discovery

[AnjaliOberoi]

Biologists working in Spain say that their discovery of teeming life in a highly acidic river may
not only broaden the search for life, or for evidence of past life, no other planets but also show
that a number of forms of microscopic life can adapt to conditions that scientists have long
thought hostile to all but the hardiest bacteria.


A. show that a number of forms of microscopic life can adapt to conditions that scientists have long
thought hostile to all but the hardiest bacteria
B. may show that a number of forms of microscopic life is capable of adapting to conditions that
scientists have long thought hostile to all bacteria but the hardiest ones
C. shows a number of forms of microscopic life to be capable to adapt to conditions that scientists
have long thought had been hostile to all but the hardiest bacteria
D. showing that a number of forms of microscopic life is capable of adapting to conditions that
scientists have long thought had been hostile to all but the hardiest bacteria
E. showing that a number of forms of microscopic life can adapt to conditions that scientists have
long thought hostile to all bacteria but the hardiest

OA A

[theCodeToGMAT]

Biologists working in Spain say that their discovery of teeming life in a highly acidic river may not only broaden the search for life, or for evidence of past life, no other planets but also show that a number of forms of microscopic life can adapt to conditions that scientists have long thought hostile to all but the hardiest bacteria.

A. show that a number of forms of microscopic life can adapt to conditions that scientists have long
thought hostile to all but the hardiest bacteria

B. may show that a number of forms of microscopic life is capable of adapting to conditions that scientists have long thought hostile to all bacteria but the hardiest ones
INCORRECT; "is" is singular... a number is plural

C. shows a number of forms of microscopic life to be capable to adapt to conditions that scientists have long thought had been hostile to all but the hardiest bacteria
INCORRECT; SVA Error

D. showing that a number of forms of microscopic life is capable of adapting to conditions that
scientists have long thought had been hostile to all but the hardiest bacteria
INCORRECT; broaden is verb but showing is adjective.. Not parallel

E. showing that a number of forms of microscopic life can adapt to conditions that scientists have long thought hostile to all bacteria but the hardiest
INCORRECT; broaden is verb but showing is adjective.. Not parallel

[[email protected]]

Hi AnjaliOberoi,

This SC question is built on 2-part parallelism.

The phrase "not only....but also...." requires that the words that follow "but also...." have the same format/style as the words that follow "not only..."

In the prompt, the second part of the phrase requires a word that is parallel to the word "broaden."

Only the correct answer A provides an answer that gives us a parallel verb.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich