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Geologists once thought that the molten rock known as lava was an underground remnant ofEarth's earliest days, sporadically erupting through volcanoes, but they now know that it iscontinuously created by the heat of the radioactivity deep inside the planet.
  • a)
    was an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days, sporadically erupting
  • b)
    had been an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days and sporadically erupted
  • c)
    was an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days, which sporadically erupted
  • d)
    would be an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days that sporadically erupted
  • e)
    was an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days, having sporadically erupted
Correct answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?
Verified Answer
Geologists once thought that the molten rock known as lava was an unde...
The original sentence does not contain any errors. The verb clause "was an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days" is correct in tense (simple past "was") and number (singular "molten rock" paired with singular "was"). Moreover, the modifier "sporadically erupting through volcanoes" correctly modifies "an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days."
(A) CORRECT. This choice is correct as it repeats the original sentence.
(B) This choice unnecessarily and incorrectly changes the simple past "was" to the past perfect "had been," which is used only when describing the earlier of two past actions. Moreover, the use of "and" here equates the geologists' false understanding of lava with the fact that it sometimes erupts through volcanoes.
(C) This choice improperly uses the relative pronoun "which" to modify "Earth's earliest days" instead of "molten rock known as lava."
(D) This choice incorrectly changes the simple past "was" to the conditional "would be." Moreover, the use of  that" implies that eruption through volcanoes was part of what the geologists erroneously believed about lava.
(E) In this choice, "having sporadically erupted" incorrectly places this modifier in the past tense, implying that lava no longer erupts through volcanoes
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Geologists once thought that the molten rock known as lava was an underground remnant ofEarth's earliest days, sporadically erupting through volcanoes, but they now know that it iscontinuously created by the heat of the radioactivity deep inside the planet.a)was an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days, sporadically eruptingb)had been an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days and sporadically eruptedc)was an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days, which sporadically eruptedd)would be an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days that sporadically eruptede)was an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days, having sporadically eruptedCorrect answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?
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Geologists once thought that the molten rock known as lava was an underground remnant ofEarth's earliest days, sporadically erupting through volcanoes, but they now know that it iscontinuously created by the heat of the radioactivity deep inside the planet.a)was an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days, sporadically eruptingb)had been an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days and sporadically eruptedc)was an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days, which sporadically eruptedd)would be an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days that sporadically eruptede)was an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days, having sporadically eruptedCorrect answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer? for GMAT 2024 is part of GMAT preparation. The Question and answers have been prepared according to the GMAT exam syllabus. Information about Geologists once thought that the molten rock known as lava was an underground remnant ofEarth's earliest days, sporadically erupting through volcanoes, but they now know that it iscontinuously created by the heat of the radioactivity deep inside the planet.a)was an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days, sporadically eruptingb)had been an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days and sporadically eruptedc)was an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days, which sporadically eruptedd)would be an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days that sporadically eruptede)was an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days, having sporadically eruptedCorrect answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer? covers all topics & solutions for GMAT 2024 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for Geologists once thought that the molten rock known as lava was an underground remnant ofEarth's earliest days, sporadically erupting through volcanoes, but they now know that it iscontinuously created by the heat of the radioactivity deep inside the planet.a)was an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days, sporadically eruptingb)had been an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days and sporadically eruptedc)was an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days, which sporadically eruptedd)would be an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days that sporadically eruptede)was an underground remnant of Earth's earliest days, having sporadically eruptedCorrect answer is option 'A'. Can you explain this answer?.
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