011 5:02 am
IMO E
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 582
Joined: Tue Mar 08, 2011 12:48 amFollowed by: 6 members
Thanked: 61 times
GMAT Score:740

by force5 » Sat Apr 30, 2011 5:32 am
guys i came across this question but was not too happy with the choices. i don't completely agree to the believers of comma before which. (i don't say that they are wrong) however i think if the construct doesn't use a comma then it cannot be proved wrong with 100% confidence.

coming back to question choices. i would still trade between choices C and E. I really want to ask people who think C is wrong, the reason?

@Atul and clock - C uses present perfect (which doesnt show a completed action) hence c is actually stating that sales of the vehicle are down..... because of the car's appearance..... which prevented + is still preventing consumers (again "has prevented" doesnt mean that the action is over.... i have put a + sign to state that action started in the past and continues till present, we are not sure if its over or not.)

moreover the sentence uses THE CAR HAS........ which means that the fact that the appearance of the car was idiosyncratic started in the past and still continues (may be)... and so will be the consumers behavior........

we wont say that appearance was idiosyncratic in the past but consumer behavior just changed today. if the behavior changed today then i will give prediction about the sales in future tense.

another point is "that" - introduces restrictive clause which is not needed here. we need a non restrictive clause.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 2330
Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2010 5:14 amFollowed by: 26 members
Thanked: 56 times

by mundasingh123 » Sat Apr 30, 2011 5:48 am
i think E ) is more apt for universal truths / habits rather than market state or state of sales .
present perfect is better which conveys that some state has been prevalent so far .
what if the consumer perception toward the product changes overnight because the design becomes fashionable and fashions are likely to start from being idiosyncratic
I Seek Explanations Not Answers
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 641
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2009 3:07 pmFollowed by: 45 members
Location: Madison, WI
Thanked: 162 times
GMAT Score:760

by Jim@Grockit » Sat Apr 30, 2011 6:21 am
A restrictive clause is not out of place here. Not all idiosyncratic appearances prevent conservative consumers from buying something; we are specifying that this car had one that had this effect.

The sentence would not have been wrong with a non-restrictive which.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 2330
Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2010 5:14 amFollowed by: 26 members
Thanked: 56 times

by mundasingh123 » Sat Apr 30, 2011 6:36 am
Jim@Grockit wrote:A restrictive clause is not out of place here. Not all idiosyncratic appearances prevent conservative consumers from buying something; we are specifying that this car had one that had this effect.

The sentence would not have been wrong with a non-restrictive which.
Jim , is present perfect in C correct here ?
I Seek Explanations Not Answers
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 1112
Joined: Sat Feb 26, 2011 11:16 amFollowed by: 49 members
Thanked: 77 times

by atulmangal » Sat Apr 30, 2011 9:08 am
Guys i need help, need clarity on a concept:

I must admit, in questions like this...most of the times i play a cheap game

Game:

COMMA + THAT/WHICH ----> NON-RESTRICTIVE CLAUSE

In this case COMMA + THAT always wrong in GMAT so use COMMA + WHICH, i don't know whats the difference in meaning they assert..but so far i have seen this Rule always work

NO COMMA THAT/WHICH ---> RESTRICTIVE CLAUSE

Prefer THAT over WHICH, though here i understand the difference in meaning.

In this question also, i played this cheap trick plus applied the knowledge of tense and pick up the answer....

Can anyone provide me some link regarding the above concepts or can clear those concepts...I'm really gonna be grateful..

Thanks
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 29
Joined: Sun Jan 16, 2011 10:45 pm

by Ryandmitri » Mon May 02, 2011 1:04 am
Can someone please help me with the usage of has been -ing form of verb?? In this question, option B uses 'has been preventing'....isn't this correct considering that the 'prevention' started in the past and is still continuing..(incidently this is what present perfect is used for too...)

Thank You.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 29
Joined: Sun Jan 16, 2011 10:45 pm

by Ryandmitri » Mon May 02, 2011 1:05 am
Can someone please help me with the usage of has been -ing form of verb?? In this question, option B uses 'has been preventing'....isn't this correct considering that the 'prevention' started in the past and is still continuing..(incidently this is what present perfect is used for too...)

Thank You.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Post new topic Locked
• Page 1 of 1