ankitmania wrote:
The black hole has entered the popular imagination as an object so massive that neither light nor matter can escape its gravitational pull.
(A) so massive that neither light nor matter can escape its
(B) massive enough that either light or matter cannot escape their
(C) too massive for either allowing light or matter to escape its
(D) too massive that neither light nor matter can escape its
(E) so massive that neither light nor matter could escape their
I like the comments of
achiever01 &
mbaiseasy, and I am going to add my 2¢ as well.
For the grammar of "so" clauses, see this post:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/so-lets-talk-about-so/As
mbaiseasy indicated, one perfectly correct grammatical structure is
so [adjective] that [full clause]and a related structure that doesn't appear in this question is
so [adjective] as to [infinitive]Choices
(A) &
(E) correctly use the former.
The structure
[adjective] enough thatis casual, but never would be correct on the GMAT. This is one problem with
(B).
The structure
too [adjective] thatis flat out wrong. Choice
(D) makes this unforgivable mistake.
The structure
too [adjective] foris a bit casual (e.g. "I'm too sexy for this shirt"), so it probably wouldn't appear on the GMAT SC. Even if it were correct, it would only be correct if the object of "for" were a simple noun ---- not an entire action (here, [noun] + [infinitive phrase]) ---- if you want a full action, use a clause. This is one huge problem with
(C).
Another split concerns the "either/or" vs. "neither/nor"
The construction "
neither light nor matter can escape" is direct and natural. The construction "
either light or matter cannot escape" is awkward. The "neither/nor" structure is preferable here ---- the "either/or" + [negative] structure in
(B) is awkward and unacceptable.
Another split --- the pronouns.
The subject, the antecedent, "
black hole", is singular. We need a singular pronoun. Choices
(B) &
(E) make the plural pronoun mistake.
All of this leaves
(A) as the only possible answer.
Let me know if anyone reading this has any further questions.
Mike
_________________
Mike McGarry
Magoosh Test PrepEducation is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. — William Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939)