Sentence Correction

Sunspots, vortices of gas associated with strong electromagnetic activity, are visible as dark spots on the surface of the Sun but have never been sighted on the Sun's poles or equator.

(A) are visible as dark spots on the surface of the Sun but have never been sighted on
(B) are visible as dark spots that never have been sighted on the surface of the Sun
(C) appear on the surface of the Sun as dark spots although never sighted at
(D) appear as dark spots on the surface of the Sun, although never having been sighted at
(E) appear as dark spots on the Sun's surface, which have never been sighted on


















OA is A

First question. Is the 'as' in the choice A correct? I think it should be replaced by"like", "Sunspots,......, are visible LIKE dark spots on the surface of the Sun...." or it should be followed by a "are", "Sunspots,......, are visible AS dark spots ARE on the surface of the Sun...." because "like" is used to compare a noun and "as" a clause. Is the OG wrong or I am wrong?


Moreover, what's wrong with E? Is it wrong because the "which clause" unambiguously refers to the "surface"?

Well, the usage of as in a clause is just one of the usages of as. This is another valid usage. Some other examples that are correct are:

As teachers, we have responsibility to explain properly.

In his childhood, he was dismissed as a looser.

As for E, which is not referring to surface. How do we know? Well, because of the presence of have, which is plural, while surface is singular.

E slightly changes the meaning of the sentence. If you read carefully, the original sentence contrasts that fact that while Sunspots are visible, but have not been sighted.

This contrast is not apparent in E. E just gives two plain facts about sunspots:

1. They appear as dark spots
2. They have never been sighted

In the advance section of MGMAT SC guide, there is a section that discusses the usage of "as" in further details. If you have the book, I would suggest you to look into that section.

For an 'official source', please look at Q16 in the Official Verbal review, where the correct sentence is:

Iguanas have been an important food source in Latin America since prehistoric times, and they are still prized as game animals by the campesinos, who typically cook the meat in a heavily spiced stew.

Just to offer a bit of further clarification on "like" vs. "as" here:

As a few people have mentioned, the "as" in this sentence means "in the capacity of:"

After 25 years as a doctor, he finally retired.

The word "like" is used to compare two nouns:

Dogs, like cats, make excellent pets.

In this sentence, we're not comparing sunspots to dark spots -- they are actually the same thing. So "as" is the appropriate construction here.

FYI, when the word "as" is used in a comparison, it compares two clauses, each of which contains a subject and a verb.

As many other nervous witnesses do, Marta trembles on the witness stand.

You will also occasionally see the "as....as" comparison structure:

Texting while driving is as dangerous as driving recklessly.

This is definitely a concept that the GMAT likes to test, so it's worthwhile to get comfortable with the various uses of "like" and "as." Hope that helps!

Explaination in the official guide says that answer choice E is awkward. Not clear to me how it is awkward?

Explaination also says that the adjective visible is a complement and is parallel to past participle sighted. How a adjective can be parallel to past participle.

bacchewar_prashant wrote:Explaination in the official guide says that answer choice E is awkward. Not clear to me how it is awkward?

Explaination also says that the adjective visible is a complement and is parallel to past participle sighted. How a adjective can be parallel to past participle.

For the answer of your first question please read again the 2nd post in this thread (by EducationAisle)

Also note Op E unnecessarily introduces a relative clause "which"...

answer of your 2nd question:-

The football team, tired after four hours of play and wanting to reach home quickly, took a shortcut.

The above sentence is correct and the words in bold are parallel. Although, both are different participles one is present and other is past but they are both acting as an adjective.

The rule says

Adjective can be || Present participle || Past Participle

The barking dog---> here Present participle "barking" is an adjective

The required number---> here Past participle "required" is an adjective

so if participles are functioning as an adjective in a sentence then they follow the above rule.

Thanks

what is right-

"at sun's poles" or "on sun's poles"?

can someone provide clarity on this part........

Find A the best...