In its most recent approach, the comet Crommelin passed the Earth at

Question

In its most recent approach, the comet Crommelin passed the Earth at about the same distance and in about the same position, some 25 degrees above the horizon,  that Halley’s comet will pass  the next time it appears.

(A) that Halley’s comet will pass
(B) that Halley’s comet is to be passing
(C) as Halley’s comet
(D) as will Halley’s comet
(E) as Halley’s comet will do

TommyWallach · Accepted Answer

Hey All,

I got asked to take this one on by PM, so here I am!

In its most recent approach, the comet Crommelin passed the Earth at about the same distance and in about the same position, some 25 degrees above the horizon, that Halley’s comet will pass the next time it appears.

This is a comparison question, so you have to make sure you're comparing the right two thing.

(A) that Halley’s comet will pass
PROBLEM: This would lead us to think that Halley's comet will pass the distance and position that Crommelin did. That isn't right. It should be PASSING at the distance and position that Crommelin did.

(B) that Halley’s comet is to be passing
PROBLEM: Same as above, "is to be passing" is not a correct construction. Just gibberish, really.

(C) as Halley’s comet
PROBLEM: You can't use "as" without a clause, and there's no verb after the comma in this choice.

(D) as will Halley’s comet
ANSWER: Now we have a verb, so "as" is correct. It's also now clear that we're comparing CLAUSES (the ACT of passing).

(E) as Halley’s comet will do
PROBLEM: "do" is trying to stand in for the verb "to pass" (because that's the action we're comparing: passing), which doesn't make any sense. You can't say "will do pass," but you can say "will pass" (which is why D is correct).

Hope that makes sense!

-t

manyu2409 · Answer

Hi gmatter0913, Let’s first learn about the differences in the usage of ‘that’ and ‘as’. Usage of ‘that’: ‘that’ is generally used to connect two clauses. It works in two ways to connect the clauses: 1. Subject: While connecting two clauses ‘that’ can act as the subject of the second clause. He killed the snake that lived in the woods. Clause 1: He killed the snake Clause 2: that lived in the woods. (‘that’ is the subject) 2. Connector: ‘that’ can act as a connector only. He killed the snake that we saw the other night. Clause 1: He killed the snake Clause 2: we saw the other night. (‘that’ is the connector) Usage of ‘as’: ‘as’ is used in two formats. 1. As + clause: When ‘as’ is followed by a clause it can play any of the three following roles. i.) Comparison ii.) Simultaneous Action iii.) Reason 2. As + noun: When ‘as’ is followed by a noun, it means that one of the two entities functions as the other. Spartacus used to take care of his army as he was the commander of the army. (Reason) Spartacus cared about the children of his army persons, as a father does. (Comparison) As the commander of the army, Spartacus used to take care of his army very well. (Function: Spartacus functions as the commander of the army) As he was working for a software company, he also tutored GMAT students. (Simultaneous Action) EXPLANATION Now, let’s first understand the structure and meaning of the given sentence: • In its most recent approach, the comet Crommelin passed the Earth o at about the same distance and in about the same position, some 25 degrees above the horizon, • that Halley’s comet will pass the next time o it appears . MEANING • The sentence states that in a recent event, the comet Crommelin passed the Earth. • The comet passed at about the same distance and in about the same position, some 25 degrees above the horizon. This part of the sentence indicates that the distance and position of this comet are similar to something. • The distance and the position are similar to when Halley’s comet will pass the next time it appears. Basically the distance and the position of the Crommelin comet are compared to the distance and the position of the Halley’s comet. Now, as explained above, these entities cannot be compared using ‘that’. Hence, we need to use ‘as’. Hope this helps!

Manyu

ChiranjeevSingh · Answer

Here's the   official explanation   provided by the GMAC for this question:

This sentence describes the comet Crommelin and Halley's comet each passing Earth at about the same distance and in about the same position as each other. Idiomatically, in this context the adverbial comparative construction starting with  at   about   the same …  should be completed with  as , not with  that.  This construction must be clearly used to compare how the comets pass, rather than to compare a comet itself with a distance or position.

