An international team of astronomers working at telescopes in the Cana

Question

An international team of  astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to have 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter , the solar system's largest planet.

(A) astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to have 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter

(B) astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to be 5 to 15 times Jupiter's mass

(C) astronomers is working at telescopes in the Canary islands and Spain, having detected at least 18 huge gas spheres that are estimated at 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter

(D) astronomers, working at telescopes in the Canary islands and Spain, and has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated at 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter

(E) astronomers, working at telescopes in the Canary islands and Spain, has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres they have estimated to be 5 to 15 times Jupiter's mass

margarette · Accepted Answer

"Estimated at" can be used correctly in other contexts, but for this sentence, what we're estimating is mass, and mass is something that you HAVE, not something that you ARE, and "estimated at" doesn't fully convey this.

It has to be A, since it correctly uses "has" (the noun is "team", not "astronomers"!), uses "estimated to have", and has the most straightforward sentence structure.

Side note: "working at" seems awkward to me (any other opinions?), but it doesn't really change the question, since there are no alternatives to it.

STVerm · Answer

Correct Answer 'A' 

I believe "construction like having detected" is most of the time wrong in GMAT . Please correct me if I am wrong

LM · Answer

Estimated to be is the correct idiom indeed!! Wonderful. 

But read carefully... 

 Spheres estimated to be X times Jupiter's mass. .....( B )

 mass of spheres estimated to be X times Jupiter's mass.  ( No such choice )

But sentence B is saying as I have written above! Idiom is correct but incorrect comparison.

Mass of spheres should be compared with mass of Jupiter!

This is my understanding!

PTK · Answer

An international team of  astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to have 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter , the solar system's largest planet.

A. astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to have 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter  - correct

B. astronomers  working  at telescopes in the Canary islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to be 5 to 15 times Jupiter's mass  - Jupiter's mass can't be the solar system's largest planet. They currently are not working. estimated to be is just a inticing piece of totally wrong part of the sentence

C. astronomers  is working  at telescopes in the Canary islands and Spain,  having  detected at least 18 huge gas spheres that are estimated at 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter -  wrong: working and detecting

D. astronomers,  working  at telescopes in the Canary islands and Spain,  and  has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated at 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter  wrong: working and detecting. And is wrong here.

E. astronomers, working at telescopes in the Canary islands and Spain, has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres they have estimated to be 5 to 15 times Jupiter's mass -  Jupiter's mass can't be the solar system's largest planet.

mydreammba · Answer

i came close to A and B, and marked B...can anyone please justify how you negated B

margarette · Answer

B is incorrect because it says "18 huge gas spheres estimated to be 5 to 15 times Jupiter’s mass" and while something can HAVE mass (the mass of Earth, Earth's mass, Earth has a mass of ___, etc.), it can't BE mass.

Hope that helps!

arps · Answer

A.) astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to have 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter
B.) astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to be 5 to 15 times  Jupiter’s mass  (Jupiter's mass, can't be followed by largest planet)
C.) astronomers  is  working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain,  having detected  at least 18 huge gas sphere that are estimated at 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter
D.)  astronomers,  working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain , and has  detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated at 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter-  Problem with the comma 
E.) astronomers, working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres they have estimated to be 5 to 15 times  Jupiter’s mass  (Jupiter's mass, can't be followed by largest planet)

daagh · Answer

(A) astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to have 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter ---  correct choice. Uses the right idiom- estimated to -
 
(B) astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to be 5 to 15 times Jupiter’s mass --- J upiter’s mass is not the solar system’s largest planet. It is the Jupiter. Wrong modification. 
 
(C) astronomers is working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, having detected at least 18 huge gas spheres that are estimated at 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter ---  when you estimate something, you can’t estimate at something so precisely; wrong idiom 
 
(D) astronomers, working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, and has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated at 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter— the same problem as in C; in addition first of the text is a fragment 
 
(E) astronomers, working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres they have estimated to be 5 to 15 times Jupiter’s mass –  Jupiter’s mass is not the solar systems’ largest planet . The same problem as in B

nanishora · Answer

An international team of  astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to have 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter , the solar system’s largest planet.

(A) astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to have 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter   Correct

(B) astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to be 5 to 15 times Jupiter’s mass  missing working verb - should be is working

(C) astronomers is working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, having detected at least 18 huge gas spheres that are estimated at 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter  having detected sounds wrong, estimated at is unidiomatic

(D) astronomers, working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, and has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated at 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter  Missing working verb - should be is working

(E) astronomers, working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres they have estimated to be 5 to 15 times Jupiter’s mass  Possessive noun -Jupiter's mass is being followed by modifier of Jupiter

IMO answer is A.

hrbiswal · Answer

The phrase after the underlined portion " the solar system’s largest planet" should modify a planet. Hence option B & E are ruled out.

An international team of  astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to have 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter , the solar system’s largest planet.

A.) astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to have 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter
B.) astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to be 5 to 15 times Jupiter’s mass -  modifier issue 
C.) astronomers is working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, having detected at least 18 huge gas sphere that are estimated at 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter -  Subject - Verb agreement issue - "astronomers" plural, "is" singular 
D.) astronomers, working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, and has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated at 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter - parallelism issue and no complete clause available - "astronomers , xxxxx--modifier--xx, and has detected at least.... 
E.) astronomers, working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres they have estimated to be 5 to 15 times Jupiter’s mass -  modifier issue

Hence option A is the correct one

daagh · Answer

Jupiter’s mass is not the solar system’s largest planet; Jupiter is; so B and E are out; D is a fragment with no verb for the first part. In C the sequence of events is inappropriate. Working is a secondary fact; having detected is the primary purpose. Pushing it to a modifier status is non - stylistic.

