Botanists have long wondered how certain plants can not only thrive

Question

Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC1) 
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Botanists have long wondered how certain plants  can not only thrive in harsh conditions – such as in the searing heat of a desert or the bitter cold of the upper reaches of the Alps – but also wither  away as soon as they are shifted to a more agreeable environment, such as in the temperate regions.

A) can not only thrive in harsh conditions – such as in the searing heat of a desert or the bitter cold of the upper reaches of the Alps – but also wither

B) can not only thrive in harsh conditions – for example, in the searing heat of a desert or the bitter cold of the upper reaches of the Alps – but they also wither

C) thriving in harsh conditions – such as in the searing heat of a desert or the bitter cold of the upper reaches of the Alps – but they wither

D) can thrive not only in harsh conditions – namely in the searing heat of a desert or the bitter cold of the upper reaches of the Alps – but also wither

E) can thrive in harsh conditions – such as in the searing heat of a desert or the bitter cold of the upper reaches of the Alps – but wither

generis · Accepted Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC1)

THE PROMPT

• The sentence, stripped: 
Botanists have long wondered how certain plants  can not only thrive in harsh conditions . . . but also wither  away as soon as they are shifted to a more agreeable environment.

• Meaning? 
→ Your alarm bells should have gone off: the prompt does not display proper contrast.
→ the  not only . . .but also  is used incorrectly
 
This sentence is setting up a contrast between the behavior of some plants in two situations, this way: 
 Botanists have long wondered how certain plants can thrive in harsh conditions but wither away in agreeable environments.

• Not Only X But Also Y 
This idiom is not used to show stark contrast but rather to convey two related facts or pieces of information.

The first fact is usually "normal" or expected. The second is usually surprising or unexpected.
→  She is not only driven but also compassionate.

Sometimes both pieces of information are surprising, though the second is more surprising than the first. 
→  She is not only a fierce soldier but also a compassionate enemy.

Sometimes both facts are similar.
→  The Olympic slalom skier not only won gold but also set a world record.

THE OPTIONS   
 
•  not only . . . but also  is not correct 
→ That construction is not appropriate in this sentence.

Scientists would not wonder about a plant that could survive in both harsh and agreeable situations.
Scientists would view such a plant as adaptable or resilient—the thing can live anywhere.

No, the logical issue here is that some plants can withstand horrible conditions but cannot withstand tolerable conditions.
Option A is a bit nonsensical.
It implies that some plants have the ability to survive in harsh conditions and the ability to perish in hospitable conditons.
Wrong and illogical meaning.
ELIMINATE A

B) can  not only   thrive  in harsh conditions – for example, in the searing heat of a desert or the bitter cold of the upper reaches of the Alps –  but   they   also  wither 
•  not only . . . but also  in this option is incorrect for the same reasons listed under option A
• even if the idiomatic pair (a "correlative conjunction") were logical, the construction is not parallel
→  can not only thrive  and  but they also wither  are not parallel.
The first construction is a verb phrase. The second is a dependent clause.
ELIMINATE B

• the first clause does not contain a verb.
→  thriving  is not a working verb
ELIMINATE C

• Like options A and B, option D incorrectly uses  not only . . . but also

• Even if its use were correct, the idiom's construction is not parallel
→  not only in harsh conditions  and  but also wither  are not parallel
→  not only  is followed a prepositional phrase, whereas  but also  is followed by a verb
ELIMINATE D
 
• Boom. Correct.
• The word "but" sets up the necessary contrast.
→ On one hand, some plants can thrive in harsh conditions, but on the other hand, those same plants cannot thrive in hospitable conditions
KEEP

The answer is E.

COMMENTS

Bhav72  , welcome to SC Butler.

This question is hard in part because the lack of proper contrast is subtle.
In addition, parallelism errors exist. They are time-consuming distractions; if you understand that  not only . . . but also  creates faulty logic, then whether the pair's construction is parallel doesn't matter.

Kudos to all for having the courage to post.
Taking risks is a good thing.
The explanations in the correct answers are good—nicely done.

kntombat · Answer

The answer to this question has to be E    as it is the only option where the sentence has a coherent meaning and has no other errors.

Options A, B and D are out    due to the wrong usage of the idiom "not only .... but also..."

Option C is out    as the plural pronoun "they" has no antecedent.

TarunKumar1234 · Answer

Botanists have long wondered how certain plants can not only thrive in harsh conditions – such as in the searing heat of a desert or the bitter cold of the upper reaches of the Alps – but also wither away as soon as they are shifted to a more agreeable environment, such as in the temperate regions.

A) can not only thrive in harsh conditions – such as in the searing heat of a desert or the bitter cold of the upper reaches of the Alps – but also wither -> 1) "Not only X but also Y", X (thrive in...) and Y (wither away...) are in parallel structure. 2) Such as used for examples of harsh conditions. Now, Meaning wise, "Not only X But also Y" doesn't make sense, because, in later part plants are "withered away". It is a contrasting view. Incorrect.

B) can not only thrive in harsh conditions – for example, in the searing heat of a desert or the bitter cold of the upper reaches of the Alps – but they also wither -> "Not only X but they also Y" is incorrect idiom form.

C) thriving in harsh conditions – such as in the searing heat of a desert or the bitter cold of the upper reaches of the Alps – but they wither -> we don't have verb here. Incorrect.

D) can thrive not only in harsh conditions – namely in the searing heat of a desert or the bitter cold of the upper reaches of the Alps – but also wither -> "Not only X but also Y", X (in harsh conditions...) and Y (wither away...) are not parallel structure.

E) can thrive in harsh conditions – such as in the searing heat of a desert or the bitter cold of the upper reaches of the Alps – but wither -> It is better than A. "But" gives a contrast to meaning, "thrive in harsh conditions...but wither away ...in more agreeable environment".

So, I think E.

Bhav72 · Answer

IMO A

Not only X but also Y

Botanists have long wondered how certain plants can  not only   thrive  in harsh conditions – such as in the searing heat of a desert or the bitter cold of the upper reaches of the Alps –  but also   wither  away as soon as they are shifted to a more agreeable environment, such as in the temperate regions.

Additionally, parallelism thrive and wither

generis · Answer

The official explanation is  here .

VerbalBot · Answer

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Botanists have long wondered how certain plants can not only thrive

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GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

Botanists have long wondered how certain plants can not only thrive

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