EMPOWERgmatVerbal wrote:
Hello Everyone!
Let's tackle this question, one issue at a time, and figure out the correct choice! First, let's take a quick look at the original question, and highlight any obvious differences between the options in orange:
Having been named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter, the asteroid named Ida, in the middle of the belt of asteroids that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, was discovered in 1884.
(A) Having been named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter, the asteroid named Ida, in the middle of the belt of asteroids that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, was discovered in 1884.
(B) Discovered in 1884, the asteroid lda, named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter, is in the middle of the belt of asteroids that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.
(C) In the middle of the belt of asteroids that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, the asteroid lda, discovered in 1884 and named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter.
(D) The asteroid Ida, named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter and discovered in 1884, is in the middle of the belt of asteroids to orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.
(E) Ida, an asteroid discovered in 1884 and which was named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter, is in the middle of the belt of asteroids to orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.
Whenever you see the entire sentence underlined, you have to think about both the minor differences between the options and the overall grammar issue the entire sentence deals with:
1. that orbit / to orbit (idioms)
2. having been named / named / which was named (verb tense)
...and our overall grammar concept?
3. Modifiers (placement and usage)
To begin, let's start with #1 on our list: that orbit vs. to orbit. This is an easy one that will knock 2-3 options out of contention quickly. It is idiomatically correct to say that "objects that orbit" and not "objects to orbit." So, let's see which options do this correctly:
(A) Having been named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter, the asteroid named Ida, in the middle of the belt of asteroids that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, was discovered in 1884.
(B) Discovered in 1884, the asteroid lda, named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter, is in the middle of the belt of asteroids that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.
(C) In the middle of the belt of asteroids that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, the asteroid lda, discovered in 1884 and named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter.
(D) The asteroid Ida, named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter and discovered in 1884, is in the middle of the belt of asteroids to orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.
(E) Ida, an asteroid discovered in 1884 and which was named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter, is in the middle of the belt of asteroids to orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.
We can eliminate options D & E because they don't use the right idiom "that orbit." How easy was that? Sometimes, starting with the simplest differences can rule out several wrong options without much effort!
Now that we're down to 3 options, let's focus on #2: verb tense. We know that these events happened in a particular order:
1. An asteroid was discovered in 1884.
2. The asteroid was named Ida after a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter.
3. Ida is located in the middle of the belt of asteroids that orbit the sun between Mars and Jupiter.
Let's make sure that the verb tenses throughout each sentence tell the events in the right order, and don't create any confusion:
(A) Having been named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter, the asteroid named Ida, in the middle of the belt of asteroids that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, was discovered in 1884.
This is INCORRECT because it puts the events in the wrong order! By using the past perfect "having been named," this suggests that the asteroid was named Ida BEFORE it was discovered?? That doesn't make sense, does it? Let's eliminate this one.
(B) Discovered in 1884, the asteroid lda, named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter, is in the middle of the belt of asteroids that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.
This is CORRECT! The past tense "discovered" clearly shows that the asteroid was discovered in the past. The word "named" here is being used as a modifier, so it's fine how it is. We also like the use of the present tense "is" to show that Ida is still currently located in the same place, which makes sense!
(C) In the middle of the belt of asteroids that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, the asteroid lda, discovered in 1884 and named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter.
This is INCORRECT because it's a sentence fragment! We have two modifiers (highlighted in red), and a subject - but it's missing a verb altogether!
There you go - option B is the correct choice! It uses the right idiom "that orbit" and it's a complete sentence with the right verb tenses!
Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.
EMPOWERgmatVerbalWhat type of modifier is the "named for a mythological nymph who cared for the infant Jupiter"... is this a noun modifier or adverbial modifier? Thank you in advance
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09 Apr 2020, 20:48
