When we look at the star Alpha Centauri, we see it as it was a little

Question

Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC2) 
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When we look at the star Alpha Centauri,  we see it as it was a little over four years ago , for it took the light that long to get here.

A) we see it as it was a little over four years ago

B) we see it as it had been a little over four years ago

C) we see it as if it was a little over four years ago

D) it appears to us as it did in a little over four years ago

E) it appears to us as though a little over four years ago

generis · Accepted Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC2)

THE PROMPT  
 
• Meaning?
What is happening in this sentence?

First clause: 
→  When we   look   at the star Alpha Centauri 
Note the  present tense.

Second clause, underlined: 
Glance at the options. 
They all suggest that right now, when we look at the star Alpha Centauri, we do not see the star as it actually appears in the present.

Why  do we not see the star as it appears today?

Third phrase:
→  for it took the light that long   to get here. 
The word  for  can mean  because  or  since .
Even if you do not know this definition, you can glean the definition from context.

THE OPTIONS

• I see no issues

•   we see   creates a nice parallel with the first part of the sentence, i.e.,     we look

• the simple past tense verb  was  is appropriate.
→  I remember him from the metaphysics class we took a decade ago in which he  was  a bit contrarian.  
→  Whenever he looks at the photograph of his enormous dog, Molly, he shakes his head at the image from five years ago, for she  was  tiny enough to fit in his palm.

KEEP (It's okay not to be sure, but do keep the option, because it is grammatical and logical. The style of another option may be superior.)

• no reason exists to use past perfect because doing so warps the logic
→ We are not really dealing with two events in which one event occurs and is completed before the other event occurs.

That is, we use past perfect to depict the earlier of two events in the past
→ past perfect is often referred to as "the past of the past."
→ to use past perfect, we need at least one event written in simple past tense or time stamped,  but we must also watch the logic.

We do not have a sequence of events that might necessitate the use of past perfect.

We are not witnessing the star as it "had been"  before  the light began to travel, continued its journey, and took four years to get here.
We are witnessing the star as it was four years ago because as a matter of general fact, the light takes four years to get here.
That light shows us the way Alpha Centuari  looked    four years ago.
The arrival of the light and the perception of the image are simultaneous.

We do have one event rendered in simple past: it  took  the light four years to get here. 
But  had been  implies that when the light arrived here after four years, the appearance of the star had changed before that light's travel and/or arrival.

Logically, no: the two past events are simultaneous, and both should be written in simple past tense.
We see the star as it appeared, as it was, four years ago because the light traveled for four years.
 
Past perfect is used to talk about something that happened before something else.
Past perfect implies this timeline:

PAST →→|star's appearance changed|→→|light took four years to get here|→→NOW

The call between option A and option B is a close one. 
GMAC typically prefers simple past (and simple future) as long as sequence is clear.
In option A, sequence is clear.
In option B, the use of  had been  is a bit strained, logically.
ELIMINATE B

• no reason exists to use a hypothetical
We are not looking at a hypothetical star. 
Nor are we looking at a star's hypothetical appearance.
The star is real. Its appearance is real.

Because light takes time to travel, what we see and what the star looks like right now are not identical. 
But  as if  suggests a situation that is contrary to fact.

•  if it was  should be  if it were 
if we use a Type 2 conditional (a hypothetical condition and its probable result), a  to be  verb is written in the subjunctive
→  Correct :  The harvest moon hung low in the night sky as if it  were  suspended lower than usual by invisible but sturdy braces.  
ELIMINATE C

• do not use the word  in  to describe specific past tense time periods
→  Correct :  She moved to Provence a little over four years ago. 
→  Wrong :  She moved to Provence IN a little over four years ago. 
We can use the word  in  with specific time periods that are in the near-future or future.
→  Correct:   She will finish her exams in a little over four weeks.

• Option D's verb voice does not stay parallel; almost always, we should not switch from active to passive voice in the same sentence.

In the non-underlined portion of D, the verb is in active voice:  we look .
In the second part, the verb switches to passive voice:  it appears to us .
→ The active voice is evident in options A, B, and C:  we see 
→ If the first part were in passive voice, it would be written, "When the star Alpha Centauri is looked at by us . . . " (Wow is that construction horrible.)

GMAC does not like mid-sentence switches from active to passive voice.

→ option A keeps the clauses parallel and uses active voice in both:  we look ↔ we see 
By contrast, in option D we have:  we look . . . it appears to us  
Option A is better than option D.
ELIMINATE D

• no need for a hypothetical  as though 
→  as if  (in option C) and  as though  mean the same thing. Both depict hypothetical situations.
We do not need a hypothetical stiuation.

