MGMAT SC Guide Problems from Verb Tense, Mood problem set

[rahul]

1. we thought that joe didn't go to the museum with the rest of the class.

2. She had gotten up in the morning and was brushing her teeth when the phone rang

3. The attorney proposed that the session was adjourned until the following day

4. we could start the meeting if sam was here

(answer for the above one "we could start the meeting if sam were here " sam is singular were is plural ???

can some one give detail explanations for the above sentences. I want to know what makes them right or wrong.

[rahul]

I was looking forward for someone from MGMAT comment on the questions i wrote but looks like none of them are interested.
It is important for me to grasp some of the basics from MGMAT SC guide before i tackle bigger problems.

I need you help guys, please help me

[RonPurewal]

dude - we get pretty heavy traffic on these forums, and it sometimes takes us a few days to get around to answering questions. don't worry; your question will be answered in due time, usually within a couple of days at the most (maybe a little more if you post on fri/sat).

1
incorrect
you can't have 'thought' in the same tense (here, simple past) as 'didn't', because 'didn't' is a prior event with a direct bearing on the thought. therefore, 'didn't' must appear in the past perfect: we thought that joe hadn't gone to...

2
grammatically correct, but the wording is weird
- 'had gotten' is in past perfect: it was completed prior to the action that's the centerpiece of the sentence (the phone rang), and its completion is presumed relevant to that action
- 'was brushing' is in past progressive, because it was ongoing at the time the phone rang
- 'rang' is in simple past, because it's a one-off action that took place at a definitive point in the past
- the placement of 'in the morning' is a bit weird (it makes it seem as though the toothbrushing and phone ringing didn't happen until later in the day)

3
incorrect
for a proposal (of something that hasn't happened yet), you need the subjunctive mood: the attorney proposed that the session be adjourned...
-- special note: if you're proposing a hypothesis about how something happened/happens, then you don't use the subjunctive. illustrations:
the senator proposed that more tax money go to social programs than to the military --> this is the senator's idea of a good budget
the senator proposed that more tax money goes to social programs than to the military --> the senator is proposing his hypothesis that this is currently happening in the budget, whether or not he thinks it's a good idea

4
incorrect
for hypothetical situations with 'if', use the subjunctive: ...if sam were here

hope that helps. please be patient when posting from now on!

[gmat_jul]

In one of the examples below

"the senator proposed that more tax money goes to social programs than to the military"

Explanation given below - the senator is proposing his hypothesis that this is currently happening in the budget, whether or not he thinks it's a good idea

Question on explanation - Is use of proposal correct if situation is current? How can I differentiate on GMAT if mood is subjunctive or indicative? I am not able to make out the difference in context of 2 examples mentioned below

Thanks

[rfernandez]

It's certainly an unusual (but still correct!) use of the verb "to propose." In the indicative example, a synonym for "proposed" might be "claimed." But the big takeaway is that the subjunctive applies if it is a proposal for something that has yet to occur. Use the indicative for something that is currently true.

Another example with the verb "to suggest":

His physical condition suggests that he engage in daily workouts.
(He's out of shape, and should work out daily to address this issue -- subjunctive.)

His physical condition suggests that he engages in daily workouts.
(He's in great shape, and we can conclude that he works out daily -- indicative.)

On a GMAT problem, you'd have to determine from the original sentence and its context which meaning is intended.

[gmat_jul]

Thanks Rey for your explanation

[StaceyKoprince]

Agreed - nice work, Rey!