I did a search for the OA and it is A.

If you are right it would raise a question of when to remove middleman in the sentences and look for parallelism...because if you remove particles are...and look for parallelism then 'B' is the only choice

PAB2706 wrote:well vikas....even i had initially chosen B

but i guess A shud be right bcos the big bang is not persisting in the emptiest regions of space...the particles are..and hence the present participle persisting is the right parallel word for the past participle created...as both these verbs are for dust particles...

cheers!!!!!

B has S-V error. Particles .... persists

madhur_ahuja wrote:Astronomers have theorized that the Big Bang governs the behavior of interstellar dust, particles that comprise the atoms and molecules created in the progenitive explosion and persisting in even the emptiest regions of space.

* persisting
* persists
* persisted
* they persist
* are persisting

can someone explains why created and persisting are parallel...

why can't we use persisted...

I am not a GMAT expert..I would have gone with answer 'A', if there was no "and' before persisting.

madhur_ahuja wrote:B has S-V error. Particles .... persists

Astronomers have theorized that the Big Bang governs the behavior of interstellar dust, particles that comprise the atoms and molecules created in the progenitive explosion and persisting in even the emptiest regions of space.

Its a very good question....I think A should be the answer...

Partciles is the subjext of the subordiante caluse and "comprise" is the verb and the atoms is the direct object noun....after "and"...we need a noun to make it parallel with "the atomes"....pesiting is the gerund and is correctly used....

Please correct me if I am wrong....

madhur_ahuja wrote:Astronomers have theorized that the Big Bang governs the behavior of interstellar dust, particles that comprise the atoms and molecules created in the progenitive explosion and persisting in even the emptiest regions of space.

* persisting
* persists
* persisted
* they persist
* are persisting

"persisting in even the emptiest regions of space " is a phrase that modifies the particles and not molecules.

so correct parallelism would be "comprise the atoms and molecules created in the progenitive explosion" and "are persisting in even the emptiest regions of space." because both comprise and are persisting are verbs.

So I will go with E. I know I am being stupid even after knowing the OA. But can someone explain whats wrong with my logic ?

madhur_ahuja wrote:Astronomers have theorized that the Big Bang governs the behavior of interstellar dust, particles that comprise the atoms and molecules created in the progenitive explosion and persisting in even the emptiest regions of space.

* persisting
* persists
* persisted
* they persist
* are persisting

Astronomers have theorized that the Big Bang governs the behavior of interstellar dust, particles that comprise the atoms and molecules created in the progenitive explosion and persisting in even the emptiest regions of space.

Main Clause: Astronomers have theorized
Sub: that the Big Bang governs the behavior of interstellar dust
The description after comma is describing dust,

particles that comprise the atoms and molecules created in the progenitive explosion and persisting in even the emptiest regions of space.

Assuming that the question stem is pasted correctly answer will be persisting, (in case there is another comma delimiting before and this will belong to the ba\ig bang and answer will be persists)

But assuming everything is correctly pasted , we need to compensate for particple created and persisting...so A will be ok