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

Redeem
TTP OnDemand GMAT Video Course
Featured Course

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Scott Woodbury-Stewart’s private virtual classroom — 400 hours of master-class video lessons for the GMAT Focus Edition.

  • 715+ score guarantee — highest in the industry (99th percentile)
  • 52 chapters · 1,500+ lessons · 4,000+ practice questions
  • 400 hours of video · 1,500+ instructor-led HD smartboard lessons
  • 300,000+ students accepted to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth & Sloan & more
  • 24/7 live support + weekly Zoom office hours with GMAT instructors
  • TTP AI Assist — 24/7 AI-powered virtual tutor for instant help
  • 1,200+ flashcards + AI-powered study assistant & daily calendar
  • OnDemand, LiveTeach & GMAT Bootcamp formats available
  • Also: GRE, SAT Math & Executive Assessment courses
  • MBA Admissions Consulting now available
  • 🏆 2025 EdTech Breakthrough Award: Test Prep Solution Provider of the Year
  • 200,000+ students served
  • 5-day free trial — $0 to start, no auto-billing, cancel anytime
★★★★★ 5.0 (559 reviews)
130-pt guarantee
$0 to start then $127/mo
Start Free 5-Day Trial Read 559 Reviews →

OG-12 SC

Expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 216
Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:35 am
Location: Pune, India
Thanked: 5 times
GMAT Score:700
by ayushiiitm » Wed Jul 14, 2010 7:06 am
His studies of ice-polished rocks in his Alpine homeland, far outside the range of present-day glaciers, led Louis Agassiz in 1837 to propose the concept of an age in which great ice sheets had existed in what are now temperate areas

(A) in which great ice sheets had existed in what are now temperate areas
(B) in which great ice sheets existed in what are now temperate areas
(C) when great ice sheets existed where there were areas now temperate
(D) when great ice sheets had existed in current temperate areas
(E) when great ice sheets existed in areas now that are temperate

i chose D

but explanation says past perfect should not be used. Instead existed should be used

Also 'when' should be used, since time is being considered.

OA later

Another confusion i have is regarding His

His is a possessive pronoun, like 'those'. Can the possessive pronoun be used before the referent. I had read somewhere that possessive pronoun should always come after the referent has already been stated
Success is a journey.....enjoy every moment of it
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Source: — Sentence Correction |
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1083
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:38 pmFollowed by: 14 members
Thanked: 127 times

by gmat_perfect » Wed Jul 14, 2010 7:21 am
ayushiiitm wrote:His studies of ice-polished rocks in his Alpine homeland, far outside the range of present-day glaciers, led Louis Agassiz in 1837 to propose the concept of an age in which great ice sheets had existed in what are now temperate areas

(A) in which great ice sheets had existed in what are now temperate areas
(B) in which great ice sheets existed in what are now temperate areas
(C) when great ice sheets existed where there were areas now temperate
(D) when great ice sheets had existed in current temperate areas
(E) when great ice sheets existed in areas now that are temperate

i chose D

but explanation says past perfect should not be used. Instead existed should be used

Also 'when' should be used, since time is being considered.

OA later

Another confusion i have is regarding His

His is a possessive pronoun, like 'those'. Can the possessive pronoun be used before the referent. I had read somewhere that possessive pronoun should always come after the referent has already been stated
Answer:

1. If there are two related past events, we should use the past perfect tense for the more past one.

=> There is only one event. So, we should ignore the use of past perfect.

Eliminate the options A and D.
2. There are/there were' is very often treated as redundant in GMAT land.

=> Eliminate the option C.

3.Adverb modifies the verb. So, adverb should be used very near to the verb.

=> Now that are is awkward and misleading.
Eliminate E.

Answer is B
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 995
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:56 pmFollowed by: 1 member
Thanked: 31 times

by paes » Wed Jul 14, 2010 7:44 am
read the expert comment

https://www.beatthegmat.com/past-perfect ... 05-15.html
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 41
Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2009 5:09 am
Thanked: 2 times

by kamalsinghy » Wed Jul 14, 2010 7:46 am
"concept of an age" i.e. Louis is still not sure whether that age existed or not, therefore past perfect usage should be avoided since the age did not exist in reality. Even I would say that because of "concept of an age", "when" usage is not perfect.

Now we are left with B,C and E.

In E, "areas now that" indicates that "ice sheets" existed in areas now; such construction is nonsensical.

In C, "existed where there" is not proper to express the idea.

Ans B.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 995
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:56 pmFollowed by: 1 member
Thanked: 31 times

by paes » Wed Jul 14, 2010 7:49 am
gmat_perfect wrote:
ayushiiitm wrote:His studies of ice-polished rocks in his Alpine homeland, far outside the range of present-day glaciers, led Louis Agassiz in 1837 to propose the concept of an age in which great ice sheets had existed in what are now temperate areas

(A) in which great ice sheets had existed in what are now temperate areas
(B) in which great ice sheets existed in what are now temperate areas
(C) when great ice sheets existed where there were areas now temperate
(D) when great ice sheets had existed in current temperate areas
(E) when great ice sheets existed in areas now that are temperate

i chose D

but explanation says past perfect should not be used. Instead existed should be used

Also 'when' should be used, since time is being considered.



