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correct usage of past pefect

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correct usage of past pefect

by nikhilsrl » Sat Mar 19, 2011 2:53 am
San Franciscans of the 1890s mocked the claim that declared Los Angeles a world city, yet within twenty years a powerful municipal will had made this boast a reality.

a) yet within twenty years a powerful municipal will had made this boast a reality
b) yet within twenty years a powerful municipal will made this boast a reality
c) yet a powerful municipal within twenty years will make this boast a reality
d) yet this boast had become a reality within twenty years because of a powerful will municipally
e) yet within twenty years a municipal will had made this boast a powerful reality

[spoiler]OA is A and the reason given is that since there are 2 past events we need the past perfect "had made". [/spoiler]

[spoiler]But isn't past perfect used to indicate the sequence of events where the past perfect verb represents the older of the 2 events. Here "mocking" happened before someone "made it a reality". So isn't the usage as given here incorrect.

I found B to be more apt. Since the time line is clearly given we do not need past perfect to highlight the sequence.[/spoiler]
Last edited by nikhilsrl on Sat Mar 19, 2011 7:32 am, edited 3 times in total.
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by AIM GMAT » Sat Mar 19, 2011 3:04 am
The question is missing some parts , posting the actual question , that will solve the discrepancy :-

San Franciscans of the 1890s mocked the claim that declared Los Angeles a world city, yet within twenty years a powerful municipal will had made this boast a reality .

A. yet within twenty years a powerful municipal will had made this boast a reality
B. yet within twenty years a powerful municipal will made this boast a reality
C. yet a powerful municipal within twenty years will make this boast a reality
D. yet this boast had become a reality within twenty years because of a powerful will municipally
E. yet within twenty years a municipal will had made this boast a powerful reality
Thanks & Regards,
AIM GMAT
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by tetura84 » Sat Mar 19, 2011 6:14 am
will had made = what sort of tense is this?
AIM GMAT, please elaborate on this, also the correct answer choice.
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by AIM GMAT » Sat Mar 19, 2011 6:19 am
tetura84 wrote:will had made = what sort of tense is this?
AIM GMAT, please elaborate on this, also the correct answer choice.
Here "will" is not a verb but a noun muncipal will .
Thanks & Regards,
AIM GMAT
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by nikhilsrl » Sat Mar 19, 2011 7:28 am
Thanks AIM GMAT, actually when I took the Kaplan test I was confused with the question because the question did not have "will" whereas some choices had "will". I have updated the question.

That confusion is cleared but my main question still remains :)
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by aspirant2011 » Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:10 am
San Franciscans of the 1890s mocked the claim that declared Los Angeles a world city, yet within twenty years a powerful municipal will had made this boast a reality.

a) yet within twenty years a powerful municipal will had made this boast a reality
b) yet within twenty years a powerful municipal will made this boast a reality
c) yet a powerful municipal within twenty years will make this boast a reality
d) yet this boast had become a reality within twenty years because of a powerful will municipally
e) yet within twenty years a municipal will had made this boast a powerful reality

Out of the above choices only A seems to be fine....................
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by gmat_perfect » Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:13 am
Some thoughts:

By 10:00am my mother had cooked dinner.

--> Here, two things happened:

1. Some times has passed.
2. My mother cooked dinner.

My mother cooked dinner, and some time passed. What has happened first? My mother cooked first.

The same rule can be applied in this sentence. I am not sure whether GMAC likes to test such a rarely used structure.

Within twenty years the law had been passed. it is correct because two things happened in the past:

1. The law had been passed.
2. Some years passed after the passage of the law.

Apply the same rule, and you will find A is correct.

Thanks.
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