Option A:  Idiomatically, the adverbial construction starting with  at   about the same …  should be completed with  as , not with  that.  The construction  the same … that  results in a comparison whose implicit terms are two adverbial constructions ( at the distance  and  in the position  the comet Crommelin will pass) and two noun phrases ( the distance  and  the position  Halley's comet will pass). This comparison's terms are not grammatically parallel.

Option B:  Idiomatically, the adverbial construction starting with  at about the same …  should be completed with  as , not with  that.  The verb form  is to be passing  is unnecessarily convoluted, and might be read as suggesting that somebody has mandated that the comet should pass.

Option C:  This seems to compare the distance at which and the position in which the comet Crommelin passed with Halley's comet itself, rather than with the distance at which and the position in which Halley's comet will pass.

Option D:  Correct. In context,  as will   Halley's comet  is an appropriate abbreviation for  as the distance at which and the position in which Halley's comet will pass , correctly completing the comparison with the distance at which and the position in which the comet Crommelin passed.

Option E:  The word  do  is unnecessary and inappropriate in this context. It confusingly suggests that Halley's comet will "do" about the same distance at which and about the same position in which the comet Crommelin passed.

The correct answer is D.

Please note that I'm not the author of this explanation. I'm just posting it here since I believe it can help the community.

rlevochkin · Answer

In its most recent approach, the comet Crommelin passed the Earth at about the same distance and in about the same position, some 25 degrees above the horizon, that Halley’s comet will pass the next time it appears.

(A ) that  Halley’s comet will pass - that modifies horizon, so incorrect.
(B) that Halley’s comet is  to be passing - changes the meaning - sounds like it's about to pass it.
(C) as Halley’s comet-  "as" required a subject and a verb 
(D) as will Halley’s comet
(E) as Halley’s comet will do- is less concise than D

seekmba · Answer

We need 'as' for comparing clauses. That leaves C, D and E

we are comparing the below two:

the comet Crommelin passed 
as Halley’s comet will   or  .......

We are talking about future......Halley's comet will pass

As given, E will read....."comet Crommelin passed.......as Halley’s comet will do  " - 'do' is present tense and needs 'pass' in present tense. When we use 'do' or 'did' it should be parallel with the earlier clause. Also, "will    " is unnecessary.

In option E....the following would have been correct.......the comet Crommelin passed......as Halley’s comet did   - 'did' is past tense and would have been parallel to "comet Crommelin passed".

In option D.....as will Halley’s comet   is correct because it is not using 'do'

In its most recent approach, the comet Crommelin passed the Earth at about the same distance and in about the same position, some 25 degrees above the horizon,  that Halley’s comet will pass  the next time it appears.

(A)  that  Halley’s comet will pass 
(B)  that  Halley’s comet is to be passing
(C) as Halley’s comet - incomplete. 'as Halley's comet' what???
(D) as will Halley’s comet   - CORRECT
(E) as Halley’s comet will do - see above

kalrac · Answer

IMO D.
E seems wrong because of WILL DO - which shows a working verb performed by commet.
But the sentence compares the comet just passes but not perform. (state of being but not action).

soumanag · Answer

Idiom : Same - As

In its most recent approach, the comet Crommelin passed the Earth at about the same distance and in about the same position, some 25 degrees above the horizon,  that Halley’s comet will pass  the next time it appears.

(A)  that  Halley’s comet will pass
(B)  that  Halley’s comet is to be passing
(C) as Halley’s comet -  Compares passing of Crommelin with the comet Halleys  
(D) as will Halley’s comet -  correct 
(E) as Halley’s comet will  do  -  Error of ellipses! "do" implies "passed" as mentioned in original sentence but should imply "pass" as in "will pass"  
 Answer - D

hafizkarim · Answer

Source of the text in  PINK : MGMAT discussion board.

