A very important question - help needed...

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Because Halley's comet changes orbit slightly during the seventy-six-year interval between passing close to Earth, it may veer onto a collision course with a planet sometime in the distant future.

[A] between passing

of passing

[C] between its passes

[D] of its passes

[E] as it passes


The given OA is C.

Could any one help me in understanding this question. I am finding a lot difficult to understand this question.

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One signal or idea to get this question can be this:

The word 'Interval' itself means 'between two things'. Its an implied thing so you dont need 2 specific things as in other idiom cases. So that brings us down to the options A and C.

Between A and C, between passing does not mean anything or is wordy and not concise.

where in C clearly states that the interval between its passes, so the noun is passes.

And brings us down to the answer C.

Could any of the experts please advise as to the above is correct or incorrect.

Thanks...

[The Iceman]

Because Halley's comet changes orbit slightly during the seventy-six-year interval between passing close to Earth, it may veer onto a collision course with a planet sometime in the distant future.

[A] between passing

of passing

[C] between its passes

[D] of its passes

[E] as it passes


The given OA is C.

Could any one help me in understanding this question. I am finding a lot difficult to understand this question.

'interval' denotes the amount of time between two specific events, which in this case are the successive passes of the comet.

If we see option E, it would mean as if the comet took all the 76 years interval passing close to earth.

Using between specifically pegs the two specific events, let's say the nth pass and the (n+1)th pass and therefore expresses the intended meaning better.

Also, with interval between we have to use the noun 'passes'. Think of it as an analogy to interval between x and y.

SO option C is a better choice than A and hence is correct for this problem.

[Bill@VeritasPrep]

One signal or idea to get this question can be this:

The word 'Interval' itself means 'between two things'. Its an implied thing so you dont need 2 specific things as in other idiom cases. So that brings us down to the options A and C.

Between A and C, between passing does not mean anything or is wordy and not concise.

where in C clearly states that the interval between its passes, so the noun is passes.

And brings us down to the answer C.

Could any of the experts please advise as to the above is correct or incorrect.

Thanks...

That's a good way to look at it. You could ask "between what?" C makes it easy: between its last pass and its next pass. A is problematic: between passing..what?