The largest of all the planets, not only is Jupiter three times so mas

The largest of all the planets, not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger planet, but also possesses four of the largest satellites, or moons, in our solar system.

(A) not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger

(B) not only is Jupiter three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest

(C) Jupiter, not only three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest

(D) Jupiter not only is three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest

(E) Jupiter is not only three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger

Experts need help on one query :



In choice A, I have seen some post stating a modifier issue for A and B. However, according to my understanding this seems to be an inverted SV where the Jupiter still remains a subject. Therefore, the option should not be ruled out due to modifier issue because in option A & B the opening modifier is still modifying Jupiter only.

Please correct my understanding Expert GMATNinja and others

Hello Everyone!

Let's tackle this question, one issue at a time, and narrow it down to the right choice quickly! This is a pretty simple example, so it shouldn't take too long! To get started, let's take a quick look over the options and highlight any major differences we can find in orange:

The largest of all the planets, not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger planet, but also possesses four of the largest satellites, or moons, in our solar system.

(A) not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger
(B) not only is Jupiter three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
(C) Jupiter, not only three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
(D) Jupiter not only is three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
(E) Jupiter is not only three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger

After a quick glance over the options, a few key differences jump out:

1. not only is Jupiter / Jupiter, not only / Jupiter not only is / Jupiter is not only (Idioms; Parallelism)
2. so / as (Idioms; Comparisons)
3. larger / largest (Idioms; Listing)

Let's start with #2 on our list because no matter which one we choose, it will eliminate 2-3 options right away. This is an issue with comparison idioms. Whenever we talk about things being much larger or smaller, here is how it should be formatted:

X is three times as massive as Y = CORRECT
X is three times so massive as Y = WRONG

Let's see how each option handles this, and eliminate the ones that use the wrong idiom structure:

(A) not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger
(B) not only is Jupiter three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
(C) Jupiter, not only three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
(D) Jupiter not only is three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
(E) Jupiter is not only three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger

We can eliminate options A & E because they don't use the right idiom structure for comparing mass or size.

If we look at #3 on our list (larger/largest), we see that all our remaining options use "largest," so we can skip worrying about that one. Let's move on to #1 on our list, which is another idiom issue. If we look carefully at the entire sentence, we can spot the idiom we're working with:

The largest of all the planets, not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger planet, but also possesses four of the largest satellites, or moons, in our solar system.

not only X, but also Y

We know that X and Y must be parallel in their wording, tenses, and number. So let's add in the other half of the idiom (but also possesses) to rule out the ones that don't use parallel structure:

(B) not only is Jupiter three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest planet, but also possesses --> NOT PARALLEL
(C) Jupiter, not only three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest planet, but also possesses --> NOT PARALLEL
(D) Jupiter not only is three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest planet, but also possesses --> PARALLEL


There you have it - option D is the only one that uses idioms and parallel structure correctly! By focusing on the "either/or" problems early on, we could easily narrow down the options to find the right choice rather quickly!


Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.

Hello Everyone!

Let's tackle this question, one issue at a time, and narrow it down to the right choice quickly! This is a pretty simple example, so it shouldn't take too long! To get started, let's take a quick look over the options and highlight any major differences we can find in orange:

The largest of all the planets, not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger planet, but also possesses four of the largest satellites, or moons, in our solar system.

(A) not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger
(B) not only is Jupiter three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
(C) Jupiter, not only three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
(D) Jupiter not only is three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
(E) Jupiter is not only three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger

After a quick glance over the options, a few key differences jump out:

1. not only is Jupiter / Jupiter, not only / Jupiter not only is / Jupiter is not only (Idioms; Parallelism)
2. so / as (Idioms; Comparisons)
3. larger / largest (Idioms; Listing)

Let's start with #2 on our list because no matter which one we choose, it will eliminate 2-3 options right away. This is an issue with comparison idioms. Whenever we talk about things being much larger or smaller, here is how it should be formatted:

X is three times as massive as Y = CORRECT
X is three times so massive as Y = WRONG

Let's see how each option handles this, and eliminate the ones that use the wrong idiom structure:

(A) not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger
(B) not only is Jupiter three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
(C) Jupiter, not only three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
(D) Jupiter not only is three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
(E) Jupiter is not only three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger

We can eliminate options A & E because they don't use the right idiom structure for comparing mass or size.

