The tissues of the human body are constantly moistened by a briny solu

Question

Project SC Butler: Day 176: Sentence Correction (SC2) 
 For SC butler Questions  Click Here

The tissues of the human body are constantly moistened by a briny solution thought  to be of about the same salinity as the primordial sea from which  life emerged.

A) to be of about the same salinity as the primordial sea from which

B) of as about the same salinity like the primordial sea out of which

C) to be about the same salinity as the primordial sea from where

D) of as about the same salinity as the primordial sea from where

E) to be of about the same salinity like the primordial sea from which

generis · Accepted Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION Meaning? A salty (briny) solution constantly moistens tissues of the human body. The salinity of that solution is believed to be nearly the same as the salinity of the water in the prehistoric sea. Life on Earth began in the primordial sea. We could use a few splits to approach this question. • the same X as | the same X like • thought thought to be of about the same thought of as of about the same thought to be about the same • from which | from where • Split #1: SAME takes AS, not LIKE Although I did not give this detail away in my answers to people prior to posting this OE, we can focus on one word in the comparative part of this sentence to eliminate two answer choices: same . There is no such thing as same like . If you see the word same and your choices are same as and same like , always choose same as . Correct : He asked the same question as I did. Wrong : He asked the same question like I did. Correct : Her eyes are the same color as her father's. Wrong : Her eyes are the same color like her father's. Correct: The briny solution is believed to possess about the same level of salinity AS the primordial sea possessed. Options B and E incorrectly say: . . . about the same salinity like the primordial sea . . . Eliminate options B and E • Split #2: "thought to be about . . ." is ungrammatical and illogical In this context, the phrase "thought to be about" is ungrammatical and illogical because about means "nearly," and In a logical sense, this split is probably easier than the from where/from which split. The latter split is not as clear cut as it is described in places. Comparing the three constructions in the options: (A) is best; (C) and (D) are illogical. Option C) is ungrammatical : The solution is thought to be about the same salinity as the primordial sea . . . -- the solution/a something cannot BE the same salinity as the sea. Salinity is a noun. The briny solution is salty fluid. The briny solution is not salinity (saltiness) itself.. -- something can possess or have the same level OF salinity as the sea Eliminate option C Option D says, " The solution is thought of as about the same salinity as the primordial sea. " Option (D) is almost incoherent. The first OF may make the reader believe that the sentence is correct. Replace "about" with "nearly," which is what about means in this sentence. ( About is not a preposition. It's an adverb in this case.) Option D: The solution is thought of as nearly the same salinity as the primordial sea. -- "thought of" suggests that you or others conceive of the solution in certain way, as if thinking it were so could make it so. -- "thought of" also suggests that you or others re-imagine the solution or ascribe to it a certain characteristic -- Option D needs a verb or another OF, this way: The solution is thought of as having nearly the same salinity as the primordial sea. Or this way: The solution is thought of as OF nearly the same salinity as the primordial sea. (But that sentence sounds horrible. No wonder the author did not write it.) At the least, option D is not as clear as option A. Eliminate D. The answer is A. Check option A. The tissues of the human body are constantly moistened by a briny solution thought to be of about the same salinity as the primordial sea from which life emerged. Thought to be -- . . . a briny solution thought to be OF about the same salinity as the primordial sea. That construction is logical. Replace about with nearly . -- . . . a briny solution thought to be OF nearly the same salinity as the primordial sea. This phrase means that the briny solution is thought to HAVE the same salinity as the primordial sea. The briny solution is believed to the same salinity as the primordial sea. That construction is logical and grammatical. • Split #3: from which is better than from where Now, just to be sure, compare from where life emerged and from which life emerged . Option A says, ". . . the primordial sea, from which life emerged." From which modifies the primordial sea, not the salinity. ( From where and out of which also modify the primordial sea and not the salinity .) The primordial sea was both a thing and a place, although the latter case is unusual. As I noted below in response to a question, the primordial sea (the prehistoric sea) was a place in some sense. For the average (non-biologist) speaker, this question is correct: From where did life emerge on Earth? This answer is correct: From the primordial sea. The question is literally from which place did life originate ? The answer is also literally about place. But this sentence seems to focus on organic process. The sentence is trying to connect fluids essential to human life to the origins of life. The level of salinity is the same in human tears as the level is thought to have been in the primordial sea. For processes, from which is better than from where . For example: During the Renaissance, all Venetian glassblowers were forced to live on the island of Murano, from which came exquisite glass that fueled a city-state. Murano is a place. But beautiful glass emerged from Murano not because it was an island but rather because glassblowers figured out a secret in the process of refining their glassmaking technique. Glassblowers were confined to the island of Murano, from which emerged beautiful glass still held in esteem today. . . . " the primordial sea, from which life emerged " is better than "from where." Option A is better than D on that issue. NOTES • thought of as and thought to be do not mean the same thing. • Thought of as suggests that you conceive of something you already know or are familiar with as a certain kind of thing or as having a certain quality. You are not guessing. You are attributing. I thought of my best friend as my sister. -- I knew my best friend. I thought of her in a certain way. She was not my sister, but I thought of her as my sister. He is thought of as the leader of the hiking group. -- He is perceived in a certain way. • Thought to be suggests that someone is fairly certain that something is the case. Some speculation is involved, usually because the subject matter does not lend itself to "absolute" or scientific proof. He is thought to be the worst leader in American history by most presidential historians. These two are from LDOCE online (see below) The sudden onset of severe weather conditions was thought to be a frequent result of disturbance to a site. This downed electrical line was thought to be the cause of the blaze. Thought to be suggests that you believe something to be the case, but you are not sure. You are guessing. We can't really think of the briny solution that moistens human tissues AS something; thought of as does not work. You can read more about the difference in the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (LDOCE) online, here . Takeaways This question is hard, and comparison of options really helps. Options B and E are easy to eliminate. Same never goes with like . Options C and D both have weird or nonsensical "thought of as" and "thought to be of as" phrasing. Both also use from where rather than from which . Option A contains neither issue and is superior to both C and D. COMMENTS SonGoku , welcome to SC Butler. This question is hard. I gave you all two days to answer (maybe three? I get times mixed up when I am as busy as I have been). I wrote three OEs in the last 12 hours and I am about to post two more questions. (We are back on 24-hour reveal.) This part is addressed to everyone, not just people who posted (or to lurkers whom I invite to post