The problem with answer choice E is that, by including the helping verb will, the primary verb pass is already inplied. Thus, answer choice E actually "reads" the comet Crommelin passed the Earth at about the same distance and in about the same position as Halley's comet will do pass the next time it appears. Thus, the verb do is both unnecessary and is not parallel to the verb pass 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, Here is MY take on OPTION (A) : 
 (A) that Halley’s comet will pass

Let's try to understand what the word "that" refer to ?

In its most recent approach, the comet Crommelin passed the Earth at about the same distance and in about the same position , some 25 degrees above the horizon, that Halley’s comet will pass the next time it appears.

Let's remove the modifier that is enclosed within the commas. Remember that when you throw out the modifier, the commas go out the window too.
Voila, the word " that " DOESN'T refer to  horizon , instead "that" refers to  position .

In its most recent approach, the comet Crommelin passed the Earth at about the same distance and in about the  same position that  Halley’s comet will pass the next time it appears.

The problem that i have this version of the sentence is that , the word  "that"  now refers    exclusively     to  position  and  loses  reference to the fact that the " distances " are also being compared. The intent of the original sentence is to compare the  similarity  in aspects of  DISTANCE  and  POSITON , while the newer version of the sentence only conveys the  similarity  in the  position .

The following excerpt colored in green has been taken from e-gmat blogs.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Grammatically COMMA + THAT  is not correct  usage. By definition ‘that clause’ presents required information or essential information and hence  cannot be  separated from the entity that it modifies by using a comma.
However this does not mean that you can never see a comma prior to that. When you do see comma before that, you will see a comma pair. In such cases non-essential information or additional information will be sandwiched between this comma pair. The sentence structure will look something like this:
 Noun,noun-modifier,that clause 
In the above structure, comma  does not  separate ‘that clause’ from its ‘noun’. The complete comma pair is used to separate out the ‘noun modifier’. Lets review this with some examples:
Oprah Winfrey hosts a talk show that has won multiple awards. –  Correct 
Oprah Winfrey hosts a talk show, that has won multiple awards. –  Incorrect 
Oprah Winfrey hosts a talk show,considered the highest-rated program of its kind in history, that has won multiple awards.  Correct  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

gmatter0913 · Answer

Firstly, thank you so much for explaining this very patiently.

I thought that "that" is being used as a subject in the comet sentence. Why can't 'that' be a subject?

What is the difference between the below two sentences?

1. Sheldon is going to buy the same bike that Penny has bought.
2. Sheldon is going to buy the same bike as Penny bought.

When we use "As" followed by a clause, the focus immediately shifts to the action in that clause. The sentence is either comparing the action or making a causation or talking about the duration during the action.

In this particular sentence, I was not convinced that 'As' is doing any of the three mentioned above.

Moreover, you also mentioned that it is comparing the distance and location of the Comets.

Can we write this sentence using that as a 'subject'?

mikemcgarry · Answer

Dear Sai, I am happy to respond. :-)

First of all, you may find this article about "that" helpful: https://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/gmat-sente ... s-of-that/ Here is the OA version of the sentence above: In its most recent approach, the comet Crommelin passed the Earth at about the same distance and in about the same position, some 25 degrees above the horizon, as will Halley’s comet the next time it appears . Believe it or not, that IS a comparison . We often think of comparisons in terms of differences ( more than, less than, bigger than, smaller than, etc.), but statements about how two things are the same are also comparisons. For example, Fred is as tall as I am. Susan makes as much money as I do. SAT math is about as difficult as GRE math. Notice that " than " is used for difference-comparisons and " as " is used for same-comparisons. Does all this make sense? Mike :-)

Shalabh09 · Answer

Its explained well in the MGMAT forum :
 https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/sc1000-t950.html

The explanation given is as follows :

PathFinder007 · Answer

HI mike,

Could you please provide your comments for option E?

as Halley’s comet will do.

what is the issue with this option.

