Existing optical lenses are not thin or flat enough to remove distorti

Yes, absolutely correct. A is a sneaky little option which could make you fall for it, especially if you do not read the other option choices. Beware of easy A answers! Ensure that you read all the options properly.

First bold part - Existing optical lenses are not thin or flat enough to remove distortions - a problem with current optical lenses
Second bold part - The surface of this lens is patterned with tiny metallic stripes which bend light differently as one moves away from the centre - description of a new type of optical lens

(A) The first states a problem with existing optical lenses and the second states the solution for this problem that has been developed by scientists.

The first does state a problem with existing lenses - they are not thin and flat enough to remove distortion.
The solution developed is 'a lens that is super thin and flat'
The second bold statement doesn't 'state' the solution. It tells you 'how' the new lens has solved the problem.

The question is not difficult. But people would fall for the tricky option A especially under pressure on the test and if the argument is made a little more convoluted by adding more junk sentences in the middle.

Existing optical lenses are not thin or flat enough to remove distortions, such as spherical aberration and astigmatism, which prevent the creation of a sharp image. Correction of those distortions requires complex solutions, such as multiple lenses that increase weight and take up space. To overcome these challenges, scientists have developed a new superthin, flat lens. The surface of this lens is patterned with tiny metallic stripes which bend light differently as one moves away from the centre, causing the beam to sharply focus without distorting the images.

In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?

(A) The first states a problem with existing optical lenses and the second states the solution for this problem that has been developed by scientists

(B) The first is the main conclusion of the argument and the second provides support for this main conclusion

(C) The first is evidence the accuracy of which is questioned later in the argument; the second is a conclusion that the argument supports

(D) The first mentions a problem with existing optical lenses and the second describes the structure of a new type of lens that can solve that problem

(E) The first is a problem associated with one type of optical lens; the second advocates the use of an alternative lens

Official Answer: D
Explanation
The argument basically states that there is a problem associated with currently available optical
lenses and that scientists have developed a new type of lens that can resolve this problem. The
first bold part describes the problem and the second bold part describes the structure of the new
optical lens and how it works.
A. While this option looks good, notice that the second bold part does not actually state the
solution to this problem; it just provides a description of the new optical lens.
B. The first and second bold part are in fact stating opposite things so one cannot be providing
support for the other
C. The accuracy of the first bold part is never at question in the argument. The second is not
really a conclusion
D. The correct answer
E. The first bold part is correct but the second bold part incorrectly uses the term ‘advocate’. The
argument never advocates anything

I'm stuck between A and D.

(A) The first states a problem with existing optical lenses and the second states the solution for this problem that has been developed by scientists
(D) The first mentions a problem with existing optical lenses and the second describes the structure of a new type of lens that can solve that problem

In D : " the second describes the structure of a new type of lens that can solve that problem"
In the passage : "scientists have developed a new superthin"

So the new lens are already finished, and they solve the problem. IMO A but NOT sure

Yesss this is it the BF +1

B and E are out because the first BF is neither the main conclusion nor a problem associated with one type of lens
C is out because the second BF is not the conclusion of any argument

Well , this is between A or D

First BF: Existing optical lenses are not thin or flat enough to remove distortions

second BF: To overcome these challenges, scientists have developed a new superthin, flat lens. The surface of this lens is patterned with tiny metallic stripes which bend light differently as one moves away from the centre,

(A) The first states a problem with existing optical lenses and the second states the solution for this problem that has been developed by scientists

(D) The first mentions a problem with existing optical lenses and the second describes the structure of a new type of lens that can solve that problem

the argument stated only that the purpose of scientists is to overcome the challenges by creating a new type that can solve the problem and not that they find the utlimate solution hence A is out

We are left with D, which is the correct answer in my opinion

the new lens are already finished that what you said .. but none has tried them yet , hence we can't assume that they find the SOLUTION ; they just develop a solution that can solve the problem according to the explanation given by the second BF ( the surface of this lens is patterned ..... ) [ it's just the theoretical aspect of the thing, can't conclude that will work for sure ..]

I picked D over A.

The bolded portion talked more about the structure. If the bolded portion included the rest of the sentence, I would have chose A.
The surface of this lens is patterned with tiny metallic stripes which bend light differently as one moves away from the centre, causing the beam to sharply focus without distorting the images.

Good Call.
Let me explain why (A) is not correct (I have given the explanation elsewhere too)

A is a sneaky little option which could make you fall for it, especially if you do not read the other option choices. Beware of easy A answers! Ensure that you read all the options properly.

First bold part - Existing optical lenses are not thin or flat enough to remove distortions - a problem with current optical lenses
Second bold part - The surface of this lens is patterned with tiny metallic stripes which bend light differently as one moves away from the centre - description of a new type of optical lens

(A) The first states a problem with existing optical lenses and the second states the solution for this problem that has been developed by scientists.

The first does state a problem with existing lenses - they are not thin and flat enough to remove distortion.
The solution developed is 'a lens that is super thin and flat'
The second bold statement doesn't 'state' the solution. It tells you 'how' the new lens has solved the problem.

The question is not difficult. But people would fall for the tricky option A especially under pressure on the test and if the argument is made a little more convoluted by adding more junk sentences in the middle.

Well..........under pressure and fatigue this question becomes tricky for sure

Yes, so make a promise to yourself - Irrespective of how fatigued you are on exam day during the Verbal section, you will still read all the options and not move on after selecting the first passable option you get.

BF#1: Existing optical lenses are not thin or flat enough to remove distortions
BF#2: The surface of this lens is patterned with tiny metallic stripes which bend light differently as one moves away from the centre

Key idea: We can tell that BF#1 describes some sort of problem with the existing optical lenses, and that BF#2 describes the features of some sort of lens.

Let us now analyze the available answer choices.

(A) The first states a problem with existing optical lenses and the second states the solution for this problem that has been developed by scientists - The second boldfaced statement is not a solution itself; Rather, it is a description of a particular lens type.

(B) The first is the main conclusion of the argument and the second provides support for this main conclusion - The second boldfaced statement does not support the first statement in any way.

(C) The first is evidence the accuracy of which is questioned later in the argument; the second is a conclusion that the argument supports - the accuracy of the first statement is not challenged anywhere in the passage.

(D) The first mentions a problem with existing optical lenses and the second describes the structure of a new type of lens that can solve that problem - The first boldfaced statement does indeed describe a problem with existing optical lenses, whereas the second boldfaced statement describes structural features of a particular lens type. Hence, (D) is the right answer choice.

(E) The first is a problem associated with one type of optical lens; the second advocates the use of an alternative lens - the second boldfaced statement does not advocate the use of any lens; the second boldfaced statement actually describes the features of a lens.

Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.