) Don't worry too much about this question. It's just one question. But do use it as a way to practice comparing options . Go back through the question. What subtle differences did you miss? Between and among which answers could you have asked, "Which is better? Which is worse"? Today kudos go to correct answers with GOOD explanations. Keep up the good effort.

nammyp · Answer

Option E. 
"Thought to be of" is needed.
Like will be the correct choice here instead of "as" as we are not comparing verbs.

ccheryn · Answer

primordial sea is a place, so from where seems appropriate, so of which options are removed , that is A,B and E

so remainng options are C and D,

out of which as X as Y seems appropriate, ie option D . so it is the correct choice

A) to be of about the same salinity as the primordial sea from which ( from where is more suitable than from which. so wrong)

B) of as about the same salinity like the primordial sea out of which ( from where is more suitable than from which. so wrong)

C) to be about the same salinity as the primordial sea from where ( as X as Y is more appropriate than to be . hence wrong)

D) of as about the same salinity as the primordial sea from where ( seems to be correct choice)
 
E) to be of about the same salinity like the primordial sea from which  ( from where is more suitable than from which. so wrong)

joohwangie · Answer

The tissues of the human body are constantly moistened by a briny solution thought to be of about the same salinity as the primordial sea from which life emerged.

which must be used in this sentence since "salinity" is a noun and isn't a location.

A) to be of about the same salinity as the primordial sea from which

B)  of as about  the same salinity like the primordial sea out of which

C) to be about the same salinity as the primordial sea from  where

D) of as about the same salinity as the primordial sea from  where

E) to be of about the same salinity  like  the primordial sea from which

Therefore, A

LalitaSiri · Answer

The tissues of the human body are constantly moistened by a briny solution thought to be of about the same salinity as the primordial sea from which life emerged.

A) to be of about the same salinity as the primordial sea  from which  - primordial sea, so should be where instead of which

B) of as about the  same  salinity  like  the primordial sea out of which

C) to be about the same salinity as the primordial sea from where - CORRECT

D) of  as  about the  same  salinity  as  the primordial sea from where

E) to be of about the  same  salinity  like  the primordial sea from which

Therefore, C is the correct answer choice

Shivan21 · Answer

The Correct choice is A in my opinion because of the explanation above.

