Sentence Correction

According to scientists at the University of California, the pattern of changes that have occurred in human DNA over the millennia indicate the possibility that everyone alive today might be descended from a single female ancestor who lived in Africa sometime between 140,000 and 280,000 years ago.

(A) indicate the possibility that everyone alive today might be descended from a single female ancestor who
(B) indicate that everyone alive today might possibly be a descendant of a single female ancestor who had
(C) may indicate that everyone alive today has descended from a single female ancestor who had
(D) indicates that everyone alive today may be a descendant of a single female ancestor who
(E) indicates that everyone alive today might be a descendant from a single female ancestor who

pattern is singluar. indicates is required.
ABC out.

I beleive "Descendant of " and "Descended from" are right.
Hence E is out.

Pick D

gmat_perfect wrote:According to scientists at the University of California, the pattern of changes that have occurred in human DNA over the millennia indicate the possibility that everyone alive today might be descended from a single female ancestor who lived in Africa sometime between 140,000 and 280,000 years ago.

(A) indicate the possibility that everyone alive today might be descended from a single female ancestor who
(B) indicate that everyone alive today might possibly be a descendant of a single female ancestor who had
(C) may indicate that everyone alive today has descended from a single female ancestor who had
(D) indicates that everyone alive today may be a descendant of a single female ancestor who
(E) indicates that everyone alive today might be a descendant from a single female ancestor who

completed in 2 min 6 sec

IMO D

Descendant of - correct idiom - hence A, C and E out
Pattern - singular - indicate plural - hence B out

gmat_perfect wrote:According to scientists at the University of California, the pattern of changes that have occurred in human DNA over the millennia indicate the possibility that everyone alive today might be descended from a single female ancestor who lived in Africa sometime between 140,000 and 280,000 years ago.

(A) indicate the possibility that everyone alive today might be descended from a single female ancestor who
(B) indicate that everyone alive today might possibly be a descendant of a single female ancestor who had
(C) may indicate that everyone alive today has descended from a single female ancestor who had
(D) indicates that everyone alive today may be a descendant of a single female ancestor who
(E) indicates that everyone alive today might be a descendant from a single female ancestor who

Indicate + that ~> eliminate A

Subject: "The pattern" ~> singular verb ~> eliminate B (using "indicate" instead of "indicates")

In C, "may indicate" changes meaning

"Descendant of", not " descendant from" ~> D is correct and E's out

one more for D

One more vote for D

In the option E, is "might" a problem?

Thanks/

gmat_perfect wrote:In the option E, is "might" a problem?

Thanks/

I actually almost picked E over D because I thought might was better usage. I think E is incorrect because of descendant 'from' usage.