It seems likely that a number of astronomical phenomena, such as the

Question

It seems likely that a number of astronomical phenomena, such as the formation of planetary nebulas,  may be caused by the interaction where two stars orbit each other  at close range.

(A) may be caused by the interaction where two stars orbit each other

(B) may be caused by the interaction between two stars that each orbit the other

(C) are because of the interaction between two stars that orbit each other

(D) are caused by the interaction of two stars where each is orbiting the other

(E) are caused by the interaction of two stars orbiting each other

pqhai · Accepted Answer

It seems likely that a number of astronomical phenomena, such as the formation of planetary nebulas,  may be caused by the interaction where two stars orbit each other  at close range.

A. may be caused by the interaction where two stars orbit each other
 Wrong.  
- Likely + may ==> redundant.
- "where" modifies "the interaction" incorrectly ==> should be "the interaction in which....."

B. may be caused by the interaction between two stars that each orbit the other
 Wrong. 
- Likely + may ==> redundant.
- "that each orbit the other" is not grammatical ==> should be "that orbit each other".

C. are because of the interaction between two stars that orbit each other
 Wrong. 
-  Note:   Two idioms are correct: "between X and Y" --OR-- "between two X's"  ==> do not assume "between two X's" is wrong.
- Redundant: "are caused by X" is better than "are because of X". GMAT prefers the order V-A-N (verb-adjective-noun). You should not use noun form if a verb form can do. Verb forms always convey better meaning than noun forms.
- Redundant: "interaction of" may be regarded better than "interaction between".

D. are caused by the interaction of two stars where each is orbiting the other
 Wrong.  
- "where" modifies "the interaction" incorrectly ==> should be "the interaction in which....."
- Progressive tense (is orbiting) is not necessary. Simple present tense is better.

E. are caused by the interaction of two stars orbiting each other
  Correct.  
Avoid redundant errors ==> correct & the most concise.

Hope it helps.

tripathymadhu31 · Answer

Guys. Even though each one of you got right answer but the explantion each of you has provided is wrong.
"Due to/caused by"is used to modify nouns and "becuase of" modifies verbs. Here 'caused by' successfully modifies "the formation of nebulas" so usgae of caused by is correct in A,B,D,E but still
A- INCORRECT- likely+ maybe- redundant and usage of 'where' incorrect
B- INCORRECT- likely+maybe- redundant. Interaction between - idiomatically incorrect
C- INCORRECT- 'because off' cant modify noun i.e, "the formation of nebulas"
D- INCORRECT- usage of 'where' incorrect
E- CORRECT- no redundant. 'Caused by' usage correct. 'orbiting' correctly modifies "interaction of two starts"

Hope i am correct. 8-)

Kudo it if you like

Kudo it if you like

gmat1220 · Answer

This SC is checking for redundancy and pronoun ambiguity. It has to be E.

each other and between are redundant.

gmat1220 · Answer

C. are because of the interaction  between   two stars that orbit  each other

C should read -> between two orbiting stars. or between x and y. The last one is tough here.

between and each other are redundant.

D uses "other". 2 reasons to reject D
a. "where" - used for geographical location. Unless the author has the abilty to watch the location of the phenomenon in the galaxy, this is not appropriate.
b. "other" is substandard.

E avoids redundancy and stays away from idiom. Clever !

atalwar · Answer

For explanation on C why it is wrong check the following link. https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/sc- ... t7267.html

Amit0507 · Answer

Option 'C' is wrong because "a number of astronomical phenomena" is a noun and "caused by" or "due to" goes with a Noun. Had is been "The occurrence of astronomical phenomena" then "because of" would have been an acceptable solution. Verbs go with "because of".

sukanyar · Answer

Can you let me know exactly where you read this. I am trying to correlate with the following example: Suresh was poor because of circumstances.

This sentences seems to be correct to me, though here, "because of" modifies "poor", which is an adjective and not a verb; or are you suggesting the usage of "because of" is incorrect here?

