After sensing a problem with the factory workers, the personnel officer demanded to know who the union leaders had contacted to conduct the petition drive.

Question

After sensing a problem with the factory workers, the personnel officer demanded to know who the union leaders had contacted to conduct the petition drive. Option 1: whom the union leaders had contacted Option 2: who had the union leaders had contacted Option 3: whom the union leaders have contacted Option 4: who union leaders contacted

AfterBoards · Accepted Answer

This question tests **who vs. whom usage and verb tense consistency**. Think of "who" as the doer (like "he") and "whom" as the receiver (like "him"). If you can substitute "him," use "whom." Example: "To whom did you give the cookie?" (You gave it to him, not he.) Option 1 → Correct! "Whom" receives the action, "had contacted" matches timeline. Option 2 → Double "had" makes this a grammatical train wreck. Option 3 → Right pronoun, wrong tense—"have contacted" clashes with past context. Option 4 → Too casual for formal writing, drops "whom" and articles.

IPMAT Indore (VA) PYQs

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