The development of a new jumbo rocket that is expected to carry the Un

Question

The development of a new jumbo rocket that is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit than the space shuttle and at a lower cost.

(A) The development of a new jumbo rocket that is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit than the space shuttle and at a lower cost.

(B) The development of a new jumbo rocket is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration and be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit at a lower cost than the space shuttle.

(C) The new development of a jumbo rocket, which is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration, will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit at a lower cost than the space shuttle.

(D) A newly developed jumbo rocket, which is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration, will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit than the space shuttle can, and at a lower cost.

(E) A newly developed jumbo rocket, which is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration, will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit than the space shuttle and to cost less.

https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/26/science/jumbo-rocket-looms-large-in-us-plans.html

JUMBO ROCKET LOOMS LARGE IN U.S. PLANS 
By John Noble Wilford
May 26, 1987

AEROSPACE engineers around the country, responding to a new challenge, have begun to develop the rocket that some  expect to carry the nation into its next phase of space exploration  and exploitation.

The rocket they have in mind, formally known as the Advanced Launch System,  would be able to deliver two to three times as much payload into orbit as the space shuttle, and at a fraction of the cost.  Development of such large vehicles reflects, in part, a growing disenchantment with the space shuttle as the exclusive - or even primary - vehicle of the country's future space efforts.

daagh · Accepted Answer

The core sentence after ignoring the inessential modifier is a compound sentence that is connected by the coordinate conjunction ‘ and ’. Apparently, it looks as if the second part is simply a prepositional phrase, but actually, the intended sentence has an element of ellipsis, that is implicit

Will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit than the space shuttle can, and ( will be able to deliver ) at a lower cost.

It makes complete structural sense now and is parallel too logically. The ellipsis is not stated to avoid repetition In addition, the comparison between the two deliveries is matched with the use of the verb ‘can’

(E) A newly developed jumbo rocket, which is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration, will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit than the space shuttle and to cost less.

The ellipsis doe not work well in E

will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit than the space shuttle and ( will be able to deliver)  to cost less. One can see the ellipsis does not make much sense. Secondly, the verb ‘can’ is missing and thus it becomes an illegitimate comparison between the rocket’s delivery and the shuttle.

All this is my gut feeling; even without the ellipsis, still D can be decided simply by virtue of parallel comparison of actions and E will simply fall by the way side

kumarashok29 · Answer

IMO - D

in A,B,C,E -  The development of a new jumbo rocket  is compared with  the space shuttle ; whereas, the comparison should have been between  A newly developed jumbo  rocket and  the space shuttle 
Option left is D. Also, those options have other issues as well as highlighted below.

(A)  The development of a new jumbo rocket   that is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration  will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit    than      the space shuttle     and   at a lower cost. 
>> parallelism issue with   and

(B)  The development of a new jumbo rocket   is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration   and   be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit at a lower cost     than      the space shuttle  .

(C)  The new development of a jumbo rocket ,   which  is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration , will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit at a lower cost    than      the space shuttle  .

(D)   A newly developed jumbo rocket  ,  which is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration , will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit    than      the space shuttle   can,   and   at a lower cost.

(E) A newly developed jumbo rocket, which is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration, will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit    than      the space shuttle   and to cost less.

Economist · Answer

Issue with comparison. In all choices except D "the development of J R" is compared with "S S".

A valid comparison can only be "the dev of J R" and "the dev of S S"
OR
"J R" and "S S".

D maintains this 'implicitly' by saying "than the space shuttle can" which translates to "than the [space shuttle's development] can"

tejal777 · Answer

Economist: Your explanations really make sense thanks

(A) The development of a new jumbo rocket that is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit than the space shuttle and at a lower cost. A newly developed jumbo rocket , which is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration, will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit t han the space shuttle can , and at a lower cost. So you are saying the "CAN" makes all the difference?? Wow is this a rule of "can" or something?Links??

mailnavin1 · Answer

with regards to the comma, its listing of items and comma is optional

Compared to a space craft, newly developed jumbo rocket will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit, and at a lower cost.

gmatser1 · Answer

This GMAT question inspired this question: the-recent-discovery-of-a-red-oak-tree-sap-that-is-116992-20.html#p1627973

It has very similar problems.

The development of a new jumbo rocket that is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit than the space shuttle and at a lower cost.

(A) The development of a new jumbo rocket that is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit than the space shuttle and at a lower cost.
It's not the development of a new jumbo rocket that will carry the US into the next phace. This is illogical. It's the rocket itself!

(B) The development of a new jumbo rocket is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration and be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit at a lower cost than the space shuttle.
It's not the development of a new jumbo rocket that will carry the US into the next phace. This is illogical. It's the rocket itself!

(C) The new development of a jumbo rocket, which is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration, will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit at a lower cost than the space shuttle.
It's not the development of a new jumbo rocket that will carry the US into the next phace. This is illogical. It's the rocket itself!

(D) A newly developed jumbo rocket, which is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration, will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit than the space shuttle can, and at a lower cost.
This is correct. The jumbo rocket is the noun being modified. The second split, "at a lower cost" sounds much better than E.

(E) A newly developed jumbo rocket, which is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration, will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit than the space shuttle and to cost less.
While the first split is correct, the second sounds awkward because it is not parallel. To make it parallel, there would need to be a phrase after "to cost less" or "into orbit than the space shuttle" would need to be removed. Even then, the approach in E sounds better.

