OG 90

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OG 90

by Mission2012 » Tue Apr 23, 2013 9:02 am
The results of the company's cost-cutting measures
are evident in its profits, which increased 5 percent
during the first 3 months of this year after it fell over the last two years.


(A) which increased 5 percent during the first
3 months of this year after it fell
(B) which had increased 5 percent during the first
3 months of this year after it had fallen
(C) which have increased 5 percent during the first
3 months of this year after falling
(D) with a 5 percent increase during the first
3 months of this year after falling
(E) with a 5 percent increase during the first
3 months of this year after having fallen

My questions -

1. Would option A still be incorrect if it read -
which increased 5 percent during the first
3 months of this year after they fell

Isn't "after" in the sentence making the sequence of event clear.
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Source: — Sentence Correction |

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by Unlimitedgmat » Tue Apr 23, 2013 1:10 pm
Hi,

This would not really be correct because it would be awkward. You will still need to have "having fallen" in order to denote that that the fall was completed.

If you had "after they fell" then it would suggest that you were going to give some more information i.e. by how much they fell etc. (e.g. after they fell 3%) . Alternatively it could be giving more information on the time period over which the profits fell e.g. after they fell dramatically over the last two years. Note the adverb "dramatically" which you would need in order for this sentence to make sense. If it were simply:

" after they fell over the last two years."

then it would be incorrect.

Without more information that construction would be awkward.
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