• as in option D, the verb switches unnecessarily from active to passive in mid-sentence (that switch is almost always incorrect on the GMAT)

• also as is the case in option D, option E lacks the parallel harmony created by  we look . . . we see

• this sentence is a fragment
→  as though  requires a clause to follow (as though it were, as though I might)
→ a subject and verb are missing
ELIMINATE E

The answer is A.

NOTES

This question is really hard.

GMAC tends to prefer simple past (and simple future).
If sequence is clear and you must pick between simple past and past perfect, choose simple past.
(I think I've seen only two official questions in which no other error distinguished the two answers.)

We do have a takeaway: if you are forced to choose between simple past  in which sequence is clear  and past perfect:
(1) look for another decision point, including
(2) the logic of the verbs, and if you are at an impasse,
(3) choose simple past

Finally, option A does not determine intended meaning.
We must figure out the intended meaning by examining context.
Option A just happened, this time, to contain the intended meaning.
There is nothing sacred about option A.

COMMENTS

randomavoidplease  (great username), welcome to SC Butler.

Abhi077  , my comrade in arms, thanks for the help. +1

I am impressed with the reasoning in these answers, even if, at times, the reasoning totters just a little bit. Or not.
Either way, the analysis is good.
If I could give two kudos to those of you who were brave and posted, I would do so.

As always, aspirants have a standing invitation to post.
Be brave. Brave is good.

Nicely done.

ravigupta2912 · Answer

A) we see it as it was a little over four years ago -- CORRECT. Conveys the correct meaning. We see the star today as it was 4 years ago since the light takes 4 years to reach us.

B) we see it as it had been a little over four years ago -- Incorrect. The past perfect usage of "had been" is not required since we do not have any sequence of events.

C) we see it as if it was a little over four years ago -- Incorrect. Changes the meaning through the addition of "if". Also usage of "if it was" is not compatible with the rules of subjunctive mood, which require the usage of plural verb.

D) it appears to us as it did in a little over four years ago -- Incorrect. "as it did  in " Changes the meaning. Looks like "in a little four years ago" is an instrument (like a telescope). The star doesn't look as it did "in" 4 years ago.. it just looks as it did 4 years ago.. the preposition "in" just changes the meaning.

E) it appears to us as though a little over four years ago -- Incorrect. Changes meaning. Now it means that when we look at the start today, it looks the same as it did 4 years, had we looked then. That isn't what the sentence conveys however.

tyildirim92 · Answer

When we look at the star Alpha Centauri,  we see it as it was a little over four years ago , for it took the light that long to get here.

A) we see it as it was a little over four years ago // "as" is confusing. Does it mean because or when?

B) we see it as it had been a little over four years ago // "as" is confusing. Does it mean because or when? The past perfect tense is unwarranted.

C) we see it as if it was a little over four years ago // correct

D) it appears to us as it did in a little over four years ago // "as" is confusing. Does it mean because or when? "in" is wrong.

E) it appears to us as though a little over four years ago // ambiguous.

Posted from my mobile device

randomavoidplease · Answer

Slightly confused but the last 3 (C,D,E) get eliminated basis the meaning itself. A & B are our top contenders.

A) we see it as it was a little over four years ago - It looks fine, let's keep for now.

B) we see it as it had been a little over four years ago - We see it as it "had been" and also implies that since then moon has changed position or characteristic, although wordy, I pick B.

C) we see it as if it was a little over four years ago - Meaning error

D) it appears to us as it did in a little over four years ago - Meaning error

E) it appears to us as though a little over four years ago - Meaning error

Fdambro294 · Answer

Comes down to A and B (others eliminated because of meaning issues and poor grammar).

A is correct because there does not appear to be a need to use the “past perfect progressive.”

Will post full answer explanation in morning.

Posted from my mobile device

Fdambro294 · Answer

This problem comes down to following the author’s meaning and watching out for any meaning changes made by the answer choices.

The intended meaning by the author is that when we look at the star now, we are actually looking at the image that appeared 4 years ago. This is because light takes a long time to travel to this far away star.

-C-

“..... we see it as IF it was a little over four years ago...”

This answer choice changes the meaning of the sentence. The meaning in C suggests that we are no longer looking at the star’s image that appeared 4 years ago. We are looking at this star AS IF IT WERE 4 years ago for us.