Skywalker18 · Answer

In OA- D, isn't the comma that precedes 'and' incorrect? (,and should separate two independent clauses)
I was about to reject option D but then the parallelism in option E is bad- A newly developed jumbo rocket will be able to cost less(the second part) and the comparison also has issues( than the space shuttle ; usage of can makes it better in option D ) and thus I chose option D.
(I understand that GMAT does not test punctuations )

AjiteshArun  ,  GMATNinja  ,  MagooshExpert  ,  GMATGuruNY  ,  VeritasPrepBrian  ,  MartyTargetTestPrep  ,  DmitryFarber  ,  VeritasKarishma  ,  generis  ,  EducationAisle  , other experts - please enlighten

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Here's (D).

(D) A newly developed jumbo rocket, which is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration, will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit than the space shuttle can, and at a lower cost.

Comma use is somewhat optional, and it tends to be the case that writers can at their discretion add commas to indicate pauses and emphasize portions of sentences. So, if the use of "and" without a comma is correct, adding a comma before "and' to indicate a pause probably won't make a sentence incorrect. For instance, both of the following are correct.

My dog likes running around and does so all day long.

My dog likes running around, and does so all day long.

The comma in the second version serves to separate the two thoughts a bit. If the writer of the sentence wants to separate the thoughts a bit, the writer can use a comma after "around." If the writer wants the sentence to read more continuously, the writer can write the sentence without a comma.

So, the comma before "and" in (D) simply indicates a pause. So, the presence of that comma is not a flaw in (D).

That said, (D) is not particulary well written. The structure of the wording that expresses the comparison involving the "heavier load" is quite awkward, and the parallel structure "will be able to deliver a heavier load ... and at a lower cost" is not fully logical.

So, to correctly answer this Sentence Correction question, we have to choose a choice that's clearly better than the others but certainly not perfect.

azhrhasan · Answer

daagh

The meaning of D seems to suggest that "the rocket will carry US into next phase of exploration". IMO, it should be written as if the "development of the rocket will carry US into next phase of exploration". Please guide.

daagh · Answer

azhr
What can deliver a heavier load? is it the development or the carrier?

azhrhasan · Answer

Yes, i agree with you on that. And since it is essence of the sentence, i used the same logic to arrive at the correct answer.

In order to maximize my learning from the question, I just want to make sure if the concern i have is genuine or not.

Maybe i am missing something.

Thanks,

daagh · Answer

azhr
Can I say what you are missing?

azhrhasan · Answer

I have deep respect for your explanations. They are super crisp and to the point. Yes, please.

I do understand that only the carrier can carry heavier load.

daagh · Answer

azhr
Azhr

The general problem with many who are bubbling with anxiety, enthusiasm, and expectation in SC is the belief that meaning is the ultimate decider of a question's credibility. I am afraid it is not. Meaning is only the top floor and there are several floors one has to scale before reaching the top floor.

This question is a point in case. You know that this is a comparison question. If you go by the grammar of comparison, you can see that all choices other than D indulge in faulty comparisons and therefor are out of reckoning. IMO, this question can be decided at the first hurdle of a hurdles race.

Therefore, rejig your strategy. First, consider grammar, then style and then the meaning. That is the vibe of GMAT. However, do not mistake that I am asking you to ignore meaning. Please wait until you reach that stage.

Takeaway: Do you have a printed road map of your GMAT journey? If not, you had better think

azhrhasan · Answer

Thanks for the advice. I take that with humility and will keep it really close to me going forward. Thanks again.

What do you mean by printed road map of the journey ? I am pretty sure i haven't prepared one. Do you mind throwing some more light on the same ?

daagh · Answer

Azhr
 By printed I meant a written down strategy, which you can see before you sleep and again while you sip morning tea. Maybe this print will becone a mental picture in y a few days. 
The map starts with the first queston? What is the most visible entry point or errror in this question. One can remove almost three choices minimum in 90 to 95% of the questions. Depending upon your luck, you can remove even four choices as in the jumbo rocket case, if your road map can connotate to the wrong comparisons in a comparison question.

I mean it goes on and on. You have to create your map from where you stand.

Azhr. This is the way I see SC, giving the devil its due. if you can see some good reasons, take them, othewise ignore them

azhrhasan · Answer

Yes. I do.

My first attack is to break down the paragraph to it's basic elements while i read (Clauses->S-V pairs->modifiers), then identify the error's which i see low hanging.
This as you said leads to 2-3 choices being eliminated right away. Then i compare the remaining choices by identifying the differences in remaining. Any errors which i missed identifying at first become clearer at this stage.

The more i learn about a problem, The easier it is to identify the error at first stage itself. Therefore saving time and guesswork.

daagh · Answer

Azhr 
Excellent. Carry on. Good luck

deep31993 · Answer

The development of a new jumbo rocket that is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration will be able to deliver a heavier load of instruments into orbit than the space shuttle and at a lower cost.

I marked the correct answer choice, but dont you think this is an absurd statement? Is the "jumbo racket" expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration??? It should be "the development of jumbo racket" which is which is expected to carry the United States into its next phase of space exploration - right??

The development of a new jumbo rocket that is expected to carry the Un

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

The development of a new jumbo rocket that is expected to carry the Un

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards