During the twentieth century, the study of the large-scale structure

Question

During the twentieth century, the study of the large-scale structure of the universe evolved from the theoretical to the practical; the field of physical cosmology was made possible  because of both Einstein's theory of relativity and  the better ability to observe extremely distant astronomical objects.

(A) because of both Einstein's theory of relativity and
 
(B) by both Einstein's theory of relativity and
 
(C) by Einstein's theory of relativity and also
 
(D) because of Einstein's theory of relativity and also
 
(E) as a result of both Einstein's theory of relativity and

margarette · Accepted Answer

The answer choices for this question are all very similar in terms of pure meaning: [causal conjunction] Einstein's theory of relativity and (also)

In cases like this, where there seem to be "too many right answers", look for the simplest way to package what every answer says. Being concise is key. The simplest way isn't always the shortest, but look for complete, accurate meaning with the simplest, most direct syntax and structure.

Lastly, two smaller tip-offs that signal the right answer and might be helpful if you're stuck between choosing between two:
1. "made possible by" is slightly more idomatically common and natural than "made possible as a result of" or "made possible because of".
2. If you take a step back and look at the whole sentence, the emphasis is on the evolution from theoretical to practical, so NOT ONLY Einstein's theory, but the more practical "ability to observe extremely distant astronomical objects" as well, so emphasizing the two by using the word "both" prominently before the conjoined noun phrases.

Hope that helps!

gmatopoeia · Answer

Answer: B
Idiom - 'made possible by  ' and never 'made possible because...' ---> eliminates A, D and E

Essentially, the statement is saying, "field of physical cosmology is made possible by Einstein's theory of relativity; field of physical cosmology is made possible by the better ability to observe  ...'. So, for concision's sake, we say 'made possible by both   and  '. 
This can also be rewritten as 'Both   and   made   possible' ---> hence, B is correct.

angel2009 · Answer

was made possible demands a by
Hence we can narrow it between B & C
and also is wrong and hence B

tuanquang269 · Answer

"Made possible by" is idiom, isn't it? or we choose based on the most shortest version?

avi84 · Answer

The answer choices for this question are all very similar in terms of pure meaning:   Einstein's theory of relativity and (also)

In cases like this, where there seem to be "too many right answers", look for the simplest way to package what every answer says. Being concise is key. The simplest way isn't always the shortest, but look for complete, accurate meaning with the simplest, most direct syntax and structure.

Lastly, two smaller tip-offs that signal the right answer and might be helpful if you're stuck between choosing between two:
1. "made possible by" is slightly more idomatically common and natural than "made possible as a result of" or "made possible because of".
2. If you take a step back and look at the whole sentence, the emphasis is on the evolution from theoretical to practical, so NOT ONLY Einstein's theory, but the more practical "ability to observe extremely distant astronomical objects" as well, so emphasizing the two by using the word "both" prominently before the conjoined noun phrases.

is" made possible by" only flaw in the option D or   and also  is also incorrect?

Capricorn369 · Answer

I ignored option (C) and (D) becasue of expression "and also".

MGMAT SC puts expression "and also" in SUSPECT category(pg 161). Can someone suggest is it fair to ignore "and also"?

Cheers!

margarette · Answer

For "made possible", "by" would be the best, idiomatically, but I would avoid relying solely on memorization of idiomatic phrasing to choose an answer, and use it more as a last test. Basically, any formulaic or ironclad strategies such as if X then answer is Y, especially when it comes to Verbal, are tricky (but that's another discussion!).

The "because of" is certainly a detractor, as is the lack of emphasis on the conjunction (having "and also" at the end), but the overall wording of that answer choice ("because of Einstein's theory of relativity and also") is unwieldy.

"And also" may seem a little redundant, since you're basically saying the same thing twice ("and" conjoins and "also" introduces an addition) but I wouldn't put a blanket ban on it, since there are some cases where it could be used effectively. For this particular question, "and also" is incorrect because when you say "Einstein's theory of relativity AND ALSO better ability to observe extremely distant astronomical objects", it seems to subordinate the second practical example (as if you said "I like apples and also oranges", it seems as if you liked apples a bit more, right?), which we don't want to do, because the prompt says studies have "evolved from the theoretical to the practical". Using the word "both" eliminates this risk.

Feel free to let me know if you guys want me to clarify anything, I'd be happy to help!

calreg11 · Answer

two idioms: "made possible by" and "both X and Y."

alchemist009 · Answer

i got it wrong. i picked A here. anyway nice explanation. another idiom is included in my list. "made possible by X and Y ....

prasun9 · Answer

This sentence uses the Passive Voice and in such sentences "because of" and "by" must follow the structures below:

Action   because of   cause/reason for the action 
 Action   by   agent of the action

Now if we look at the sentence
 the field of physical cosmology was made possible   because of  both  Einstein's theory of relativity  and  the better ability to observe extremely distant astronomical objects .