I believe "caused by" is actually modifying "astronomical phenomena".

tripathymadhu31 · Answer

I believe "caused by" is actually modifying "astronomical phenomena".

I agree " caused by" modifies "astronomical phenomena" in real. Since " formation of nebulas" is given as an example of " astronomical phenomena", i wrote the other one in haste.

Regarding your doubt yes "poor" is an adjective. But it is a predicate adjective and was - linking verb. 
Ask the question " why was suresh poor?" Ans- circumstances. So here "because of" is modifying the verb. 
If u want to use here "due to" or "caused by" then the sentence should be " the poverty of suresh was due to circumstances". Ask the question " reason of suresh's poverty?" Ans - circumstances.so "due to" is successfully modifying noun. Actually in the other case " usage of "due to" would have been used to explain the reason behind the verb.

I read this concept in egmat zip file that contains approximately 30 concepts found somewhere in this club. It is too clear. U can browse in net and get it.

jaspreets · Answer

It seems likely that a number of astronomical phenomena, such as the formation of planetary nebulas, may be caused by the interaction where two stars orbit each other at close range.

A. may be caused by the interaction where two stars orbit each other (may and seem are redundant)
B. may be caused by the interaction between two stars that each orbit the other (again may and seem are redundant)

C. are because of the interaction between two stars that orbit each other ( between requires and)
D. are caused by the interaction of two stars where each is orbiting the other ( where is use for place eg; that is the home,where he lives)
E. are caused by the interaction of two stars orbiting each other[/quote]

I hope so this explanation helps.

anud33p · Answer

Shouldn't we use interaction  between  rather than interaction of? I thought interaction between is the correct usage. 
 AjiteshArun , Could you please clarify if both are acceptable usages?

Thanks

AjiteshArun · Answer

Hi  anud33p ,

Yes, both are acceptable.

himanshurajawat · Answer

Is it a rule that 'between' should ALWAYS be followed by an 'and'?

Posted from my mobile device

AjiteshArun · Answer

We could always go with something like:

Take a break   between  sections .

AjiteshArun · Answer

Hi  Ben10512 ,

A number of  is not really a reference to an actual number here. It is instead another way of saying  some  or  many .

a number of astronomical phenomena  ~  some/many astronomical phenomena

adstudy · Answer

Clearly the doubt lies between C and E.

According to me we can easily eliminate C on the basis of the meaning specified.

In C, when we say   'a number of astronomical phenomena,...., are because of the interaction between two stars that orbit each other' ,

it gives a meaning that the number of astronomical phenomena, anywhere in the unvierse, are always caused by interaction of 2 particular stars  (literally scientists have found the one source of all astronomical phenomena in the universe)  that are orbiting each other.

This surely is not the intended meaning of the author.

He is clearly trying to emphasize that, in general, astronomical phenomena occur because of 2 stars interacting in the occurence area.
 
 This meaning is clearly intended in E.

Hence that is why  E  seems to be the better choice, in my opinion.

SairamRamo · Answer

Because of  can only refer back to the verb/ verb clause.  Eliminate C

As the use of  likely  conveys the probability of event. Usage of  may  along with  likely  is redundant.  Eliminate A,B

Where  generally refers to a place, it's usage in option D is incorrect as it wrongly points to  interaction of two stars    eliminate D

Option E  is free of the above errors

mba757 · Answer

Within C, is "between" and "each other" redundant?

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

No. "Between" and "each other" are used in expressing separate ideas.

"Between" is used in defining the interaction, "interaction between ...," and "each other" is used in modifying the stars, "stars that orbit each other."

You have to really look at the logic of what's going on to determine what makes sense and what doesn't. Words that might be redundant in some contexts work fine in others. Also, if you think about it, that part of the sentence does express a logic meaning.

RohitSaluja · Answer

Hi  VeritasKarishma   EducationAisle , can you please shed some more light on why C is incorrect and E correct. Appreciate your time and help

It seems likely that a number of astronomical phenomena, such as the

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It seems likely that a number of astronomical phenomena, such as the

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