GMAT Sentence Correction (SC) | Re: Artificial intelligence emerged during the late 1950s as an

Artificial intelligence emerged during the late 1950’s as an academic discipline based on the assumption that computers are able to be programmed to think likepeople.

(A) are able to be programmed to think like people
(B) were able to be programmed to think as people
(C) can be programmed to think as people can
(D) could be programmed to think like people
(E) are capable of being programmed to think like people do
Could is the correct usage for the future tense in the past.
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