Einstein's theory of relativity  does not (automatically) cause  the field of physical cosmology .
The  theory  is just an agent (means), not a reason, by which the  field is made possible . Hence the structure  Action   by   agent of the action  is more appropriate here.

Same logic applies to  the better ability to observe extremely distant astronomical objects .

Only options B & C have the correct structure. In C "and also" is redundant, hence B is the best option.

JarvisR · Answer

Thanks Prasun. For sharing the inputs.

I think i got the crux here. Capturing the analysis from my end, just to ensure that we r on same page. Because of Vs By: Because of => Because of and because introduce a cause or reason for a particular situation . Because of is followed by a noun phrase and because is followed by a clause. Demonstrators protested (Why?) because of their dissatisfaction. Demonstrations arose/ occurred/ happened (Why?) because of dissatisfaction. Neighboring countries were worried because of the unrest. By => 1:By and with introduce a means or method for a particular action that someone takes or something does. Demonstrators protested (How?)with a march in Tahrir Square. by marching in Tahrir Square. Change resulted (How?)with the formation of a council. by forming a temporary council. 2: After a passive verb, by introduces the agent of the action. The agent is often a person or persons, but the agent may also be inanimate. Some protestors were injured (by whom/what?)by other protestors. by opposing demonstrators. Neighboring countries were worried by rumors about the unrest. by news reports about the unrest. Now coming to the original question: the study ... evolved from the theoretical to the practical; the field ... was made possible both Einstein's theory of relativity and the better ability to observe extremely distant astronomical objects.

shekyonline · Answer

During the twentieth century, the study of the large-scale structure of the universe evolved from the theoretical to the practical; the field of physical cosmology was made possible because of both Einstein's theory of relativity and the better ability to observe extremely distant astronomical objects.

A)  because of  both Einstein's theory of relativity and

B)  by  both Einstein's theory of relativity and
  Correct . 
C)  by  Einstein's theory of relativity and  also

D)  because of  Einstein's theory of relativity and  also

E)  as a result of  both Einstein's theory of relativity and

NicoleJaneway · Answer

Are we concerned at all about "because of... the better"? The awkwardness of that really threw me off. Also, isn't "both Einstein's theory" and "the better ability" lacking in parallelism?

BillyZ · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION 
The underlined portion of the sentence introduces two idioms:  made possible by  and  both X and Y . The former idiom is incorrectly presented in the sentence as  made possible because of .

(A) The choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence.

(B) CORRECT.  This choice uses both idioms correctly:  made possible by  and  both X and Y .

(C) This choice corrects the first idiom (made possible by) but introduces a new error by removing both and replacing it with  and also , which is redundant.

(D) This choice repeats the original idiom error  made possible because of . It also introduces a new error by removing both and replacing it with and also, which is redundant.

(E) This choice presents the incorrect idiom ( made possible as a result of ) rather than the correct idiom, made possible by.

lstsch · Answer

Many people here have commented that answer C is wrong because it is redundant. But isn't answer choice B also redundant? ... made possible BY BOTH Einstein's theory of relativity and... (doesn't "both" make it redundant?)

AjiteshArun · Answer

That's a great point, as the both is clearly not needed there.

I'm not sure how closely we should look at this question, given that it is not an official question, but I guess that, because the GMAT loves the both X and Y structure, and has gone against and also multiple times, it's okay to choose both X and Y over and also .

Prasannathawait · Answer

I choose B over A.
But not sure why A is wrong. The sentence seems perfectly fine.
Maybe concision made me choose B.

thecoronafever · Answer

I reached down to (A) and (B), and selected choice (A) for this one.
Though, idiom "made possible by" might sound better but what does not seem better to me is "by the ability". It seems that there are 2 reasons because of which field of cosmology was made possible, and the use of "because of" makes it more meaningful that the "ability" is one of the reason.
Still, with my reasoning, I am not sure of the idiom "made possible by" is setting up perfectly here compared to "because of"

shalabh3103 · Answer

can have because of in the answer choice since it should be followed by a reason/clause

whereas we have nouns as reasons
theory and ability
A, D and E are wrong due to this.

b/w B and C B is more idiomatically structured.

During the twentieth century, the study of the large-scale structure

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During the twentieth century, the study of the large-scale structure

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