[Grammar] What mood is this?

[constantinusphilo]

In what mood are the verbs in the following sentence?

A writer could not handle any of the special devices mentioned in this chapter if she did not first clearly understand what structural norm it was that she was departing from.

(Jack Bickham, The Elements of Fiction)

 

[Rover_KE]

What's the point of this exercise?

What's your own opinion?

 

[Tdol]

You have to indicate what you think first. Otherwise, we'd just be supplying answers to people's homework.

 

[constantinusphilo]

I suggest that they are in the indicative mood. This is not an exercise.