Which sentence contains a tense error caused by an unnecessary chain of past-perfect verbs?
After the match ended, the players shook hands and left the pitch.
After the council had approved the plan, it had issued the permit and had notified the builder.✓Correct answer
By the time the fire crew arrived, the caretaker had unlocked the service gate.
Mira realised that she had packed her old passport.
Explanation
The council sentence puts three plainly consecutive steps into the past perfect even though after already fixes their order. The sentence about the fire crew uses a single past perfect appropriately because the gate was unlocked before the crew arrived.