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Here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by mice. So please forgive us if it's a little cheesy.

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What should replace the underlined portion below, if anything?

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Although mice don't normally bother humans,

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most people still considering them a nuisance and avoided them.

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Consistency demands that the verbs in this sentence all be in the present tense.

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Because "don't" and "bother" get the ball rolling in the present tense at the start

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of the sentence.

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This means that we can immediately eliminate choice (A), because "avoided" is in the past

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tense.

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While we're at it, we might as well go ahead and eliminate (B) for the same reason.

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"Considered" is in the past tense as well.

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Just like that, boom. Down to a 50/50 shot. (C) is a bit harder to get rid of than (A)

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and (B).

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Both "avoid" and "considering" are in the present tense. However, the "ing" ending of

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"considering" places it in the present progressive tense.

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"Considering" sticks out like a sore thumb, because none of the other present tense verbs

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are progressive.

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It's kinda like somebody who is super left-wing accidentally showing up at a Tea Party rally.

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Anyway, jamming one present progressive verb in the middle of a bunch of simple present

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tense verbs upsets the parallel construction of the sentence.

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So (C) is out of the running. Choice (D) is correct because both "consider"

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and "avoid" are in the simple present tense. The verb tense is consistent and the construction

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is parallel.

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It's okay, this question is over, you can get down from the chair now.

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