Nearly two tons of nuclear-reactor fuel have already been put into orb

Hello Rumsus,


The word as has many functions. It is used to present

1. Comparison (as you correctly mentioned).
2. Reason (as a synonymous for "because").
3. Function/role of a noun entity.
4. Simultaneity between two actions.
5. some information about an action ("as" acts as an adverb)

This official sentence uses as to present simultaneity between two actions - increase in the chances collision along with the increase in the amount of debris and in the number of satellites. This meaning fits perfectly in the context of the sentence.


Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha

Hi Verbal Experts,
In options A & C, isn't "amount" singular and thus should have "continues" as the verb instead of continue.
Please clarify this
Thanks

There are two things:

i) the amount of space debris and
ii) the number of satellites

(A) as the amount of both space debris and satellites continue to rise - Countable satellites so amount cant refer to satellites.

(B) as the rise continues in both the amount of satellites and space debris - Space debris should have amount and Satellites should have number.

(C) as the amount of space debris and the number of satellites continue to rise - Seems about right.

(D) with the continually increasing amount of space debris and the number of satellites - the list is parallel after "the" - So, continually increasing amount of space debris and the number of satellites are parallel. here, the number of satellites should increase but they do not as continually increasing is not referring to the number of satellites.

(E) with the amount of space debris continuing to increase along with the number of satellites - Along with usually makes one subject primary. Here, along with makes space debris primary whereas in original sentence, the Space debris and number of satellites are equal in importance.

This is what my explanation is. I am trying to find the usages of with which i can refer to. Does anybody has any idea regarding that?

isn't "the number of " singluar?

with+noun can modify a preceding noun or preceding verb.
comma+with+noun can modify the preceding clause.

the girl with red hair is my friend. "with phrase" modify a noun
I work with a good spirit. "with phrase modify preceding verb
I work hard, with my friends going out for change. "with phrase" modify the preceding clause

in choice D and E, there is no comma, so, "with -phrase" can not modify the preceding clause and must modify the preceding noun. but this phrase is not logical to modify the preceding noun. Wrong

I have heard that '' A number of '' demands plural verb, whereas ''The number of'' demands singular verb. I thought OA has a plural verb ''continue'' to describe ''the number of satellites'', thus I eliminated the option. Shouldn't it be ''continues''?

Or is it that the verb depends on the subject following the ''number'' as in the OA : ''satellites'' is countable, so plural? (I know this rule works for percent scenarios eg: ''percent of'') Does this rule apply even for ''number of''?

Experts, please clarify

Regards
Vighnesh

Hello VIGHNESHKAMATH,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, the plural verb "continue" is needed here because the verb refers to the plural noun phrase "the amount of space debris and the number of satellites"; the meaning conveyed here is that both the amount of space debris and the number of satellites are rising.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team

Nearly two tons of nuclear-reactor fuel have already been put into orbit around the Earth, and the chances of a collision involving such material increase greatly as the amount of both space debris and satellites continue to rise.


(A) as the amount of both space debris and satellites continue to rise

(B) as the rise continues in both the amount of satellites and space debris

(C) as the amount of space debris and the number of satellites continue to rise

(D) with the continually increasing amount of space debris and the number of satellites

(E) with the amount of space debris continuing to increase along with the number of satellites


In Option D, Can't we say that

with the continually increasing -
1. amount of space (Noun phrase1)
&
2. the number of satellites (Noun Phrase 2 , common part-with the continually increasing)

GMATNinja Could you please assist!

Yes, you could interpret it that way, and the sentence would make sense. But the reader is forced to make a decision, and as a result the intended meaning isn't immediately clear.

A natural reaction is to start the parallel list after the "with": "... with (1) the continually increasing amount of space debris and (2) the number of satellites." The reader then has to think, "Wait, that doesn't make sense -- how can I make this work?". (C) eliminates that bit of confusion, making it a better sentence.

Also, what does it mean to say that the chances of a collision increase greatly WITH the continually increasing amount of space debris and the number of satellites? The "as" in choice (C) is a bit more precise (X increases as Y & Z increase).

(D) isn't terrible, but (C) is a better option.

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