OA later

Another confusion i have is regarding His

His is a possessive pronoun, like 'those'. Can the possessive pronoun be used before the referent. I had read somewhere that possessive pronoun should always come after the referent has already been stated
Answer:

1. If there are two related past events, we should use the past perfect tense for the more past one.

=> There is only one event. So, we should ignore the use of past perfect.

Eliminate the options A and D.
2. There are/there were' is very often treated as redundant in GMAT land.

=> Eliminate the option C.

3.Adverb modifies the verb. So, adverb should be used very near to the verb.

=> Now that are is awkward and misleading.
Eliminate E.

Answer is B
IMO : B

why E is wrong : not convinced with your logic
I think E is wrong because moderate is an adjective, so it should come with areas.

If there is some other good, straight reason to avoid E, please explain.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1893
Joined: Sun May 30, 2010 11:48 pmFollowed by: 7 members
Thanked: 215 times

by kvcpk » Wed Jul 14, 2010 7:57 am
paes wrote:
gmat_perfect wrote:
ayushiiitm wrote:His studies of ice-polished rocks in his Alpine homeland, far outside the range of present-day glaciers, led Louis Agassiz in 1837 to propose the concept of an age in which great ice sheets had existed in what are now temperate areas

(A) in which great ice sheets had existed in what are now temperate areas
(B) in which great ice sheets existed in what are now temperate areas
(C) when great ice sheets existed where there were areas now temperate
(D) when great ice sheets had existed in current temperate areas
(E) when great ice sheets existed in areas now that are temperate

i chose D

but explanation says past perfect should not be used. Instead existed should be used

Also 'when' should be used, since time is being considered.



OA later

Another confusion i have is regarding His

His is a possessive pronoun, like 'those'. Can the possessive pronoun be used before the referent. I had read somewhere that possessive pronoun should always come after the referent has already been stated
Answer:

1. If there are two related past events, we should use the past perfect tense for the more past one.

=> There is only one event. So, we should ignore the use of past perfect.

Eliminate the options A and D.
2. There are/there were' is very often treated as redundant in GMAT land.

=> Eliminate the option C.

3.Adverb modifies the verb. So, adverb should be used very near to the verb.

=> Now that are is awkward and misleading.
Eliminate E.

Answer is B
IMO : B

why E is wrong : not convinced with your logic
I think E is wrong because moderate is an adjective, so it should come with areas.

If there is some other good, straight reason to avoid E, please explain.
in E, "that" is referring to "now". It should refer to "areas"
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1083
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:38 pmFollowed by: 14 members
Thanked: 127 times

by gmat_perfect » Wed Jul 14, 2010 9:00 am
paes wrote:
gmat_perfect wrote:
ayushiiitm wrote:His studies of ice-polished rocks in his Alpine homeland, far outside the range of present-day glaciers, led Louis Agassiz in 1837 to propose the concept of an age in which great ice sheets had existed in what are now temperate areas

(A) in which great ice sheets had existed in what are now temperate areas
(B) in which great ice sheets existed in what are now temperate areas
(C) when great ice sheets existed where there were areas now temperate
(D) when great ice sheets had existed in current temperate areas
(E) when great ice sheets existed in areas now that are temperate

i chose D

but explanation says past perfect should not be used. Instead existed should be used

Also 'when' should be used, since time is being considered.



OA later

Another confusion i have is regarding His

His is a possessive pronoun, like 'those'. Can the possessive pronoun be used before the referent. I had read somewhere that possessive pronoun should always come after the referent has already been stated
Answer:

1. If there are two related past events, we should use the past perfect tense for the more past one.

=> There is only one event. So, we should ignore the use of past perfect.

Eliminate the options A and D.
2. There are/there were' is very often treated as redundant in GMAT land.

=> Eliminate the option C.

3.Adverb modifies the verb. So, adverb should be used very near to the verb.

=> Now that are is awkward and misleading.
Eliminate E.

Answer is B
IMO : B

why E is wrong : not convinced with your logic
I think E is wrong because moderate is an adjective, so it should come with areas.

If there is some other good, straight reason to avoid E, please explain.
@Paes,

when great ice sheets existed in areas now that are temperate.

=> 'now that are temperate' means now is temperate. Does it make sense?

Got it?
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 995
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:56 pmFollowed by: 1 member
Thanked: 31 times

by paes » Wed Jul 14, 2010 9:13 am
gmat_perfect and kvcp :

that can refer to areas also.

There is no strict rule for -> 'that' refer only to nearest noun.

You can see many examples in OG where that is not referring to nearest noun.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Post new topic Locked
• Page 1 of 1