Regards

mikemcgarry · Answer

Dear PathFinder007 , I'm happy to respond. :-)

Here's what I'll say. Some of the GMAT SC practice questions floating around on GC are very good. Magoosh and MGMAT have very good questions, and I have been impressed with many Veritas questions as well. Many others, though, are atrocious. Think about it. Not every car company that says, " We have the very best car on the market " actually has the best car---the claims of advertising often overstep the truth. Well, when a GMAT Prep Company says, " We have high quality SC practice questions ," that's also an advertising claim, and you shouldn't just naively take them at their word. Many SC questions I have seen on this site are truly horrible questions. Caveat emptor ! Let's look at this questions. Here's the text again: In its most recent approach, the comet Crommelin passed the Earth at about the same distance and in about the same position, some 25 degrees above the horizon, that Halley’s comet will pass the next time it appears. (A) that Halley’s comet will pass (B) that Halley’s comet is to be passing (C) as Halley’s comet (D) as will Halley’s comet (E) as Halley’s comet will do Choices (A) & (B) & (C) are abysmally wrong. Choices (D) & (E) are both perfectly correct. There is nothing at all wrong with (E). This question has two correct answers, and three other choices that really wouldn't tempt many test takers. This is an abominably bad question. I would give this question a grade of an F . My friend, you are perfectly correct ---(E) works just as well as (D). The problem is not in your understanding. The problem lies in the question itself. Doing low quality SC practice questions will only confuse you---it will not build the skills you need to be successful on the GMAT. Here's a high quality practice question: https://gmat.magoosh.com/questions/3582 Does all this make sense? Mike :-)

goforgmat · Answer

Whats wrong with E?I fail to understand.
More insights please

sayantanc2k · Answer

Option E has nothing wrong grammatically. Option D is just more economical than option E in expressing the idea - you would recollect that we are supposed to choose the  best  option from the given choices.

anje29 · Answer

We need to show comparison , therefore as ...clause required here.

(A) that Halley’s comet will pass   Incorrect no comparison marker present. 
(B) that Halley’s comet is to be passing   Incorrect no comparison marker present. 
(C) as Halley’s comet   no tense in as clause.. therefore incorrect 
(D) as will Halley’s comet   change in tense is explicitly mentioned 
(E) as Halley’s comet will do   Exact verb form missing after helping verb 'do' should be present elsewhere in the sentence. 'will do  pass ' , pass is not mentioned anywhere . Incorrect

Will2020 · Answer

Just adding my 2 cents here:

The idiom is   same as   NOT  same that . "...the same distance... as  Halley's..."

So A and B is out.

Sidharth8 · Answer

A – ‘will pass’ means that it will go the same distance NOT that it will be passing at the same distance. Meaning change, OUT.
B – Same.
C – ‘as’ needs a clause.
D – this is correct, it is properly comparing clauses
E – ‘do’ here doesn’t make sense. It is supposed to be a substitute for ‘to pass’, but then the sentence becomes ‘will do pass’.
 
D is the right answer

renzofig · Answer

Hi  mikemcgarry , I am a Magoosh student. This question actually comes from GMATPrep Question Bank #2.

I thought that answer choice D was wrong because of wrong ellipsis.

Without ellipsis we would have:

D) as will   Halley's comet.   We can see that "passed" is in past tense, and we would need "pass", so that ellipsis would be wrong.

Regarding to answer choice E, I thought that "do" was replacing the verb "pass". Or is it that "do" is actually working as a helping verb and therefore we are omitting the "pass", so the answer choice would read as follows:
E) as Halley's comet will do pass.

Where am I going wrong?

Best regards,

In its most recent approach, the comet Crommelin passed the Earth at

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In its most recent approach, the comet Crommelin passed the Earth at

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