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The largest of all the planets

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The largest of all the planets

by gmatdriller » Fri Jul 31, 2015 3:05 am

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The largest of all the planets, not only is Jupiter three times so massive as
Saturn, the next larger planet, but also possesses four of the largest
satellites, or moons, in our solar system.

A: not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger
B: not only is Jupiter three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
C: Jupiter, not only three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
D: Jupiter not only is three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
E: Jupiter is not only three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger

Pls explain especially [spoiler]options C & D[/spoiler]
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by MartyMurray » Fri Jul 31, 2015 5:53 am

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gmatdriller wrote:The largest of all the planets, not only is Jupiter three times so massive as
Saturn, the next larger planet, but also possesses four of the largest
satellites, or moons, in our solar system.

A: not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger
This one is straightforwardly incorrect as it incorrectly uses so rather than the idiomatically correct as...as. Also, next larger does not make sense. Let me get this straight. Jupiter is the largest, and Saturn is the next larger? Larger than what?
B: not only is Jupiter three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
This leaves the modifier The largest of all the planets dangling. Does it modify Jupiter? Also what follows not only is not parallel to what follows but also. Simplified we get not only is Jupiter...but also possesses. Clearly that does not work.
C: Jupiter, not only three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
The modifier is next to and clearly modifies Jupiter now, but a verb is missing. We have two parts that need to be parallel, not only... and but also... The sentence is constructed in such a way as to have a verb in the but also part, creating but also possesses. So you need something parallel to that after not only, something with a verb. You don't have to be all that mechanical about figuring this out. Just notice that Jupiter is doing something, "possesses", in the second part, and so the first part, which has no verb, does not really work with the second part.
D: Jupiter not only is three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
This is it. Jupiter is next to the modifier, and as...as is correctly used. Then we see that the construction Jupiter not only is...but also possesses works.
E: Jupiter is not only three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger
This one is a mess. First the use of so...as is not idiomatic. Even if you don't catch that, the expression next larger does not make sense. Finally, not only three times is not parallel to but also possesses.

Choose D.
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by gmatdriller » Sat Aug 01, 2015 8:27 am

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Got your explanations; thanks
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by Crystal W » Thu Mar 17, 2016 8:30 am

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The explanation is really detailed. I have a small function about the next largest planet, what's function of this phrase in the sentence?
Thanks in advance!
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Tue Mar 06, 2018 9:20 am

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gmatdriller wrote:The largest of all the planets, not only is Jupiter three times so massive as
Saturn, the next larger planet, but also possesses four of the largest
satellites, or moons, in our solar system.

A: not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger
B: not only is Jupiter three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
C: Jupiter, not only three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
D: Jupiter not only is three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
E: Jupiter is not only three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger

Pls explain especially [spoiler]options C & D[/spoiler]
Important: When a sentence begins with a with noun modifier, stop at the comma and ask the question that the modifier raises

So, once we read, The largest of all the planets, we should stop and ask . . .

"What is the largest of all the planets?"

If the sentence is properly constructed, the part that immediately follows the comma will answer that question in a logical manner.

Reading on we get...

A: not only is....
No good.
ELIMINATE A

B: not only is....
No good.
ELIMINATE B

C: Jupiter
So, JUPITER is the largest of all the planets.
Makes sense.
KEEP C

D: Jupiter
Makes sense.
KEEP D

E: Jupiter
Makes sense.
KEEP E

We're left with C, D and E
Next we should recognize the correlative not only X but also Y
For this correlative, the parts that follows NOT ONLY and BUT ALSO must be parallel

Let's check the remaining answer choices....

C: Jupiter, NOT ONLY three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest planet, BUT ALSO possesses four of the largest satellites
three times as massive as Saturn is not parallel with possesses four of the largest satellites
three times as massive as Saturn is just a verb-less phrase, whereas possesses four of the largest satellites begins with the verb POSSESSES
ELIMINATE C

D: Jupiter NOT ONLY is three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest planet, BUT ALSO possesses four of the largest satellites
Here we have parallel structure
In both parts, we have the form: VERB followed by other words (IS three times as... & POSSESSES four of.....)
KEEP D for now

E: Jupiter is NOT ONLY three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger planet, BUT ALSO possesses four of the largest satellites
three times as massive as Saturn is just a verb-less phrase, whereas possesses four of the largest satellites begins with the verb POSSESSES
ELIMINATE E

By the process of elimination, the correct answer is D

Cheers,
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by deloitte247 » Sun Mar 11, 2018 12:36 am

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Option B is the correct answer because the conjunction "as" is correctly used to make the comparison between the planet Saturn and Jupiter

Option A is wrong because the conjunction "so" is incorrectly used in place of "as"
Although , option C has an accurate sentence structure, starting the phrase with Jupiter requires a comma which causes a break in the sentence flow.
Option D is wrong because the phrase is incorrectly ordered
Option E is wrong because the conjunction "so" is incorrectly used in place of "as"
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by [email protected] » Tue Apr 16, 2019 10:20 am

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Hello Everyone!

Let's tackle this question, one issue at a time, and narrow it down to the right choice quickly! This is a pretty simple example, so it shouldn't take too long! To get started, let's take a quick look over the options and highlight any major differences we can find in orange:

The largest of all the planets, not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger planet, but also possesses four of the largest satellites, or moons, in our solar system.

(A) not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger
(B) not only is Jupiter three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
(C) Jupiter, not only three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
(D) Jupiter not only is three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
(E) Jupiter is not only three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger

After a quick glance over the options, a few key differences jump out:

1. not only is Jupiter / Jupiter, not only / Jupiter not only is / Jupiter is not only (Idioms; Parallelism)
2. so / as (Idioms; Comparisons)
3. larger / largest (Idioms; Listing)

Let's start with #2 on our list because no matter which one we choose, it will eliminate 2-3 options right away. This is an issue with comparison idioms. Whenever we talk about things being much larger or smaller, here is how it should be formatted:

X is three times as massive as Y = CORRECT
X is three times so massive as Y = WRONG

Let's see how each option handles this, and eliminate the ones that use the wrong idiom structure:

(A) not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger
(B) not only is Jupiter three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
(C) Jupiter, not only three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
(D) Jupiter not only is three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
(E) Jupiter is not only three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger

We can eliminate options A & E because they don't use the right idiom structure for comparing mass or size.

If we look at #3 on our list (larger/largest), we see that all our remaining options use "largest," so we can skip worrying about that one. Let's move on to #1 on our list, which is another idiom issue. If we look carefully at the entire sentence, we can spot the idiom we're working with:

The largest of all the planets, not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger planet, but also possesses four of the largest satellites, or moons, in our solar system.

not only X, but also Y

We know that X and Y must be parallel in their wording, tenses, and number. So let's add in the other half of the idiom (but also possesses) to rule out the ones that don't use parallel structure:

(B) not only is Jupiter three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest planet, but also possesses --> NOT PARALLEL
(C) Jupiter, not only three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest planet, but also possesses --> NOT PARALLEL
(D) Jupiter not only is three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest planet, but also possesses --> PARALLEL


There you have it - option D is the only one that uses idioms and parallel structure correctly! By focusing on the "either/or" problems early on, we could easily narrow down the options to find the right choice rather quickly!


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Re: The largest of all the planets

by iammohakjain » Wed Jul 01, 2020 9:12 am

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Clearly A,B,E are out because of wrong modifier placement and incorrect Meaning.
Between C & D C is wrong because there is no verb for the first clause.
D is very well written with correct idiomatic usage "as much as"
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