Last visit was: 21 Apr 2026, 05:27 It is currently 21 Apr 2026, 05:27
Home
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Back to Forum
Create Topic
   1   2 
Sub 505 (Easy)|   Grammatical/Rhetorical Construction|                     
avatar
Karanagrawal
avatar
Joined: 23 Mar 2016
Last visit: 05 Apr 2017
Posts: 5
Own Kudos:
2
 [1]
Given Kudos: 116
Posts: 5
Kudos: 2
 [1]
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observ 22 Sep 2016, 04:17
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
please help
why is "are" used ? shouldn't it be were??
means they were believed to be something or they are believed to be something ? :shock: :roll: :roll:
avatar
SuyashA
avatar
Joined: 22 Sep 2016
Last visit: 03 Jul 2022
Posts: 42
Own Kudos:
58
Given Kudos: 127
Location: India
Concentration: International Business, General Management
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 42
Kudos: 58
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observ 08 Oct 2016, 06:57
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
592. Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observable objects in the universe, believed to be the cores of galaxies in an early stage of development.
(A) believed to be
(B) are believed to be
(C) some believe them to be
(D) some believe they are
(E) it is believed that they are

Can someone please explain the highlighted part -- modifier or fluff! -- Here, I am unable to understand the sentence structure. How can we juxtapose the phrases 'at billions of light-years from Earth' and 'the most distant observable objects in the universe'? (Ping - mikemcgarry , @egmat)

Note : Please do not relate my question with the required answer to this question -- I just want to understand the sentence stem highlighted above --

Thanks,
SA
User avatar
abhimahna
User avatar
Board of Directors
Joined: 18 Jul 2015
Last visit: 06 Jul 2024
Posts: 3,481
Own Kudos:
5,779
Given Kudos: 346
Status:Emory Goizueta Alum
Products:
My Reviews
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 3,481
Kudos: 5,779
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observ 08 Oct 2016, 07:09
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
SpiritualAtheist
592. Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observable objects in the universe, believed to be the cores of galaxies in an early stage of development.
(A) believed to be
(B) are believed to be
(C) some believe them to be
(D) some believe they are
(E) it is believed that they are

Can someone please explain the highlighted part -- modifier or fluff! -- Here, I am unable to understand the sentence structure. How can we juxtapose the phrases 'at billions of light-years from Earth' and 'the most distant observable objects in the universe'? (Ping - mikemcgarry , @egmat)

Note : Please do not relate my question with the required answer to this question -- I just want to understand the sentence stem highlighted above --

Thanks,
SA
Show more

Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observable objects in the universe, are believed to be the cores of galaxies in an early stage of development.

Subject

Verb

Modifier, modifying Quasars
avatar
SuyashA
avatar
Joined: 22 Sep 2016
Last visit: 03 Jul 2022
Posts: 42
Own Kudos:
58
Given Kudos: 127
Location: India
Concentration: International Business, General Management
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 42
Kudos: 58
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observ 08 Oct 2016, 07:25
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
abhimahna
SpiritualAtheist
592. Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observable objects in the universe, believed to be the cores of galaxies in an early stage of development.
(A) believed to be
(B) are believed to be
(C) some believe them to be
(D) some believe they are
(E) it is believed that they are

Can someone please explain the highlighted part -- modifier or fluff! -- Here, I am unable to understand the sentence structure. How can we juxtapose the phrases 'at billions of light-years from Earth' and 'the most distant observable objects in the universe'? (Ping - mikemcgarry , @egmat)

Note : Please do not relate my question with the required answer to this question -- I just want to understand the sentence stem highlighted above --

Thanks,
SA

Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observable objects in the universe, are believed to be the cores of galaxies in an early stage of development.

