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tense

by GMAT Kolaveri » Sun May 06, 2012 8:37 am
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 now currently temperate areas.

(A) in which great ice sheets had existed in now currently 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

OA: B

But i prefer D. I think had is necessary. but B does not "had"
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by vk_vinayak » Sun May 06, 2012 8:53 am
It's a contest between A and B.

A is clearly wrong because between now and currently, only one is needed.

Also, had is not necessary here. Had is used only when we want to showcase the sequence of events. In the current sentence, the sequence is very clear, hence no need of 'had'.
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by GmatKiss » Sun May 06, 2012 10:57 am
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 now currently temperate areas.

(A) in which great ice sheets had existed in now currently 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

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by Bill@VeritasPrep » Sun May 06, 2012 1:00 pm
vk_vinayak wrote: Also, had is not necessary here. Had is used only when we want to showcase the sequence of events. In the current sentence, the sequence is very clear, hence no need of 'had'.
Exactly. If the events are unrelated, we do not need past perfect.
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