Official ExplanationScientifically, “frost” is the word for water vapor
that is so frozen with cold water as to develop a solid’s character.A. that is so frozen with cold water as to develop a solid’s characterB. that is so frozen with cold water that it develops the character of a solid C. that is frozen with cold water enough to develop solid characteristicsD. frozen enough with cold water so as to develop the character of a solid E. frozen with cold water so much as to develop a solid characterAfter a quick glance over the options, there are 2 main areas we can focus on: the beginning and end of each option. First, this question approaches HOW frozen the water vapor needs to be to become solid-like. We need to make sure that we’re using the correct phrase to convey the most logical intended meaning. Here is how each option breaks down:
A. that is so frozen with cold water as to develop a solid’s characterThis is
OKAY for now. It makes sense to use “so frozen” to explain that to turn water vapor into frost, it takes a significantly large amount of cold water in the air.
B. that is so frozen with cold water that it develops the character of a solidThis is also
OKAY for now because it’s the same as option A.
C. that is frozen with cold water enough to develop solid characteristicsThis is
INCORRECT because it’s not conveying the same meaning as A & B. This statement implies there is some set amount of frozen cold water that needs to occur to make frost, instead of indicating that it takes an incredibly large amount.
D. frozen enough with cold water so as to develop the character of a solid This is
INCORRECT for the same reason as option C. There is no specific amount of cold water here - it’s just a LOT of water. This doesn’t clearly convey that.
E. frozen with cold water so much as to develop a solid characterThis is
OKAY for now because it does convey that it takes a significant amount of cold water to create the effect.
We can eliminate options C & D because they don’t convey the intended meaning clearly. Now let’s move on to see how our remaining options differ.
This question also deals with the appropriate verb use of “develop.” When combining to + verb, it implies human intention. In this case, water cannot take on human characteristics because it is not a person. With this in mind, there is only one correct option. Let’s take a closer look:
A. that is so frozen with cold water as to develop a solid’s characterThis is
incorrect. “To develop” implies human intention.
B. that is so frozen with cold water that it develops the character of a solidThis is
correct. It is the only option that doesn’t give water human intention. It is also the only option that flows nicely when you read it.
E. frozen with cold water so much as to develop a solid characterThis is
incorrect. “To develop” implies human intention.
There you have it - option B is the correct choice!Don’t study for the GMAT. Train for it.