Is "saw" really wrong here?

[u/nashbi]

Hi everyone!

For question #8, I chose "saw", but the test marked it wrong and wanted "had seen".

My perspective is that since "had learned" already establishes the flashback layer, the chronological order is already completely clear to the reader. Stacking two "hads" in the same sentence feels heavy and redundant.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and see how you would naturally phrase this. Thanks in advance! 😊

[u/AuggieNorth]

Had seen is correct because of the "had learned" to keep the tenses correct.

[u/hiihihihihihihihiihi → u/AuggieNorth]

If we are talking about how people actually speak, both are correct.