Because of dramatic improvements

[james]

Because of dramatic improvements in computing technology, $200 today buys double the hard drive space that it has in 2004.

A...
B: double the hard drive space that it did
C: as much as twice the hard drive space it has
D: two times as many hard drive space as there were
E: a doubling of the hard drive space that it did

Source: veritasprep; OA B; Is the OA correct this way without stating the verb?
Simple Past tense vs Present tense.

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Hi james,

Yes the stated correct answer IS correct. The verb "did" parallels the verb "buys."

The sentence COULD have been written as:

".....$200 today buys double the hard drive space that it BOUGHT in 2004", but the GMAT writers tend to avoid repeat/redundant language in the correct answers. Since the sentence already referred to "buys", it wasn't necessary to repeat that language (although parallelism still needed to be maintained).

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

[james]

If I get u right, u saying it's correct as stated below:

"... $200 today buys double the hard drive space that it did (buys) in 2004"

I feel today should be "buys", while in 2004 should be "bought"
Essentially, the sentence should read as below:

"...$200 today buys double the hard drive space that it did (bought) in 2004"

Because "buys" and "bought" are in different tenses, i also thought the past should be clearly
written"

Pls your response is appreciated.