Sentence Correction

In the mid-1920's the Clyde Fan Factory of the Bosch Manufacturing Company was the scene of an intensive series of experiments that would investigate changes in working conditions as to their effects on workers' performance.

A. that would investigate changes in working conditions as to their effects on workers' performance to investigate what the effects changes in working conditions would have on workers' performance
B. investigating the effects that changes in working conditions would have on workers' performance
C. for investigating what are the effects in workers' performance that changes in working conditions would cause
D. that investigated changes in working conditions' effects on workers' performance
E. to investigate what the effects changes in working conditions would have on workers' performance


A. In the mid-1920's the Clyde Fan Factory of the Bosch Manufacturing Company was the scene of an intensive series of experiments that would investigate changes in working conditions as to their effects on workers' performance. "as to their effects on workers' performance" is wordy

B. In the mid-1920's the Clyde Fan Factory of the Bosch Manufacturing Company was the scene of an intensive series of experiments investigating the effects that changes in working conditions would have on workers' performance. CORRECT. "Investigating" correctly modifies "experiments" and "changes in working conditions" is concise and clear.

C. In the mid-1920's the Clyde Fan Factory of the Bosch Manufacturing Company was the scene of an intensive series of experiments for investigating what are the effects in workers' performance that changes in working conditions would cause. "for investigating" is wordy. "investigating what" is redundant.

D. In the mid-1920's the Clyde Fan Factory of the Bosch Manufacturing Company was the scene of an intensive series of experiments that investigated changes in working conditions' effects on workers' performance Changes in working conditions' effects is awkward.

E. In the mid-1920's the Clyde Fan Factory of the Bosch Manufacturing Company was the scene of an intensive series of experiments to investigate what the effects changes in working conditions would have on workers' performance Investigate what is redundant.


Answer: B



Hi Experts ,
I dont understand why D is incorrect .Also I'm a little confused about using would in these kind of scenarios.
can you please shed some light on the same ?

D is a little funny because the effects could be effects of the changes or effects of the conditions. I guess meaning indicates that they must be the effects of changes in conditions, but still the construction is a little awkward.

D is however probably better than B.

The use of would in B does not make sense. The point is not that they were investigating the effects that changes would have. They were investigating the effects that changes do or did in fact have.

People often use would in situations in which using would does not make sense.

On the GMAT would may be used in conditional constructions.

Here's an example of would used in a conditional construction.

If Fred were here now, he would know what to do.

Here's another way in which would could be used on the GMAT, in a future in the past construction.

In the story, Jane was traveling on vacation, unaware that soon she would get caught up in a bizarre mystery.

For a more extensive discussion of would check out this site.

https://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/l ... -use-would

For a more GMAT focused discussion of the use of would, check out this post.

https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/gmat-gramm ... ive-tense/