Though the conventional wisdom regarding the effectiveness of former U.S. presidents changes over time, the overwhelmingly positive reputations of the members of a select group of a few, most notably George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, has seldom been called into question.
A. changes over time, the overwhelmingly positive reputations of the members of a select group of a few, most notably George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, has seldom
B. is changing over time, the overwhelmingly positive reputations of the members of a select group of a few, most notably George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, has seldom
C. changes over time, seldom has the overwhelmingly positive reputations of the members of a select group of a few, most notably George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
D. have changed over time, seldom have the overwhelmingly positive reputations of the members of a select group, most notably George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
E. changes over time, the overwhelmingly positive reputations of the members of a select group, most notably George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, have seldom
This question is based on Subject-verb agreement and Tense.
There are two verbs in the underlined portion – changes and has been called. The subject of the first verb is “the conventional wisdom”; the subject of the second verb is “the overwhelmingly positive reputations.
Since the first subject is singular, the verb must also be singular.
Since the second subject is plural, the verb must also be plural.
The first part of the sentence conveys a universal truth, and so, it must be in the simple present tense.
The second part of the sentence makes a statement about a situation that extends from the past to the present. So, it must be in the present perfect tense.
In Option A, the singular verb “has seldom” does not agree with the plural subject “the overwhelmingly positive reputations”. So, Option A can be eliminated.
Option B also contains the same subject-verb disagreement as Option A. Furthermore, there is a mismatch of tenses. A universal truth cannot be expressed in the present continuous tense. So, Option B can be eliminated.
In Option C, the word order is different, but the same subject-verb disagreement is present. So, Option C can also be eliminated.
In Option D, the plural verb ‘have changed’ does not agree with the singular subject “the conventional wisdom”. So, Option D can also be eliminated.
In Option E, consistency of tense and subject-verb agreement have been maintained. Therefore, E is the most appropriate option.