By studying the primitive visual systems of single-cell aquatic

Posters who wish to be considered for kudos:
Please write the meaning of the sentence in your OWN words
and in “plain” English.

Technical terms are meant to confuse GMAT takers.

I will rewrite SC 677 from OG 2018 (the prompt, verbatim) to demonstrate what “in my own words in plain English” means.

Skip this explanation if you feel that you do not need it.

OG 2018 # 677: The intricate structure of the insect eye, having hundreds of miniature eyes called ommatidia, help explain why scientists have assumed that it evolved independently of the vertebrate eye.

If I were teaching people how to "unpack" this sentence, I would start with the "have assumed part.
Pretend that I do not know what vertebrate means.

REWRITE:
Scientists have assumed that the insect eye and the vertebrate [some other kind of non-insect?] eye evolved separately.
Scientists have assumed this fact partly because the insect eye has a complex structure that is not present in the vertebrate eye. The absence of a trait suggests independent evolution.
That complex structure in the insect eye includes the presence of hundreds of tiny eyes called “ommatidia.”

Or
Scientists have assumed that insects and [non-insect] vertebrates evolved separately because the complex eyes of insects contain hundreds of tiny eyes with a weird name; vertebrates lack these little eyes, indicating that their evolution was separate from that of insects.
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Meaning analysis:
Biophysicists studied the primitive visual systems of single-cell aquatic organisms and discovered a striking similarity between algae and cows. The similarity indicates that plants and animals have a common evolutionary origin.

Who did the "studying"? -> Biophysicists

B, D and E change the meaning of the sentence.

(B) a striking similarity did the studying - WRONG

(D) the discovery did the studying - WRONG

(E) algae and cows did the studying - WRONG

In (C) "there is" is redundant.

Correct answer should be A.

B , C,D, E all are passive .A is the answer.

Prateekj05


Cool, in the meaning analysis you understood tenses in simple past and yet you selected OA as one in present perfect.
Is the discovery done in point of time event in past, or is the discovery (or its effect) still happening?

As per view, A would have been correct if it said:
biophysicists discovered a striking similarity between algae and cows
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By studying the primitive visual systems of single-cell aquatic organisms, biophysicists have discovered a striking similarity between algae and cows, a similarity that indicates the common evolutionary origin of plants and animals: both algae and cows produce a light-sensitive protein called rhodopsin.

(A) biophysicists have discovered a striking similarity between algae and cows

(B) a striking similarity between algae and cows has been discovered by biophysicists

(C) there is a striking similarity that biophysicists have discovered between algae and cows

(D) the discovery of a striking similarity between algae and cows was made by biophysicists

(E) algae and cows have a striking similarity that was discovered by biophysicists

Key phrase: "By studying".

Ask yourself, who is studying, "biophysicists?", "a striking similarity?", "the discovery?", or "algae and cows?"

Clearly, the answer is (A)

Moderators...is OA correct for this questions?
I am surprised to see 0% strikes for OA.

aragonn, hazelnut, generis, Vyshak
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sudarshan22 please explain how "D" is the OA.

Harshgmat - thank you. Edited.

All: my apologies.

I fixed the OA. It is A.
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arpitkansal OA is indeed A and not D, and for the "hows", please refer to the entire thread for detail insights.

Happy learning!
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sometimes such surprises are good, cause one can see who answered the SC question, without posting one`s solution/ explanation in the thread
just imagine if 100 posters who didn't post their explanations to the SC question, would post "hey I am surprised see 0% strikes for OA."

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
My annotations are in blue typeface.

• This question requires that the opening participial phrase modify the subject of the sentence, biophysicists.
"opening participial phrase" = First verbING phrase =
[By studying the primitive visual systems of single-cell aquatic organisms]

• The subject should therefore be placed as close to the phrase as possible.

• Choice A places the subject next to the phrase and is the best choice

• In choice B a similarity is doing the studying

• In choice D the discovery is doing the studying, and

• In choice E the algae and the cows are doing the studying.

• By placing there is next to the phrase, choice C leaves the participle with nothing to modify

COMMENTS

parijit and lary301254M7 , glad to have you on the thread.

(If I have welcomed you before, forgive my forgetfulness. It's hard to recall who posts on which thread.)