Subject

Verb

Modifier, modifying Quasars
Show more

I didn't ask that! Of course, I know that it's a modifier! :)
Can you explain how the phrases 'at billions of light-years from Earth' and 'the most distant observable objects in the universe' are connected together?
User avatar
sayantanc2k
User avatar
Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Last visit: 09 Dec 2022
Posts: 2,391
Own Kudos:
15,571
 [1]
Given Kudos: 26
Location: Germany
Schools:
GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V47
WE:Corporate Finance (Pharmaceuticals and Biotech)
Expert
Expert reply
Schools:
GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V47
Posts: 2,391
Kudos: 15,571
 [1]
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observ 08 Oct 2016, 08:01
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
SpiritualAtheist
abhimahna
SpiritualAtheist
592. Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observable objects in the universe, believed to be the cores of galaxies in an early stage of development.
(A) believed to be
(B) are believed to be
(C) some believe them to be
(D) some believe they are
(E) it is believed that they are

Can someone please explain the highlighted part -- modifier or fluff! -- Here, I am unable to understand the sentence structure. How can we juxtapose the phrases 'at billions of light-years from Earth' and 'the most distant observable objects in the universe'? (Ping - mikemcgarry , @egmat)

Note : Please do not relate my question with the required answer to this question -- I just want to understand the sentence stem highlighted above --

Thanks,
SA

Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observable objects in the universe, are believed to be the cores of galaxies in an early stage of development.

Subject

Verb

Modifier, modifying Quasars

I didn't ask that! Of course, I know that it's a modifier! :)
Can you explain how the phrases 'at billions of light-years from Earth' and 'the most distant observable objects in the universe' are connected together?
Show more


'At billions of light-years from Earth' and 'the most distant observable objects in the universe' are not two different modifiers, but are parts of one single modifier. It would be evident when you convert this appositive modifier to a relative clause modifier:

Quasars, which are the most distant observable objects in the universe at billions of light-years from Earth, are believed to be....
avatar
SuyashA
avatar
Joined: 22 Sep 2016
Last visit: 03 Jul 2022
Posts: 42
Own Kudos:
58
Given Kudos: 127
Location: India
Concentration: International Business, General Management
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 42
Kudos: 58
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observ 08 Oct 2016, 22:25
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
sayantanc2k


'At billions of light-years from Earth' and 'the most distant observable objects in the universe' are not two different modifiers, but are parts of one single modifier. It would be evident when you convert this appositive modifier to a relative clause modifier:

Quasars, which are the most distant observable objects in the universe at billions of light-years from Earth, are believed to be....
Show more

Ok. It's much more clear now.
Can we have more than two phrases juxtaposed together to form a modifier? (As in this case two phrases are juxtaposed to form a single modifier) -- If yes, is it possible to convert it into a relative clause modifier then?
User avatar
sayantanc2k
User avatar
Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Last visit: 09 Dec 2022
Posts: 2,391
Own Kudos:
15,571
 [1]
Given Kudos: 26
Location: Germany
Schools:
GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V47
WE:Corporate Finance (Pharmaceuticals and Biotech)
Expert
Expert reply
Schools:
GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V47
Posts: 2,391
Kudos: 15,571
 [1]
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observ 09 Oct 2016, 08:38
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
SpiritualAtheist
sayantanc2k


'At billions of light-years from Earth' and 'the most distant observable objects in the universe' are not two different modifiers, but are parts of one single modifier. It would be evident when you convert this appositive modifier to a relative clause modifier:

Quasars, which are the most distant observable objects in the universe at billions of light-years from Earth, are believed to be....

Ok. It's much more clear now.
Can we have more than two phrases juxtaposed together to form a modifier? (As in this case two phrases are juxtaposed to form a single modifier) -- If yes, is it possible to convert it into a relative clause modifier then?
Show more

Quasars, which are the most distant observable objects in the universe at billions of light-years from Earth in deep space, are believed to be....


Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth in deep space the most distant observable objects in the universe , are believed to be....
avatar
SuyashA
avatar
Joined: 22 Sep 2016
Last visit: 03 Jul 2022
Posts: 42
Own Kudos:
58
Given Kudos: 127
Location: India
Concentration: International Business, General Management
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 42
Kudos: 58
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observ 09 Oct 2016, 09:09
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
sayantanc2k
SpiritualAtheist
sayantanc2k


'At billions of light-years from Earth' and 'the most distant observable objects in the universe' are not two different modifiers, but are parts of one single modifier. It would be evident when you convert this appositive modifier to a relative clause modifier:

Quasars, which are the most distant observable objects in the universe at billions of light-years from Earth, are believed to be....

