Perfect Tense

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Perfect Tense

by yellowho » Tue Mar 15, 2011 12:18 am
Australian embryologists have found evidence that suggests that the elephant is descended from an aquatic animal, and its trunk originally evolved as a kind of snorkel.


(A) that suggests that the elephant is descended from an aquatic animal, and its trunk originally evolved
(B) that has suggested the elephant descended from an aquatic animal, its trunk originally evolving
(C) suggesting that the elephant had descended from an aquatic animal with its trunk originally evolving
(D) to suggest that the elephant had descended from an aquatic animal and its trunk originally evolving
(E) to suggest that the elephant is descended from an aquatic animal and that its trunk originally evolved


OG exp for B: The evidence still suggests these things about the evolution of the elephant and its trunks, so the present-perfect verb tense is inaccurate.


I don't understand. I thought the definition of present-perfect is action that occurred in the past whose effects continue to now.
Source: — Sentence Correction |

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by gmat_perfect » Tue Mar 15, 2011 2:53 am
yellowho wrote:Australian embryologists have found evidence that suggests that the elephant is descended from an aquatic animal, and its trunk originally evolved as a kind of snorkel.


(A) that suggests that the elephant is descended from an aquatic animal, and its trunk originally evolved
(B) that has suggested the elephant descended from an aquatic animal, its trunk originally evolving
(C) suggesting that the elephant had descended from an aquatic animal with its trunk originally evolving
(D) to suggest that the elephant had descended from an aquatic animal and its trunk originally evolving
(E) to suggest that the elephant is descended from an aquatic animal and that its trunk originally evolved


OG exp for B: The evidence still suggests these things about the evolution of the elephant and its trunks, so the present-perfect verb tense is inaccurate.

I don't understand. I thought the definition of present-perfect is action that occurred in the past whose effects continue to now.
How to reach to the correct answer:

1. Found that X that Y. is almost always wrong in GMAT.

Eliminate A and C.

2. "X had descended from aquatic" means that X once stopped to descend from aquatic. If X descends from Y, it is always true that X descends from Y.

-> Eliminate D.

About B:
If we want to express an action that is true regardless of time, we should use the simple present tense.

I have suggested. [It means that I may not suggest in future.]
I suggest. [it means that I will always suggest.]

So, there is a difference between present perfect and present simple. We should present simple in this sentence because "the evidence always suggests"

[spoiler]Answer: E[/spoiler]

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by HSPA » Tue Mar 15, 2011 4:44 am
WHat worng with C??

E is sounding very ackward to me...

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by AIM GMAT » Tue Mar 15, 2011 5:15 am
HSPA wrote:WHat worng with C??

E is sounding very ackward to me...
(C) suggesting that the elephant had descended from an aquatic animal with its trunk originally evolving

C says that elephant already decended from aquatic animal & its trunk is still evolving --- that doesnt sound very convincing .

IMO E . POE.
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by gmat_perfect » Tue Mar 15, 2011 6:18 am
HSPA wrote:WHat worng with C??

E is sounding very ackward to me...
The main error in C is "had descended from".

Once they had descended from X---it means that they ceased to descend from X. Maybe they descended from other thing.

This changes the intended meaning of the sentence.

Thanks.

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by tetura84 » Tue Mar 15, 2011 10:09 am
We can eliminate B C & D because of this -
its trunk originally evolving as a kind of snorkel.

evolving is definitely participle.
Remember, in case of verbINGs, they are either gerund or present participle unless we have helping verb before verbING.
What I mean is,
evolving is not a verb because we don't have any helping verb before it.
so evolving as a kind of snorkel is definitely a modifier, where is the verb of this part?
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