Bunuel
Neap tides, the low amplitude tides that occur during first and third quarters of the lunar month, are due to the cancellation of the tidal forces of the Sun and the Moon.
(A) Neap tides, the low amplitude tides that occur during first and third quarters of the lunar month, are due to the cancellation of the tidal forces of the Sun and the Moon.
(B) Known as neap tides, the low amplitude tides occurring at first and third quarters of the lunar month are because of the way the Sun and the Moon having tidal forces that cancel.
(C) The low amplitude tides, which occur during first and third quarters of the lunar month, are called neap tides, and these are because of the Sun and the Moon and the way their tidal forces cancel.
(D) When the tidal forces of the Sun and the Moon cancel, during first and third quarters of the lunar month, these are called neap tides, the low amplitude tides that happen then.
(E) The cancellation of the tidal forces of the Sun and the Moon, during first and third quarters of the lunar month, are due to the low amplitude tides that occur then, known as neap tides.
Magoosh Official Explanation:
(A) The construction
X is due to Y is perfectly correct. This choice is elegant and problem free.
(B) The construction
X is because of Y is suspect, not as natural sounding as
X is due to Y. Also, the last part of the sentence, “…the way the Sun and the Moon having tidal forces that cancel,” is completely ungrammatical. This choice is not correct.
(C) This one changes the meaning slightly. The prompt is talking about those low amplitudes tides that occur during quarter moons; the prompt leaves open the possibility that there might be other low amplitude tides, at other times, for different reasons. Choice (C) assumes that all low amplitude tides are neap tides; maybe they are, maybe they aren’t, but that is a logically different meaning from that of the prompt. Furthermore, the final part is far too casual and inexact. This choice is not correct.
(D) The demonstrative pronoun “these” needs a clear antecedent — the tidal forces? the Sun and Moon? the first and third quarters? The antecedent is not clear, and none of these possibilities is identical with “neap tides.” This choice is incorrect.
(E) This choice is grammatically correct, but logically wrong, because it reverses the order of causality. The tides are due to gravity from the Sun & Moon, not the other way around. The “due to” construction implies a clear cause-effect relationship, and the wording of this choices reverses the cause and the effect. This choice is incorrect.