Ok. It's much more clear now.
Can we have more than two phrases juxtaposed together to form a modifier? (As in this case two phrases are juxtaposed to form a single modifier) -- If yes, is it possible to convert it into a relative clause modifier then?

Quasars, which are the most distant observable objects in the universe at billions of light-years from Earth in deep space, are believed to be....


Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth in deep space the most distant observable objects in the universe , are believed to be....
Show more

I didn't know that a modifier can have many phrases serially juxtaposed together -- I thought it's incorrect to make such sentences --
Thanks a bunch for the explanation.
User avatar
mbaapp1234
User avatar
Joined: 23 Dec 2013
Last visit: 05 Jul 2019
Posts: 81
Own Kudos:
90
Given Kudos: 23
Location: United States (CA)
Schools: HBS '20 (D) Stanford '20 (D) Yale '21 (A$) Tuck '21 (A) Wharton '21 (A) Sloan '21 (A)
GMAT 1: 710 Q45 V41
GMAT 2: 760 Q49 V44
GPA: 3.76
Products:
My Reviews
Schools: HBS '20 (D) Stanford '20 (D) Yale '21 (A$) Tuck '21 (A) Wharton '21 (A) Sloan '21 (A)
GMAT 2: 760 Q49 V44
Posts: 81
Kudos: 90
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observ 19 May 2017, 08:54
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
bmwhype2
592. Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observable objects in the universe, believed to be the cores of galaxies in an early stage of development.
(A) believed to be
(B) are believed to be
(C) some believe them to be
(D) some believe they are
(E) it is believed that they are

I already know the OA. Why are the other answers wrong?
Show more

A This sentence is a fragment.
B Correct.
C This sentence is improperly formed because it has two subjects without a coordinating conjunction or preposition.
D This sentence is improperly formed because it has two subjects without a coordinating conjunction or preposition.
E "It" does not agree in number with "quasars," and the sentence is a fragment because it has two subjects without a coordinating conjunction or preposition.
User avatar
sasyaharry
User avatar
Joined: 22 Nov 2016
Last visit: 11 Mar 2023
Posts: 199
Own Kudos:
362
Given Kudos: 49
Concentration: Leadership, Strategy
Schools: Wharton Exec '22 (A) Haas EWMBA '23 (A)
Products:
My Reviews
Schools: Wharton Exec '22 (A) Haas EWMBA '23 (A)
Posts: 199
Kudos: 362
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observ 18 Jul 2017, 22:27
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hide the modifier a.k.a fluff and the answer becomes apprent.
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observable objects in the universe, believed to be the cores of galaxies in an early stage of development.

The only correct phrase is Quasars are believed to be the cores of galaxies in an early stage of development.
User avatar
ydmuley
User avatar
Retired Moderator
Joined: 19 Mar 2014
Last visit: 01 Dec 2019
Posts: 807
Own Kudos:
916
Given Kudos: 199
Location: India
Concentration: Finance, Entrepreneurship
Schools: Haas '20 HBS '20 CBS '20 Wharton '20 Stanford '20 Kellogg '20
GPA: 3.5
Schools: Haas '20 HBS '20 CBS '20 Wharton '20 Stanford '20 Kellogg '20
Posts: 807
Kudos: 916
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observ 09 Sep 2017, 02:16
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observable objects in the universe, believed to be the cores of galaxies in an early stage of development.

(A) believed to be
(B) are believed to be
(C) some believe them to be
(D) some believe they are
(E) it is believed that they are
User avatar
Skywalker18
User avatar
Retired Moderator
Joined: 08 Dec 2013
Last visit: 15 Nov 2023
Posts: 1,974
Own Kudos:
10,158
 [1]
Given Kudos: 171
Status:Greatness begins beyond your comfort zone
Location: India
Concentration: General Management, Strategy
GPA: 3.2
WE:Information Technology (Consulting)
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 1,974
Kudos: 10,158
 [1]
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observ 03 Jan 2018, 08:47
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observable objects in the universe, believed to be the cores of galaxies in an early stage of development.
(A) believed to be -- no verb - “believed” acts as a modifier in this structure
(B) are believed to be - Correct
(C) some believe them to be -- Quasars some -- 2 subjects joined incorrectly
(D) some believe they are -- same as C
(E) it is believed that they are -- same as C

