Doubts in SC

[vinod dev]

Hi Sandeep,
Kindly request you to shed some light on the below sentences

   1. He left for America next week (GMAT Intro HO - pg 82)
      Ans - He leaves for America next week.
      Why is the answer a simple present instead of the future tense - will leave?

   2. Which is the correct construction
         1. It is time we do something (or)
         2. It is time we did something.

   3. The driver took the people who had been waiting for a ride (M SC - 19)
      What is the meaning of this sentence is it
         1. The driver took those people, who were waiting, for a ride.
         2. The driver took the people, people who had been waiting for a ride.

   4. Yellow jackets number among the 900 or so species of the world’s social wasps, wasps living in a highly cooperative and organized society where they consist almost entirely of females—the queen and her sterile female workers.

The explanation given for this answer - They referring to wasps is an incorrect subject for consist.

   5. After moving to Switzerland in the 1890’s, Albert Einstein attended the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich, receiving in-depth training in quantitative analysis and developing a foundation for his future work in mathematical physics.
         1. After moving to Switzerland in the 1890’s, Albert Einstein attended the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich, receiving in-depth training in quantitative analysis and developed a foundation for his future work in mathematical physics.

(In this sentence receiving and develop(ed/ing) are functioning as modifiers for Albert Einstein;  While receive is an unintentional activity (hence the usage of -ing form), develop is an intentional activity - why is it incorrect to use the -ed form to denote this?

   6. What is the difference between "almost everything" and "almost anything"?

   7. Adjectives Vs. adverbs. How can we distinguish which form to use?
         1. James Joyce is Max's supposed irish ancestor
         2. Max's grandmother is his supposedly irish ancestor

   8. That or whom can be dropped when the modified noun is the object of the modifying clause. (Manhat - Pg 88). Can you please elaborate?
         1. The movie that we watched last Friday was scary.
         2. The movie we watched last Friday was scary

 
   9. Supporters consider tax breaks that local governments award businesses each year to prevent them from moving vital economic development tools while critics denounce the tax breaks as corporate welfare that helps some localities but weakens the national economy.
      In the above sentence "them" clearly refers to businesses;  however, this sentence changes the meaning - as per the above statement it can be inferred that businesses control the vital economic development tools.  Where as the actual statement should read - tax breaks are vital economic development tools.  (atleast this is wat I think).

  10. She already woke up when the phone rang. (Manhattan SC - pg-117)
      She had already woken up when the phone rang. (corrected answer).
      Could you please explain why - if a "state of being" verb is used ex. awake - then the sentence can be rewritten as she was already awake when the phone rang (simple past); How will a meaning of a verb change when combined with the adverb already?

  11. A leopard cannot run as fast as a cheetah (Manhattan SC - pg 131)
      Can this sentence be written as "A leopard cannot run faster than a cheetah can". If not why?

  12. Which is the correct usage
         1. Your password had expired, so I have changed it - Is this usage correct A past perfect
         2. Your password has expired, so I have changed it - 2 present perfects in the same sentence.
         3. Your password expired, so I have changed it - simple past followed by present perfect.

  13. What is the correct usage of "due to" and "because of"?

Thanks
Vinod