Sentence Correction

Hi All,

Can someone please help me in the following question. The OA is [spoiler]"C"[/spoiler]. But I find Subject verb issue in [spoiler]"C"[/spoiler]. Please tell what I am missing here.

Many companies in the pollution control industry, which until a few years ago has prospered on account of a national concern for environmental controls, has recently experienced sharp drops in sales and profits.

A) until a few years ago has prospered on account of a national concern for environmental controls, has
B) up until a few years ago, when prospering on account of a national concern for environmental controls, have
c) until a few years ago was prospering because of a national concern for environmental controls, have
D) up until a few years ago have prospered because of a national concern for environmental control, has
E) until a few years ago had prospered because of a national concern for environmental controls, has

Thanks
Mohit

Many Companies + have is correct...Only B and C have that SV agreement....Also, "up until and when" in B is unidiomatic...So that leaves C only

Keep in mind here that it is the industry that was prospering, not the companies.

It is the companies that have experienced a sharp drop in sales.

So, answer is C because both "was" and "have" are correct within the sentence.

ssilver0210 wrote:Keep in mind here that it is the industry that was prospering, not the companies.

It is the companies that have experienced a sharp drop in sales.

So, answer is C because both "was" and "have" are correct within the sentence.

Thanks. Got it.

This is where I get confused. How would I know that has after the second comma does not refer to the industry which then should be 'have'.

As per manhattan which is used to tell more about the noun preceding it...and acts as middlemen.

so we can strike off which and the original sentence becomes..

Many companies in the pollution control industry, "has" recently experienced sharp drops in sales and profits.


In the above "has" is referring to companies.....think it this way....

Many companies.........has/have...........sales.....

HTH.