But I am doubtful of the choice between "like" and "as" in this sentence.

Requesting  generis  for his kind help.

Thanks.

generis · Answer

Shivan21 , You wrote I am not sure that I understand your specific doubt. I'm happy to give hints. A reduced relative clause ( that is ); a verbal that requires a direct object (thought to be) ; and the nature of salinity allow the writer to imply the words in brackets below. The words in parentheses (round brackets) explain how to think about the verb. . . . by a briny solution is ] thought to be (= believed to possess) about the same salinity ___ the primordial sea . . . thought to be = considered or believed to be Use AS to compare ideas that contain verbs. Think about the "reduced relative clause" that I pointed out. We simply shorten a clause that begins with a relative pronoun such as that, who, or which. We shorten that clause (reduce it) to a phrase, typically by removing the relative pronoun and to be verb and leaving the past participle (the verbED, thought ), but the implied meaning of the "to be" verb (IS, in this case) still exists. Do we use AS or LIKE in these sentences? -- He is believed to be as kind ___ his mother is. -- Hippos are thought to be ____ fierce ____ lions . -- In pre-modern eras, preventable disease was thought to be ___ uncontrollable ___ the weather was. (We don't need the to be verbs at the end of these comparison sentences because meaning is clear. I wrote some form of "to be" in each example as a Big Hint about this question.) If this answer does not help, please formulate your doubt a little more specifically and tag me again. I am happy to try to help.

eakabuah · Answer

Thanks to  generis  for clearing a lot of doubts, I have changed my mind on answer choice C as the correct option. The use of   from where   is incorrect in the context. The focus is not on the location of the primordial sea, but rather on its salinity. This same error is repeated in option D as well. We can, therefore, eliminate options C and D.

In options B and D,   thought of as about the same salinity   does not make much sense. Option B has the added issue of comparing clauses with   like  , this is not correct.  Like  can compare nouns and not clauses. Option E also repeats the same error in the comparison stated above.   as   is appropriate for comparing clauses compared with   like  . We can therefore eliminate B and E as well.

The correct answer is option A.   from which   is appropriately used refer to   the salinity of the primordial sea  , compared with the wrong usage of   from where   in options C and D. Contrary to my earlier erroneous thought on the role of   about   in options A and E, it is now clear that   about   in the context plays the role of an adverb rather than serve as a preposition. Hence there is no issue with its usage in options A and E. Therefore   thought to be of about   is correct.

This is a very good question; I have learned a lot from it and cleared many doubts through the explanations offered by  generis . Thanks so much. 
,

zhanbo · Answer

My choice is  (A) . It took me 59 seconds.

I applied the following 2 considerations:
(1) Idiomatic use of "The same as"
(2) From where is never right. Where is an Adverb and cannot serve as object for a preposition such as "From".

(B) Should use "As" instead of "Like“
(C) "From where" is wrong
(D) The same as above
(E) Should use "As" instead of "Like“

Shivan21 · Answer

Thanks a lot  generis . This exactly what I was looking for. Clears a lot of my doubts on As vs Like.

Raxit85 · Answer

Imo. A

Like is used to compare nouns and in hypothetical situations whereas as is used to compare verbs/actions/clauses. One most important characteristic of usage of like is that there should not be any verb after like. Hence, B and E are out as verb emerged is used after like.

The tissues of the human body are constantly moistened by a briny solution thought  to be of about the same salinity as the primordial sea from which  life emerged.

A) to be of about the same salinity as the primordial sea from which - Relative pronoun refers to the primordial sea and that's fine. Although the sentence seems idiomatically awkward as many prepositions clung together (...thought to be of about.....), let's hold it and evaluate others.

B) of as about the same salinity  like the primordial sea out of which  - Incorrect for the reason mentioned above. Usage of out of which distorts the meaning.

C) to be about the same salinity as the primordial sea  from where  - Though it's a close contender, it's wrong because usage of where. Where is to be used to denote the name of location/place. It might be correct if it's given particular name of the sea/ocean.

D) of as about the same salinity as the primordial sea  from where  - Where is to be used to denote the name of location/place. It might be correct if it's given particular name of the sea/ocean.

E) to be of about the same salinity  like the primordial sea from which   - Incorrect for the reason mentioned above.

TheNightKing · Answer

From what I can make out, the life emerged from sea makes sense. So "where" is the appropriate usage.

