Before the storm...

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

Redeem

This topic has expert replies

Post new topic Locked

Previous Topic Next Topic

BellTheGMAT: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 78; Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2010 8:03 am; Thanked: 4 times; Followed by:1 members

Before the storm...

by BellTheGMAT » Sat Nov 20, 2010 11:01 pm

Before the storm destroyed much of the harbor, this town, with its sandy beaches and multiple opportunities for sports, had been one of the most popular resort destinations on the East Coast.
A. had been
B. has been
C. had been being
D. was being
E. was

OA after some discussion...
How to decide, past perfect or simple past tense to use?

Quote

Source: Beat The GMAT — Sentence Correction | Sat Nov 20, 2010 11:01 pm

selango: Legendary Member; Posts: 1460; Joined: Tue Dec 29, 2009 1:28 am; Thanked: 135 times; Followed by:7 members

by selango » Sun Nov 21, 2010 1:18 am

Before in the original sentence is enough to maintain the time sequence.Hence we don't need past perfect to define the time sequence.

So simple past tense 'was' is enough.

--Anand--

Quote

BellTheGMAT: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 78; Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2010 8:03 am; Thanked: 4 times; Followed by:1 members

by BellTheGMAT » Sun Nov 21, 2010 1:58 am

selango wrote:Before in the original sentence is enough to maintain the time sequence.Hence we don't need past perfect to define the time sequence.

So simple past tense 'was' is enough.

Thanks, OA is E

Quote

BellTheGMAT: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 78; Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2010 8:03 am; Thanked: 4 times; Followed by:1 members

by BellTheGMAT » Sun Nov 21, 2010 3:17 am

selango wrote:Before in the original sentence is enough to maintain the time sequence.Hence we don't need past perfect to define the time sequence.

So simple past tense 'was' is enough.

Hey,
Wats your take on this....

According to a recent study of sexual behaviour in the US, over half of the couples that were married and engaged at the time of the study's survey were living together before making a final commitment to eachother.

A - couples that were married and engaged at the time of the study's survey were living
B - couples that were engaged or married at the time of the sutdy's survey had lived
C - couples who were engaged or married at the time when the study's survey occured were living
D - married and engaged couples at the time of the study's survey had lived
E - married or engaged couples at the time of the study's survey were living

Source <Kaplan>

Quote

limestone: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 307; Joined: Sun Jul 11, 2010 7:52 pm; Thanked: 36 times; Followed by:1 members; GMAT Score:640

by limestone » Sun Nov 21, 2010 3:53 am

BellTheGMAT wrote:
selango wrote:Before in the original sentence is enough to maintain the time sequence.Hence we don't need past perfect to define the time sequence.

So simple past tense 'was' is enough.
Hey,
Wats your take on this....

According to a recent study of sexual behaviour in the US, over half of the couples that were married and engaged at the time of the study's survey were living together before making a final commitment to eachother.

A - couples that were married and engaged at the time of the study's survey were living
B - couples that were engaged or married at the time of the sutdy's survey had lived
C - couples who were engaged or married at the time when the study's survey occured were living
D - married and engaged couples at the time of the study's survey had lived
E - married or engaged couples at the time of the study's survey were living

Source <Kaplan>

IMO: B

"before making a final commitment to each other" so the past perfect must be used. Thus eliminated A,C,E.

B and D remain.

"married and engaged couples" is inappropriate. Some couples marry without engaging.
So "were engaged or married" is better. Hence, eliminate D.

Thus B should be the answer.
At first I chose E, but rethought and took B.

"There is nothing either good or bad - but thinking makes it so" - Shakespeare.

Quote

gmat62k10: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 11; Joined: Tue May 04, 2010 3:57 am; Thanked: 1 times

by gmat62k10 » Sun Nov 21, 2010 10:41 am

Although B is correct for tenses but I am not sure "that" can refer to people in GMAT

Quote

uwhusky: Legendary Member; Posts: 1172; Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:20 pm; Thanked: 74 times; Followed by:4 members

by uwhusky » Sun Nov 21, 2010 10:49 am

I didn't like the OA, so I did some search.

https://www.beatthegmat.com/present-perf ... 49438.html

Yep.

Quote

BellTheGMAT: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 78; Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2010 8:03 am; Thanked: 4 times; Followed by:1 members

by BellTheGMAT » Sun Nov 21, 2010 5:32 pm

BellTheGMAT wrote:
selango wrote:Before in the original sentence is enough to maintain the time sequence.Hence we don't need past perfect to define the time sequence.

So simple past tense 'was' is enough.
Hey,
Wats your take on this....

According to a recent study of sexual behaviour in the US, over half of the couples that were married and engaged at the time of the study's survey were living together before making a final commitment to eachother.

A - couples that were married and engaged at the time of the study's survey were living
B - couples that were engaged or married at the time of the sutdy's survey had lived
C - couples who were engaged or married at the time when the study's survey occured were living
D - married and engaged couples at the time of the study's survey had lived
E - married or engaged couples at the time of the study's survey were living

Source <Kaplan>

I personnaly felt C as answer - "who" used for couples, "or" used to seperate engaged and married... "were living" used which referes to activity in past.
Any further insight how to decide??

Also, kindly quote the SC which you are referring, as there r 2 SC in this topict....

Quote

Jim@Grockit: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 641; Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2009 3:07 pm; Location: Madison, WI; Thanked: 162 times; Followed by:45 members; GMAT Score:760

by Jim@Grockit » Sun Nov 21, 2010 11:04 pm

uwhusky wrote:I didn't like the OA, so I did some search.

https://www.beatthegmat.com/present-perf ... 49438.html

I think maybe not everyone read the link, but it's really worth reading, even if it makes some things more confusing.

I don't have the citation handy, but I'm almost positive there's a OG sentence with both a "time marker" and a past perfect tense verb. I should really find that one (if I didn't dream it).

Important point: it's not wrong to use the past perfect even when there's a time marker, like Even though we had visited Canada four years ago, we still went back on our vacation last year.