Share your work with others. Did they find the same words?

[kadioguy]

[From the book "Longman Preparation Series For The New TOEIC Test]

Step 7: Share your work with others. Did they find the same words? Did they have different interpretations?
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1. The past tense here looks weird to me. What do you think?
2. I would expect to see the present tense. How about this?

Step 7: Share your work with others. Have they found the same words? Do they have different interpretations?

[Edit: Fixed typos.]

 

[tedmc]

Obviously you can only share your work with others after you have done it. The prefect perfect tense would also work.

 

[kadioguy]

Obviously you can only share your work with others after you have done it.

Sure, but the context is that you share your work with others (obviously after you have done it) and then 'Did they find the same words?' 'Did they have different interpretations?'

I find the past tense weird.

[Edit: Fixed a typo.]

 

[emsr2d2]

I find the past tense weird.

You said that already. It doesn't change the fact that the simple past is correct.

 

[kadioguy]

A. Step 7: Share your work with others. Did they find the same words? Did they have different interpretations?

B. Step 7: Share your work with others. Have they found the same words? Do they have different interpretations?

So they both work and practically mean the same. Is that right?

 

[kadioguy]

A. Step 7: Share your work with others. Did they find the same words? Did they have different interpretations?

B. Step 7: Share your work with others. Have they found the same words? Do they have different interpretations?

So they both work and practically mean the same. Is that right?

A friend told me, "Your version works too, but there is a small possible difference in meaning.

'Did they have different interpretations?' -- 'they' here refers to the other people/person.

'Do they have different interpretations?' -- 'they' here could refer to either the words, or to the other people/person. I'd probably read it as referring to the words.

Ultimately they amount to the same thing though."

 

[jutfrank]

In both versions, they refers to the other people, whom you share your answers with.

Both present and past tense make sense in this context and they both give the same instruction.