Option B effectively conveys the sequence of events by using different tenses: "exploded" to indicate the past action of the star's explosion and "emitting" to suggest that the emission of radiation occurred after the explosion. This usage provides clarity and coherence to the sentence. On the other hand, option E's use of "that exploded" and "that emitted" could imply that both actions happened simultaneously, which may not accurately convey the intended sequence of events. Therefore, the use of different tenses in option B helps to better clarify the timeline of events, making it the superior choice.

A. This choice uses the awkward construction "that a star that was," which is redundant and unnecessarily wordy. Additionally, the placement of "emitting" after "exploding" suggests that the emission of radiation occurred simultaneously with the explosion, which is not the intended meaning.

B. This option presents a concise and grammatically correct sentence. By using the participle "exploded" to describe the past action of the star's explosion and "emitting" to suggest subsequent emission of radiation, it effectively conveys the sequence of events.

C. While grammatically correct, this choice is less concise and clear. The phrase "of a star" is somewhat redundant and could be omitted for clarity. Additionally, the use of "and that it emitted" after "340,000 years ago" disrupts the flow of the sentence.

D. This option suffers from a lack of parallelism in its structure. The phrase "exploding into view" is correctly used to describe the past action of the star's explosion, but the subsequent phrase "and emitting" disrupts the parallel structure and makes the sentence less cohesive.

E. Similar to option C, this choice is less concise and clear. The phrase "that exploded" followed by "and that emitted" suggests simultaneous actions, which does not accurately convey the intended sequence of events. Additionally, the repetition of "that" makes the sentence less smooth and flowing.

Overall, option B provides the clearest and most concise expression of the intended meaning, effectively conveying the sequence of events surrounding the star's explosion and emission of radiation.

Bernard Baah
MS '05, Stanford
GMAT and GRE Instructor
MapAdvantage Prep
https://mapadvantagegmat.com

Answer B
"that a star as bright as the full moon exploded into view 340,000 years ago, emitting" — this is the most concise and grammatically correct option.