Which sentence uses a mixed conditional correctly to link a past cause with a present result?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. If the dam had been reinforced in 2010, the villages downstream would still be farmed today.
- Step 1: The cause is a past unreal event, so the if-clause needs the past perfect passive (had been reinforced).
- Step 2: The result is unreal and located in the present, so the main clause takes would + base form (would still be farmed today).
Answer
If the dam had been reinforced in 2010, the villages downstream would still be farmed today.
Why not the others: 'Would have been' in the if-clause, a past simple verb in a past unreal condition, and 'had reinforced' without a passive all break the conditional pattern.
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