SC:is descended or has descended ?

[pmal04]

Australian embryologists have found evidence that suggests that the elephant is descended from an aquatic animal, and its trunk originally evolved as a kind of snorkel.
A. that suggests that the elephant is descended from an aquatic animal, and its trunk originally evolved
B. that has suggested the elephant descended from an aquatic animal, its trunk originally evolving
C. suggesting that the elephant had descended from an aquatic animal with its trunk originally evolving
D. to suggest that the elephant has descended from an aquatic animal and its trunk originally evolved
E. to suggest that the elephant is descended from an aquatic animal and that its trunk originally evolved

Source:GMATprep OA E.

I chose ans. D which was incorrect.
Ron, could please explain which one is correct-'has descended' or 'is descended'

[RonPurewal]

Australian embryologists have found evidence that suggests that the elephant is descended from an aquatic animal, and its trunk originally evolved as a kind of snorkel.
A. that suggests that the elephant is descended from an aquatic animal, and its trunk originally evolved
B. that has suggested the elephant descended from an aquatic animal, its trunk originally evolving
C. suggesting that the elephant had descended from an aquatic animal with its trunk originally evolving
D. to suggest that the elephant has descended from an aquatic animal and its trunk originally evolved
E. to suggest that the elephant is descended from an aquatic animal and that its trunk originally evolved

Source:GMATprep OA E.

I chose ans. D which was incorrect.
Ron, could please explain which one is correct-'has descended' or 'is descended'

well, you already know the answer to this question: the one that appears in the correct answer is correct.

so, i'll assume that you're asking WHY "is descended" is correct, and not WHICH ONE.

"has descended" means "has moved downward". this can be in either a literal sense (he has descended to sea level from a height of 8000 feet) or a metaphorical sense (i don't want to descend to the level of common street thugs), but it can't refer to ancestry.

if you mean to discuss ancestry, which is clearly the case here, then you must use "is descended".

[pmal04]

Thank you, Ron. very nice explanation.

[RonPurewal]

Thank you, Ron. very nice explanation.

good times

[cesar.rodriguez.blanco]

Is D better because of the parallelism: "suggest that.....and that"?

[sd]

I would never have guessed E to be the answer for this one....I chose D too on the GMAT prep..

Ron, are there any such tricky words as 'descended' that can have vastly different meanings, when used with 'has' versus 'is'?

[RonPurewal]

I would never have guessed E to be the answer for this one....I chose D too on the GMAT prep..

Ron, are there any such tricky words as 'descended' that can have vastly different meanings, when used with 'has' versus 'is'?

well, i don't have a list memorized, but you should realize that these two constructions are completely different grammatically (i.e., it's not just a difference of idiom).
i.e.,
"HAVE VERBed" is an active-voice construction.
"IS VERBed" is a passive-voice construction.

think of the difference between the following:
this film director has inspired many young directors to pursue careers in film.
this film director was inspired by his father, also a director.

[r_rampuria]

Why "to suggest" and not "that suggests"

Ron / Stacie, I need your help.

[fenruyun]

Why "to suggest" and not "that suggests"

Ron / Stacie, I need your help.

The same question. I always thought that GMAC used " to do " as attribute in a restricted situation which refers to a future tense or to a intention.

Thank u

[ahsan.saeed]

Ron/Stacy, can you please explain this question?

Why "To Suggest" and not "that suggests"?

[RonPurewal]

Why "to suggest" and not "that suggests"

Ron / Stacie, I need your help.

"evidence to suggest" and "evidence that suggests" are both acceptable in this sort of context. neither is a basis for elimination.

normally you would see "evidence that suggests..."
however, they've used "evidence to suggest..." here, in order to avoid writing evidence THAT suggests THAT xxxxx. not because it's wrong -- just because it's ugly.

[enfinity]

Instead of using "to suggest" or "that suggests" - which are both correct in this sentence - would it be permissible to use "suggesting that ..."?

Instead of saying:
(1) Australian embryologists have found evidence to suggest that the elephant...

Would it be ok to use the following construction:
(2) Australian embryologists have found evidence suggesting that the elephant...

Putting a present participle right after the noun it is supposed to modify is simply the reduced version of a relative clause I believe... I just want to clarify that option (c) starts off correctly.

Thanks!
Steve

[RonPurewal]

Instead of using "to suggest" or "that suggests" - which are both correct in this sentence - would it be permissible to use "suggesting that ..."?

Instead of saying:
(1) Australian embryologists have found evidence to suggest that the elephant...

Would it be ok to use the following construction:
(2) Australian embryologists have found evidence suggesting that the elephant...

Putting a present participle right after the noun it is supposed to modify is simply the reduced version of a relative clause I believe... I just want to clarify that option (c) starts off correctly.

Thanks!
Steve

yeah, "suggesting" should be fine in this case.

[jessie-cn2007]

Hi Ron,
I have a question about E, the clause before "and" is in present tense, while that after is in past tense. I assume that the two clauses should be in the same tense. There is no legitimate reason to use present to describe sth happened and finished in the past.
Thanks a million~

[RonPurewal]

Hi Ron,
I have a question about E, the clause before "and" is in present tense, while that after is in past tense. I assume that the two clauses should be in the same tense. There is no legitimate reason to use present to describe sth happened and finished in the past.
Thanks a million~

"is descended from" is indeed a description of a condition in the present. it's the same thing as "is a descendant of".

cf. my friend is a direct descendant of George Washington.
you wouldn't say "was", unless my friend is dead.
same thing with the elephant - if you write "the elephant was..." in this case, you are actually implying that the elephant is extinct.