Perhaps the conditions for us now are the same as they were 4 years ago. Therefore, when we look at the star now, it is AS IF WE were looking at it 4 year ago.

Answer C changes the original meaning. Also, the hypothetical subjunctive following “if” is used incorrectly. For the verb “to be”, the hypothetical subjunctive in such a case takes the form “were.”

“If I WERE king, I would over-tax everyone!”

C is wrong.

-D-

“When we look at the star, it appears to us as it did a little over 4 years ago...”

This answer choice also changes the original meaning of the sentence.

Under one interpretation, the author could be seen as conveying that the star looks the same now as it did when WE LOOKED at it a little over 4 years ago.

We look at the star now. We looked at the star 4 years ago. The star looks the same to us now as it did when we gazed at it 4 years ago.

This is not the intent of the author. He or she is trying to convey the effect the travel of light has on the image we see now. When we look at the star NOW, we actually see the image that appeared 4 years ago.

For this reason D is wrong.

-E-

“When we look at the star, it appears to us AS THOUGH a little over 4 years ago for (because) it took the light that long to get there.”

When we use the phrase “as though” to talk about an event or occurrence, we are speaking in hypothetical terms. We use this phrase when something appears to be the case, but it actually is NOT true.

“Scott spends money AS THOUGH he were a billionaire.”

Again, the use of “as though” in this sentence changes the meaning. The author is not trying to say the star appears to us as though it were 4 years ago. The author is not describing a situation “as it seemed to be” 4 years ago. Instead, the image of the star we see now is the star’s ACTUAL image from 4 years ago.

The image we see today is the ACTUAL image the star portrayed 4 years ago because light takes that long to reach the far-away star.

E is wrong.

-A vs B-

Between A and B, generally if there is not a specific reason to use the past perfect, it is best avoided. This is not a situation where 1 event happened in the past and we need to use the past perfect progressive to accurately convey the order of past events.

We look at this star now and the image we see is the image that actually existed 4 years ago.

There is no reason to change the original sentence.

-A- 
Correct Answer
   Posted from my mobile device

warrior1991 · Answer

Can someone help on the meaning conveyed by the sentence??  AndrewN  Can you help here.. totally smacked me out of the park

Abhi077 · Answer

'For it took the light that long' means The light traveling Alpha Centauri to Earth took about four years to get here. That’s 4 light-years, so we see Alpha Centauri as it was 4 years ago. I hope it's clear.

generis · Answer

The official explanation is  here .

AndrewN · Answer

It looks as though I am a little late to the party,  warrior1991 , but I will add my breakdown of the sentence anyway.

There are three main components to the sentence at hand:

1) An introductory (dependent) clause— When we look at the star Alpha Centauri . Since the word  star  is mentioned, we do not have to know anything about astronomy to qualify what  we  are looking at. Notice, too, the use of the present tense,  look . This can help inform our decision about verb tense in part 2) below.

2) A main (independent) clause— we see it as it was a little over four years ago .  It  has a clear referent in  the star Alpha Centauri , so each use of the pronoun is qualified. Since the earlier, dependent clause used the present tense, the simple past tense  was  works fine here.

3) A second independent clause, introduced by a conjunction— for it took the light that long to get here . The conjunction  for  serves in an explanatory  because/since  capacity. For example, you could say,  He ought to do well on the exam, for he studied three hours a day.  This is the opposite of the role that the conjunction  so  plays, which indicates that a conclusion is about to follow instead. Using our sentence from before,  He studied three hours a day, so he ought to do well on the exam.  The next part of the independent clause in the original sentence that warrants a closer look is  it . Here,  it  is simply a placeholder—i.e. it does  not  refer to the star. We understand that the star did not travel, but that light from the star traversed space to reach our eyes on Earth ( here ). In astronomy/physics terms, we can appreciate that Alpha Centauri is four lightyears away.

As difficult as it may seem, this is a simple sentence (well, grammatically compound-complex) that indicates that light from a nearby star took four years to reach our stargazing eyes here on planet Earth.

I hope that helps. Please let me know if you have further questions, and thank you for thinking to ask me about this one.

- Andrew

Fdambro294 · Answer

Great question. I learned a lot from a minimal collection of words.

I would love to see more questions in which the meaning provided by the answer choice sentences differs from the meaning intended by the author (of course, only if you have time).

I always find these types of questions challenging.

Thank you for that thorough explanation. I copied quite a bit into my notebook.

Posted from my mobile device

VerbalBot · Answer

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When we look at the star Alpha Centauri, we see it as it was a little

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