No less remarkable than the invention of nuclear power has been the

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION



THE PROMPT


• Meaning?
→ The way that nuclear power technology has prompted governments to reevaluate the nature of international relations has been just as remarkable as the invention of nuclear power itself.


THE OPTIONS inserted into the sentence



• Split #1 - Items under comparison must be parallel
[Or: dedicated nouns such as invention are almost always preferred to verbals that function as nouns such as inventing].

Inventing and the way are not parallel.
→ Inventing is a gerund (a verbING) that conveys action.
→ The way is a "concrete" noun that does not convey action and that is not a gerund. (Sometimes concrete nouns are contrasted with action nouns such as "invention.")

On the GMAT and in most formal writing, do not compare items that are not in parallel form.

Eliminate options C and E.
Option C also botches the idiom "no less remarkable than," with its phrase none the less remarkable than.

• Split #2 - Do not shift verb tenses unnecessarily / Avoid illogical meaning

Option B shifts verb tenses from what was as remarkable to has been the way.
The sequence is illogical and nonsensical.

The first thing (what was) no longer exists.
→ We use simple past tense to indicate that something no longer exists or is no longer happening.
→ The simple past tense was indicates that something no longer is.

The second thing (has been) still exists or still has effect in the present.
→ That is, on the other hand, we use present perfect to indicate that something exists or is still happening, or its effect is still present.
The present perfect has been indicates that something is still happening.

But the first thing and the second thing are the same thing; the way that nuclear technology forced governments to change was, is, or has been just as remarkable as the invention of nuclear power itself.

The verbs in the sentence clash.
Essentially, the verbs indicate that something no longer exists and also still exists.
That state of affairs makes no sense.
Eliminate B
(If you are not sure, hold it and compare to answer A. Option A wins—it contains no strange verbs shifts.)


• Split #3 - Idiom error

Option D incorrectly says less . . . as and should say less . . . than.
GMAC regularly tests comparison idioms.

If you see a comparison word that does not indicate equality or similarity (more, less, greater, smaller, shorter, taller, etc.), start looking for THAN.
→ Correct: Less . . . than
→ Wrong: Less . . . as

[In the case of comparisons of equal or similar things, the idiom is AS . . . AS, never AS . . . THAN.]

There is no such thing as less . . . as. Ever.
It does not matter that you are dealing with the expression "no less [remarkable]." You still need less . . . than, not less . . . as.

"No less ____ than" means "Just as ____ as."
If X is not less important than Y, for example, then X and Y are equally important, or X is as important as Y.

Examples → →
No less ___ than: The humanities and social sciences are no less important than STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
Just as ___ as: The humanities and social sciences are just as important as STEM.
Those two sentences mean the same thing.

"No less [adjective] than" is somewhat idiomatic, but a non-native could figure out the logic of the sentence without knowing the idiom.*
Eliminate D.

By POE, the answer is A.

In option A, the nouns are in parallel form. The invention and the way are both concrete, dedicated nouns.
In option A, verbs are not jumping around.
In option A, the idiom less . . . than is correct.

NOTES

This question is a good example of a way to practice smirking at GMAC.
No kidding.
I suspect that this sentence is slightly harder for non-native speakers than for native speakers, but regardless, it is designed to make you panic.

The phrasing in many options is unusual.
The sentence is inverted.
The verbs shift in some options. Are they allowed to do so? Of course. Should they do so without reason? No.
In the face of two or three uncommon constructions, you are supposed to panic.

Do not panic.
You've got this.

When sentences are inverted, flip them back around. Find the subject. Find the verb. Place the subject first.
→ On this page, here, you can find a short recap of and a few examples of inversion.
→ On this page, here, you will find a slightly more advanced review of and short quiz on inversion.

When phrasing seems convoluted or unfamiliar, try to remember that you can take the information in pieces.
Start by noticing small differences.
Options C and E use inventing whereas options A, B, and D use invention.
Then think about this 90 percent reliable guideline: If a dedicated noun such as invention exists, it is almost always preferred to the gerund form of the noun.

This question is based [SPOILER ALERT] on an old and difficult official question.
You can find that official question by clicking on the spoiler and then clicking on the link,


COMMENTS

thakurarun85 and pinakin2456 , welcome to SC Butler.

My apologies for the delay.
I'm under the weather (aren't euphemisms weird? that one means "ill"), so I'll award kudos right now and post catch up OEs in the next two days.

No matter where you are in your process (just beginning, Round 1 applicant, Round 2 or 3 hopeful, not sure yet), in the spirit of the winter holidays in the U.S., I wish you the best of luck.