pk6969 wrote:
aikido_fudoshin wrote:
Quasars are so distant that their light has taken billions of years to reach the Earth; consequently, we see them as they were during the formation of the universe.
(A) we see them as they were during
(B) we see them as they had been during
(C) we see them as if during
(D) they appear to us as they did in
(E) they appear to us as though in
In this
OG question how to eliminate option C?
AndrewNKittyDoodles wrote:
Hi Experts,
MartyTargetTestPrep,
AndrewNIn option D, the verb "did" is used as the past tense of the verb "appear", which is used earlier in the sentence. Thus the option becomes "they appear to us as they appeared in the formation of the universe." The only error I can spot in this sentence is the preposition "in" instead of "during".
How can we interpret the "to us" part after the second verb "did" (appeared). As per the explanations above in this post, option D is incorrect because "the way Quasers appear to us now is the same as they appeared to us when the Universe was formed. But, when the Universe was formed, we did not exist."
Thank You
It looks like Marty just beat me to this one, but I will reproduce my answer in full below.
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I suppose I will kill two birds with one stone, even if I am quite late (for some reason) to get to the earlier query. I will work backwards, chronologically, so,
KittyDoodles, you are up first. I agree that
in is a problem in answer choice (D). If you can find a relatively easy way to doubt an answer choice, then you should look to do so. Pertaining to the implied
to us after the substitute verb
did, it is a reasonable interpretation because
to us appears just after the verb
appear and just prior to the comparative
as, and we should not have to pick and choose what we want the verb to substitute for:
1)
Quasars appear to us as [quasars] [appeared to us] XBut you could write,
2)
Quasars appear as they did √You have to be careful about just what these substitute verbs juggle, and you also want to keep comparisons as tight as possible on the GMAT™. Play it safe, so when in doubt about a comparison, seek a safer alternative.
Concerning answer choice (C),
as if during the formation of the universe makes the comparison seem purely hypothetical and diminishes its effectiveness. That is, we cannot be sure the sentence is conveying that quasars actually existed at the time of the formation of the universe.
Perhaps answer choices (C) and (D) make more sense now. Thank you for thinking to ask.
- Andrew