GPREP SC- 25

[abhasjha]

Galileo did not invent the telescope, but on hearing, in 1609, that such an optical instrument had been made, he quickly built his own device from an organ pipe and spectacle lenses.


A. Galileo did not invent the telescope, but on hearing, in 1609, that such an optical instrument had been made, he

B. Galileo had not invented the telescope, but when he heard, in 1609, of such an optical instrument having been made,

C. Galileo, even though he had not invented the telescope, on hearing, in 1609, that such an optical instrument had been made, he

D. Even though Galileo did not invent the telescope, on hearing, in 1609, that such an optical instrument had been made,

E. Even though Galileo did not invent the telescope, but when he heard, in 1609, of such an optical instrument being made, he

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Hi abhasjha,

This SC is built on a standard GMAT verb-rule and some style:

1) Verbs: From the sentence, we know that Galileo did something in the past ("...he quickly built his own device...."). This action was taken after another past event ("....hearing....that such an...instrument...HAD BEEN MADE"). Since we have two past events, we need the verb "had." Eliminate B and E.

2) Style/Redundancy: After reading the sentence, it's clear that Galileo did not invent the original telescope. The words "even though" are unnecessary (they're redundant), since we know that he heard about the telescope, then built his own version. Eliminate C and D.

Final Answer: A

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