Question

The startup would not have secured the funding __________ its innovative business model and the founder’s compelling pitch.
1. if not for it was
2. unless it was for
3. if it had been for
4. had it not been for
Rijak saimarini (option) bising soi kok kiphilmung saidi:

• A. if not for it was
• B. unless it was for
• C. if it had been for
• D. had it not been for

Hint:

For unreal past conditions, use third conditional forms like \textbf{“had it not been for”} instead of incorrect mixed or present-tense constructions.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Identify the tense and structure of the sentence.
The sentence uses the structure “would not have secured”, which clearly indicates a third conditional sentence referring to an unreal situation in the past.
Step 2: Recall the correct third conditional expression.
In third conditional sentences, the correct idiomatic expression used to indicate a negative past condition is “had it not been for”, which means “if it had not been for”.
Step 3: Eliminate incorrect options.
(1) if not for it was – grammatically incorrect word order and tense.
(2) unless it was for – incorrect tense and meaning for a past unreal condition.
(3) if it had been for – incorrect structure; does not express negation properly.
(4) had it not been for – grammatically correct, idiomatic, and perfectly fits the third conditional structure.
Step 4: Conclusion.
The sentence is correctly completed using “had it not been for”, which accurately conveys the intended meaning.