Usage of when Vs which.

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Usage of when Vs which.

by gmatrant » Tue Aug 17, 2010 6:50 pm
His Studies of ice-polished rocks in his Alpine homeland, far outside the range of present day glaciers, led Louis Agassiz in 1857 to propose the concept of an age in which great ice sheets had existed in now currently temperate areas.

A. in which great ice sheets had existed in now currently 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.

concept of an age - isn't this refering to a period , So shouldn't 'when' be used.
How can 'which' be used here as a correct option.
OA is B.
Source: — Sentence Correction |

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by uwhusky » Tue Aug 17, 2010 6:52 pm
In which can be used interchangeable with "when" when it is used to modify a noun event or time.

Page 88 in MGMAT SC guide.

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by gmatrant » Wed Aug 18, 2010 4:48 pm
thanks that precisely bring up my question
'when' can be used to modify a noun event or time such as period, age, decade etc.
So in the above case if I replace 'in which' with 'when' - is that correct.

Also what is wrong with the sentences using 'when'

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by uwhusky » Wed Aug 18, 2010 5:01 pm
According to MGMAT SC, either one will work. GMAT could use when/in which as fake splits, baiting you to eliminate the correct answer.
Yep.

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