Source: PrinceTonReview Verbal Workout

The newest statistics released by the Labor Department indicate that jobless claims are down almost 1 percent, while real wages, which had been expected to rise, have remained steady.

A. wages, which had been expected to rise, have remained

B. wages, that had been expected to rise, remained

C. wages that were expected to rise, instead are remaining

D. wages, which did not rise expectedly, remained

E. wages, which it had been expected would rise, instead are remaining

The sentence is correct as it is.But my doubt is "which had been expected to rise"(highlighted in bold) is past perfect tense.I should use past perfect tense only with a past tense to show something happened even before something.Instead we're using with present perfect.Shoudnt we use a simple past here like "which were expected to rise" ? Can you please explain this.I found a similar question i OG but cant remember the no. now.

The 'expectation' was there before the statistics were 'released'. To show this, we have to use past perfect.

The claims 'had been expected to rise' was part of the expectation. The reality, which happened AFTER the statistics were released is that they 'have remained steady'.

Good discussion! The present perfect indicates an event that started at some point in the past and continues to the present moment. Pertaining to the example cited, the event is that wages have remained steady. At some point in the past prior to the realization that wages have remained steady, individuals expected the wages to rise. To indicate this time difference with two "past" events (past is in quotes since the second event still continues), past perfect is an acceptable tense.

Since the simple past and past pefect are both arguably reasonable in this sentence, the GMAT test makes would undoubtedly build additional errors into the incorrect choices (just as the writers of this problem have done).

-dan