Answer B
User avatar
AkshdeepS
User avatar
Joined: 13 Apr 2013
Last visit: 20 Apr 2026
Posts: 1,423
Own Kudos:
1,936
Given Kudos: 1,002
Status:It's near - I can see.
Location: India
Concentration: International Business, Operations
GPA: 3.01
WE:Engineering (Real Estate)
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 1,423
Kudos: 1,936
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observ 03 Jan 2018, 08:57
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
bmwhype2
592. Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observable objects in the universe, believed to be the cores of galaxies in an early stage of development.
(A) believed to be
(B) are believed to be
(C) some believe them to be
(D) some believe they are
(E) it is believed that they are

I already know the OA. Why are the other answers wrong?
Show more

A) Lacks the full verb. Believed is a past participle here.
B) Is correct. Now we have full verb "are believed"

C, D, and E have awkward constructions. It seems these three carries double subject.

Answer (B)
User avatar
Archit3110
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 18 Aug 2017
Last visit: 21 Apr 2026
Posts: 8,626
Own Kudos:
5,190
Given Kudos: 243
Status:You learn more from failure than from success.
Location: India
Concentration: Sustainability, Marketing
GMAT Focus 1: 545 Q79 V79 DI73
GMAT Focus 2: 645 Q83 V82 DI81
GPA: 4
WE:Marketing (Energy)
Products:
GMAT Club Tests Forum Quiz
GMAT Focus 2: 645 Q83 V82 DI81
Posts: 8,626
Kudos: 5,190
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observ 09 Feb 2021, 03:38
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
bmwhype2
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observable objects in the universe, believed to be the cores of galaxies in an early stage of development.

(A) believed to be
(B) are believed to be
(C) some believe them to be
(D) some believe they are
(E) it is believed that they are
Show more

reading the sentence we can remove the additive phrase "at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observable objects in the universe"
the subject here Quasars is plural in nature so plural verb is required option B is only valid
option B is correct choice
User avatar
thesip2323
User avatar
Joined: 08 Jul 2019
Last visit: 03 Dec 2022
Posts: 30
Own Kudos:
7
Given Kudos: 732
Posts: 30
Kudos: 7
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observ 05 Oct 2022, 16:57
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I am a little confused by the beginning non-underlined portion.

"Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observable objects in the universe..."

This not seem like correct grammar. Why is there not an "are" between "earth" and "the" ?
User avatar
ExpertsGlobal5
User avatar
Experts' Global Representative
Joined: 10 Jul 2017
Last visit: 21 Apr 2026
Posts: 6,216
Own Kudos:
6,161
Given Kudos: 44
Location: India
GMAT Date: 11-01-2019
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 6,216
Kudos: 6,161
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observ 06 Oct 2022, 05:08
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
thesip2323
I am a little confused by the beginning non-underlined portion.

"Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observable objects in the universe..."

This not seem like correct grammar. Why is there not an "are" between "earth" and "the" ?
Show more

Hello thesip2323,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, here "the most distant observable objects in the universe" is an appositive, a noun or noun phrase that modifies a noun - "Quasars" in this case - to explain or identify it; thus, "are" is not needed to convey that quasars are the most distant observable objects in the universe.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
User avatar
VerbalBot
User avatar
Non-Human User
Joined: 01 Oct 2013
Last visit: 04 Jan 2021
Posts: 19,401
Own Kudos:
1,009
Posts: 19,401
Kudos: 1,009
Quasars, at billions of light-years from Earth the most distant observ 02 Dec 2024, 07:29
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Automated notice from GMAT Club VerbalBot:

A member just gave Kudos to this thread, showing it’s still useful. I’ve bumped it to the top so more people can benefit. Feel free to add your own questions or solutions.

This post was generated automatically.
   1   2 
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7391 posts
AbhishekP220108
494 posts
bhanu29
358 posts