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GATE 2017 CE (CE2) – Question 1

General Aptitude · Verbal Aptitude: Grammar and Vocabulary · 1 mark · Multiple choice

The event would have been successful if you ______ able to come.

  1. are
  2. had been
  3. have been
  4. would have been

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Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: (B) had been

Explanation

The main clause would have been successful expresses a counterfactual past result. Its if-clause uses the past perfect: if you **had been** able to come. Hence **B**; are and have been do not fit the past counterfactual construction.