If we look at #3 on our list (larger/largest), we see that all our remaining options use "largest," so we can skip worrying about that one. Let's move on to #1 on our list, which is another idiom issue. If we look carefully at the entire sentence, we can spot the idiom we're working with:

The largest of all the planets, not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger planet, but also possesses four of the largest satellites, or moons, in our solar system.

not only X, but also Y

We know that X and Y must be parallel in their wording, tenses, and number. So let's add in the other half of the idiom (but also possesses) to rule out the ones that don't use parallel structure:

(B) not only is Jupiter three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest planet, but also possesses --> NOT PARALLEL
(C) Jupiter, not only three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest planet, but also possesses --> NOT PARALLEL
(D) Jupiter not only is three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest planet, but also possesses --> PARALLEL


There you have it - option D is the only one that uses idioms and parallel structure correctly! By focusing on the "either/or" problems early on, we could easily narrow down the options to find the right choice rather quickly!


Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.

Interesting question! First, while (A) and (B) do have an inverted sentence structure, the modifier placement is still questionable. To see why, consider a simple example:

"On the table was the burnt toast Tim made for his whiny children."

This is fine. Notice that we can flip the sentence around to make it more conventional, beginning with the subject: "The burnt toast Tim made... was on the table."

But now imagine that we tack an additional modifier describing the toast to the beginning of the sentence:

"Smelling of sulfur and gasoline, on the table was the burnt toast Tim made..."

Is “the burnt toast” still the subject of the sentence? Sure. But because there’s a greater distance between modifier and the flammable meal being described, it’s more confusing. Definitively wrong in a vacuum? Maybe not. But certainly not as good as “Smelling of sulfur and gasoline, the burnt toast…”

Same deal in in this question: placing "Jupiter" immediately after the comma -- as in (C), (D), and (E) -- makes it much clearer that the opening modifier refers to "Jupiter".

That said, the modifier placement isn’t the only issue. The parallelism is another major concern in (A) and (B), where the two items in the not only/but also construction are (1) a verb-noun pair ("is Jupiter") and (2) a verb ("possesses"): "not only (1) is Jupiter... but also (2) possesses...". That doesn't make much sense.

On the other hand, in choice (D), we have a perfectly parallel list of verbs: "Jupiter not only (verb 1) is... but also (verb 2) possesses...".

So even if you aren't completely sold by the opening modifier issue, the parallelism issue seals the deal and makes (D) a much better choice than (A) or (B).

The largest of all the planets, not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger planet, but also possesses four of the largest satellites, or moons, in our solar system.

(B) not only is Jupiter three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest

(C) Jupiter, not only three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest

(D) Jupiter not only is three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest

The largest of all the planets, not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger planet, but also possesses four of the largest satellites, or moons, in our solar system.

Hello dear experts!

Can you please explain my wrong answer B, that I chose while thought about Inversion structure of the adverb NOT ONLY.
If there hadn't been the noun modifier "THE LARGEST OF ALL THE PLANETS", would have it been correct to use Inversion structure with adverb NOT ONLY at the beginning of the sentence and choose "B" answer?

Thank YOU!!!

Can you please explain my wrong answer B, that I chose while thought about Inversion structure of the adverb NOT ONLY.
If there hadn't been the noun modifier "THE LARGEST OF ALL THE PLANETS", would have it been correct to use Inversion structure with adverb NOT ONLY at the beginning of the sentence and choose "B" answer?

Hi katesizon.

The (B) version has another major issue. Notice that after "but also" is only the verb phrase "possesses four of the largest satellites, or moons, in our solar system."

In the (B) version, that verb phrase has no subject, because what would be the subject of that verb phrase, "Jupiter," follows, rather than precedes, "not only." Since "Jupiter" is part of what follows "not only," Jupiter is not understood to be part of what follows "but also."

In order for "possesses four of the largest satellites, or moons, in our solar system" to have a subject, "Jupiter" has to precede "not only," as it does in the correct, (D), version.