OG 17(Q733) The belt of asteroids

This topic has expert replies
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 120
Joined: Sat Dec 05, 2015 11:09 am

OG 17(Q733) The belt of asteroids

by gocoder » Mon Aug 28, 2017 4:37 am
Having been named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter, the asteroid named Ida, in the middle of the belt of asteroids that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, was discovered in 1884.

A. Having been named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter, the asteroid named Ida, in the middle of the belt of asteroids that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, was
discovered in 1884.
B. Discovered in 1884, the asteroid Ida, named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant
Jupiter, is in the middle of the belt of asteroids that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.
C. In the middle of the belt of asteroids that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, the asteroid Ida, discovered in 1884 and named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter.
D. The asteroid Ida, named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter and discovered in 1884, is in the middle of the belt of asteroids to orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.
E. Ida, an asteroid discovered in 1884 and which was named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter, is in the middle of the belt of asteroids to orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.

In choice B, doesn't the phrase between Mars and Jupiter , modify sun instead of asteroids ?
Source: — Sentence Correction |

User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 228
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2017 1:02 am
Location: Global
Thanked: 32 times
Followed by:3 members
GMAT Score:770

by elias.latour.apex » Tue Aug 29, 2017 11:10 am
We start, as always, by reading the initial sentence looking for an error. I note, for example, that the sentence starts Having been named, which is surely wordy. The words having been can be removed with no loss of meaning. I also don't like the double use of the word named in the sentence.

But let's suppose that we also find the phrase the Sun between Mars and Jupiter objectionable. Our next step, then, is to eliminate all answer choices that contain the same error. Unfortunately, all answer choices contain the phrase the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.

Remember that the goal of the GMAT is not to pick the answer choice that you think is right but rather to pick the answer choice that the GMAT test writers think is right. Clearly, the person who wrote this question believes that the phrase asteroids that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter is not objectionable. So let's accept that and move on.
Elias Latour
Verbal Specialist @ ApexGMAT
blog.apexgmat.com
+1 (646) 736-7622

• Page 1 of 1