Which one will you choose?

Many women who might otherwise choose teaching as a career in the past are now going into business government and industry areas where there are opportunities not previously available to them.

A) who might otherwise choose teaching as a career in the past
B) who otherwise might once choose teaching as a career
C) who might once have chosen teaching as a career
D) who, in the past, might otherwise once have chosen teaching as a career
E) who, as a career, might have chosen teaching in the past

一个网站上copy过来的，本来觉得自己挺明白的，可是令人吃惊的是大家竟然对答案莫衷一是，焦点在ABC之间，你觉得你会选哪个？

   我选C

   觉得A中的in the past 修饰有问题

    B中otherwise 和 once 并用，很累赘

    C中 might have chosen 表示虚拟，觉得满对

     大家讨论。。。

这题不是很明显嘛？ C呀。整个一OG188 的变体。

188. As a result of medical advances, many people that might at one time have died as children of such infections as diphtheria, pneumonia, or rheumatic fever now live well into old age.

(A)  that might at one time have died as children

(B)  who might once have died in childhood

(C)  that as children might once have died

(D)  who in childhood might have at one time died

(E)   who, when they were children, might at one time have died

B, the best choice, uses the preferred relative pronoun, who, to refer to many people. It observes formal and logical parallelism in the wording of the relative clause and the main clause: first, adverbs (once and now)', second, verbs (might have died and live); and third, adverbial prepositional phrases (in childhood and into old age). A and C use the questionable relative pronoun that to refer to many people. They also violate the parallel structure noted above. D and E, although they use the correct pronoun, who, offer convoluted and nonparallel structures for the relative clause.

谢过两位班主

sb. who might once have done now do..

sb. who might once have done are now ..

背下来即可！

严重同意C，这也是我的第一选择。

本来觉得这是道答案很明显的题目，可是大家看看下面美国学生的讨论吧，让我大跌眼镜之余，还头晕脑胀不已啊！！尤其最后跳出来的该站的一条大牛，盖棺定论地排除了C，真真让人困惑

（希望大家摆事实讲道理，给我点信心啊！）

Sep 27 2003, 04:48 PM     

Many women who might otherwise choose teaching as a career in the past are now going into business government and industry areas where there are opportunities not previously available to them.

A) who might otherwise choose teaching as a career in the past
B) who otherwise might once choose teaching as a career
C) who might once have chosen teaching as a career
D) who, in the past, might otherwise once have chosen teaching as a career
E) who, as a career, might have chosen teaching in the past

Which do you think the best of all?
I picked (A), but I am cofused about the tense...
(B) and (E) also seem good....

Thanks in advance.
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Sep 28 2003, 08:16 AM     

The correct answer is C with the following construct:

Many women who might once have chosen X and now choosing Y.

A) "choose " and "in the past" are in-coherent

B) "once" and "choose" are in-coherent as once signifies past tense

D) use of both "in the past" and "once" is redundant

E) Changes the meaning to mean as if they would have chosen "teaching in the past" which is illogical
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Sept 28 2003：

choose [teaching as a career] in the past = In the past, they might choose teaching as a career
choose = predicate
teaching as a career = direct object
in the past = adverbial modifier of time

choose teaching as [a career in the past] =They might choose teaching as a career

choose = predicate
teaching = direct object
as career in the past = noun phrase as adverbial

QUOTE  
C) who might once have chosen teaching as a career
D) who, in the past, might otherwise once have chosen teaching as a career

Inappropriate use of tense.

QUOTE  
E) who, as a career, might have chosen teaching in the past

women=career

Is "A" beter than "B" now?
IMHO, "Once"(adverb) is adverbial of frequency. It modifies verb=choose. Adeverbs may be considered as the most movable words. choose once=once choose are similar constructions, semantically. When we put once between might and choose, we form good balance between main words (s/v) and modifiers and avoid ambiguity of "teaching as a career in the past".

who otherwise might once choose teaching as a career

Please correct me if something is wrong.

Thank you.

Marat.
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Mar 25 2004, 11:06 AM     

C would be better without "once". "might have" indicates a possiblity, of course doubtful, in present-anterior.

All in all, A is better
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Mar 25 2004, 12:23 PM     

Hi,

Thank you for your answer.  

coz, C is out.
I mean A vs B.

might choose <-> might choose

I think that A sounds better than B. That is why i have asked why B is wrong. I have found neither grammar nor semantic flaws in B.  

Thank you.

Marat
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Mar 25 2004, 12:28 PM     

once = on one occasion
in the past = the time that has elapsed