Honestly I like D more because of parallelism but since the non underlined portion says "thought" I believe to be is a better choice. 
And in D, of as something is correct usage rather than thought of "as about the ....."

I am going with C.

generis · Answer

eakabuah  , this post is thoughtful and nuanced, as is typical of your work. You wrote:

This  about  is not a preposition.   Easy mistake.

This  about  is an  adverb    that means "nearly" or "almost."
In fact, replace "about" with "nearly" or "almost."

Correct:  If we use LSAT scores and college grades as rough measures of talent, Harvard Law and Yale Law students are of about the same caliber. 
Meaning: Harvard Law and Yale Law students are nearly equal in ability.

As I wrote above,  HERE ,  thought to be  is similar to  considered  or  believed to be .
The words that are implied are in brackets:
.....  moistened by a briny solution   thought to be   of about the same   salinity  . . . .
So  about  is an adverb that modifies the verbal  thought to be

You also wrote:

This issue can be really hard, but once you see the two or three exceptions to the general guideline, the "where" guidelines should get a little clearer.

•  Where  can always refer to a physical place. 
 Correct: He liked to think about the train station where he met her for the first time.

•  From where  is often okay.

-- One fairly recent official question, for example, uses from where in the correct answer.
-- Spoiler alert: I just revealed that one official answer choice is incorrect. 
That one option does not use "from where." The other four use "from where."
  In this question, here  insecticide spreads a long way from where . . . .

• Community, society:    Where  can refer to some words that we do not typically associate with place.
In one official question, where refers to  society . 
That official question is  HERE .
In another official question,  where  refers to  community . 
That official question is  HERE .

In both cases, the groups are defined as all the people who live in a certain area.

• where is mostly limited to physical locations

• is this question really referring to the  place  that life originated, or to the conditions under which life originated?

-- what do we do in this case? The primordial sea really was a place.
 This question is correct :  On Earth, where did life originate? 
 This answer is correct :  On Earth, life originated in prehistoric waters often called the primordial sea or "primordial soup." 
That question asks, literally,  in what place  on Earth did life originate.

-- This question seems to emphasize something slightly different: the continuity between human bodies now and the origins of life.
The continuity seems to be more of a focus on process than of place..

The primordial sea was a place. But its location is not the point.
The sea's briny  composition  is the point—from which emerged both life and eventually, human tears.

I can't, either. This "thought of," compared to "thought to be" in A, C, and E, does not make much sense.

I hope that analysis helps.

generis · Answer

Shivan21 , you are very welcome. I am glad that I could help.

SonGoku · Answer

Lets break the problem

Like Vs As, Thought of Vs Thought to be, Where Vs Which

Like Vs As 
Like must be followed by a noun .
Same as is an idiom.
Eliminate B,E.
 Thought of Vs Thought to be 
 
we can use either thought to be or thought of but we cannot use thought to be of.
Eliminate E

we are left with A,C, and D
and we have Where Vs Which
 
Where is used to refer to a place. sea is a place where life emerged.
so eliminate A .
Now C Vs D
 
were comparing as about the same salinity with sea.
salinity cannot be compared with sea.
Thought to be sounds better than thought of.

So C is the remaining one and the winner.
Desperately waiting for Official answer explaination

Shishou · Answer

A is the answer,I hope.

The tissues of the human body are constantly moistened by a briny solution thought to be of about the same salinity as the primordial sea from which life emerged.

A) to be of about the same salinity as the primordial sea from which  This is the right answer. It is thought to have about the same salinity as the sea.This sentence communicates this very well.

B) of as about the same salinity like the primordial sea out of which   The construction "of as about..." is unidomatic

C) to be about the same salinity as the primordial sea from where  This one seemed tempting but my thinking is that its missing the of. how can a briny solution be about the same salinity.

D) of as about the same salinity as the primordial sea from where   USes of as again just as B does.

E) to be of about the same salinity like the primordial sea from which  The use of like here is wrong. The verb "is" is already implied so what follows as is actually a clause not a noun phrase.Hence a clause can not follow like.

eakabuah · Answer

This is very helpful. It has cleared a lot of doubts. Thanks so much  generis

generis · Answer

eakabuah , I'm glad I could help.

generis · Answer

I have posted the official explanation  HERE

The tissues of the human body are constantly moistened by a briny solu

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 tissues of the human body are constantly moistened by a briny solu

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