Present perfect vs simple past \(0_0)/ sosososososs

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
1

<p>From its modest beginnings (as) a series of brief
A
vignettes to (its establishment as) the
B
longest-running prime-time animated series on</p>

<p>television, The Simpsons (transformed) the way
C<br>
(both the) audiences and television programmers
D
view the animated sitcom. (N.E.)</p>

<p>The answer is D because the (both x and y) construction must be parallel. i get the question. </p>

<p>but i was wondering... isnt the simpsons' act of transforming present perfect, not simple past? it is continuing in the present from the past. so shouldn't it be "has transformed"?</p>

<p>does the "from x to y " clause act as a specific completed time frame in the past, qualifying use of simple past because then the transformation that the question refers to does not continue into the present? i thought people only use the "from x to y" construction when they want to include some significant information about the subject (like how it grew from a modest series of vignettes to a primetime animated blalblablahawet), not a time frame.</p>

<p>please clarify why the simple past is okay here. thanks. but please, if you don't really know, don't assert yourself because i will get confused. and i might break something if i get confused. jk (not rly)</p>

2

<p>Is the Simpsons still coming out with new shows? If not, then simple past is definitely fine.
Also, it’s ‘establishment’ happened in the past, then simple past should be fine I would think. It’s not still ‘transforming’ anything. It became a long-running cartoon, transformation complete.</p>

<p>It really doesn’t matter because D is clearly wrong. It even sounds wrong if you read it.
I think they try to trick you with stuff like that but just go with the one that’s clearly wrong.</p>

3

<p>Simple past is correct because the transformation is completed already, according to the first clause. They use from and to to indicate the time period. It doesn’t continue in the present because they are talking about a period of time from its beginning to a time when it became the longest-running prime-time animated series.</p>