Comments on Answer C

Answer C is nonsensical. No logical connection exists between "By studying" and the entire "there is" clause.

If the opening modifier has nothing to modify, Option C offers zero logic rather than
the ludicrous logic offered by options B, D, and E.

-------------
We have two excellent answers whose authors avoided trying to rewrite
this sentence "in plain English" in the full sense.

That is, Prateekj05 and lary301254M7 "rewrote" the meaning, but in a way
that both made the sentence comprehensible and did not grapple unnecessarily
with insanely boring and distracting details.

Analysis of (C) was a little off, but that's okay; by comparison to (A), option C stands no chance.

Excellent work. Kudos to both.
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adkikani ,

You make a good point about past perfect vs. simple past. +1

If time sequence is clear, the GMAC prefers simple past to past perfect.

Time sequence is clear in sentences that contain
• time marker words such as before, after, previously, and subsequently
• actual time markers such as dates

Correct: Before Lisa left for the gym, she set the house alarm.
Not necessary: Before Lisa left for the gym, she had set the house alarm.

Correct: At 5:00 p.m. the shift-workers who started at 8:00 a.m. clocked out.
Not necessary: At 5:00 p.m. the shift-workers who had started at 8:00 a.m. clocked out.

In this case, the past perfect "have discovered" puts the scientists and their method in the background,
and thereby shifts the emphasis to common evolution of animals and plants, a shared evolution
proven by weird visual evidence found in cows and algae.

In other words . . . do not reject passive constructions automatically.
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By studying the primitive visual systems of single-cell aquatic organisms, biophysicists have discovered a striking similarity between algae and cows, a similarity that indicates the common evolutionary origin of plants and animals: both algae and cows produce a light-sensitive protein called rhodopsin.

(A) biophysicists have discovered a striking similarity between algae and cows

(B) a striking similarity between algae and cows has been discovered by biophysicists

(C) there is a striking similarity that biophysicists have discovered between algae and cows

(D) the discovery of a striking similarity between algae and cows was made by biophysicists

(E) algae and cows have a striking similarity that was discovered by biophysicists


It's a modifier problem, "By studying the primitive visual systems of single-cell aquatic organisms" who did study single -cell aquatic organisms "biophysicists" . So only option A is correct. Rest are wrong.

By studying the primitive visual systems of single-cell aquatic organisms, biophysicists have discovered a striking similarity between algae and cows, a similarity that indicates the common evolutionary origin of plants and animals: both algae and cows produce a light-sensitive protein called rhodopsin.


This means that by studying the visual systems of aquatic organisms, biophysicists discovered a similarity in algae an cows and they were able to derive a conclusion about common evolutionary origin of plants and animals . Als both algae and cows produced a protein called rhodopsin


(A) biophysicists have discovered a striking similarity between algae and cows Correct as who has studied the visual system of aquatic organisms? The biophysicists , Hence the opening modifier is correctly used

(B) a striking similarity between algae and cows has been discovered by biophysicists Incorrect because of opening modifier issue as highlighted

(C) there is a striking similarity that biophysicists have discovered between algae and cows Incorrect because of opening modifier issue as highlighted

(D) the discovery of a striking similarity between algae and cows was made by biophysicists Incorrect because of opening modifier issue as highlighted

(E) algae and cows have a striking similarity that was discovered by biophysicists Incorrect because of opening modifier issue as highlighted

Please do give kudos if my explanation helped

By studying the primitive visual systems of single-cell aquatic organisms, biophysicists have discovered a striking similarity between algae and cows, a similarity that indicates the common evolutionary origin of plants and animals: both algae and cows produce a light-sensitive protein called rhodopsin.

(A) biophysicists have discovered a striking similarity between algae and cows

(B) a striking similarity between algae and cows has been discovered by biophysicists

(C) there is a striking similarity that biophysicists have discovered between algae and cows

(D) the discovery of a striking similarity between algae and cows was made by biophysicists

(E) algae and cows have a striking similarity that was discovered by biophysicists


A because : by studying....biophysicists have discovered....
The sentence is trying to convey that biophysicists carried out the activity and then discovered something. So we can straight away eliminate the remaining options and are left with A