A is the best.

‘Estimated to be’ is wrong idiom in this case. It means that the gas spheres are estimated to be five to fifteen times the weight of Jupiter. Here we are equating gas spheres with weight, a measurement. ‘Estimated to have’ means the spheres weigh five to fifteen times the weight of Jupiter.

daagh · Answer

(A) astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to have 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter --- ‘estimated to have’ is idiomatic .  The correct choice

(B) astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to be 5 to 15 times Jupiter’s mass----  the solar system’s largest planet wrongly modifies the mass]

(C) astronomers is working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, having detected at least 18 huge gas spheres that are estimated at 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter— estimated at is unidiomatic

(D) astronomers, working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, and has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated at 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter---  estimated at is unidiomatic

(E) astronomers, working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres they have estimated to be 5 to 15 times Jupiter’s mass—  the solar system’s largest planet wrongly modifies the mass

ggurface · Answer

The problem with B is that it compares the Gas Spheres to Jupiter's Mass: "spheres estimated to be 5 to 15 times Jupiter's mass". You cannot compare an object such as a Gas Sphere to something abstract such as mass. You can only compare mass with mass.

A correctly compares the mass of the spheres to the mass of Jupiter: "spheres estimated to have 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter"

A correctly compares the mass of the spheres to the mass of Jupiter: "spheres estimated to have 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter"

Abhishek009 · Answer

Correct Answer must be (A)

Correct S-V issue

An international team   of astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain   has detected   at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to have 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter, the solar system’s largest planet.  
 Correct Modifier issue

An international team of astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to have 5 to 15 times the mass of   Jupiter ,  the solar system’s largest planet.

LogicGuru1 · Answer

An international team of  astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to have 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter , the solar system's largest planet.

ANSWER IS A  
  Three very easy decision points here  
  1) Idiom :-  estimated at  is wrong ;  estimated to /to be  is correct
2) Subject-Verb agreement :-  "Team"  is a singular noun therefore singular verb should be used. 
3) Modifier -the phrase "the solar system's largest planet" should modify  JUPITER and not  Jupiter's mass  because  Jupiter's mass  cannot be a planet. 
 
A. astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary islands and Spain  has  detected at least 18 huge gas spheres  estimated to  have 5 to 15 times the mass of  Jupiter , the solar system's largest planet.
CORRECT

B. astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to be 5 to 15 times  Jupiter's mass 
INCORRECT:-  jupiter's mass  cannot be the largest planet ; Jupiter is the largest planet.

C. astronomers is working at telescopes in the Canary islands and Spain,  having  detected at least 18 huge gas spheres that are  estimated at  5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter
WRONG:-  having  is incorrect tense.  Estimated at  is wrong idiom

D. astronomers, working at telescopes in the Canary islands and Spain, and has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres  estimated at  5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter
WRONG:-  Estimated at  is wrong idiom

E. astronomers, working at telescopes in the Canary islands and Spain, has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres  they  have estimated to be 5 to 15 times  Jupiter's mass 
INCORRECT:- Team is singular and the subject of the sentence. therefore  "they"  is wrong pronoun and is used incorrectly  "have"  is incorrect;  Jupiter's mass  is incorrect because mass cannot the biggest planet.

rohan2345 · Answer

A) astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to have 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter-Correct Choice
 A Team of ______ has. (Singular Subject, Singular Verb). Estimated to (Correct Idiom). the solar system’s largest planet correctly modifies Jupiter.

(B) astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to be 5 to 15 times Jupiter’s mass-  Incorrect.
the solar system’s largest planet incorrectly modifies Jupiter’s Mass.

(C) astronomers is working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, having detected at least 18 huge gas spheres that are estimated at 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter.  Incorrect
 The sentence has a bit awkward construction.  Estimated at  100% incorrect idiom.

(D) astronomers, working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, and has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated at 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter-  Incorrect
By placing,  working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain , between commas makes it a non-essential modifier. The logic of this sentence calls for an essential modifier. Clearly Incorrect. Unnecessary  and  is used.  Estimated at  is Incorrect.

(E) astronomers, working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres they have estimated to be 5 to 15 times Jupiter’s mass-  Incorrect. By placing,  working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain , between commas makes it a non-essential modifier. The logic of this sentence calls for an essential modifier. Clearly Incorrect. the solar system’s largest planet incorrectly modifies Jupiter’s Mass

varun4s · Answer

(A) astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to have 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter  (Correct)

(B) astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to be 5 to 15 times  Jupiter’s mass   (Jupiter's mass is not solar system largest planet. Rather, it is jupiter)

(C)  astronomers is working at telescopes  in the Canary Islands and Spain,  having detected at least 18 huge gas spheres  that are estimated at 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter  (Astronomers is not working at telescopes after detecting gas spheres) .Changes the meaning

(D) astronomers, working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, and has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated at 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter  (Lack of main Verb)

(E) astronomers, working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres they have estimated to be 5 to 15 times  Jupiter’s mass   Same as B.

Kudos please, if you like my explanation

abhishekdadarwal2009 · Answer

An international team of astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres estimated to have 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter, the solar system’s largest planet.

(A) astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres  estimated to have  5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter

(B) astronomers working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres e stimated to be  5 to 15 times Jupiter’s mass

(C) astronomers is working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, having detected at least 18 huge gas spheres that are  estimated at  5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter

(D) astronomers, working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, and has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres  estimated at  5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter

(E) astronomers, working at telescopes in the Canary Islands and Spain, has detected at least 18 huge gas spheres  they have estimated  to be 5 to 15 times Jupiter’s mass

anairamitch1804 · Answer

If I decide instead to examine another answer choice, I might start with answer B. I compare A and B, looking for differences, and then try to determine what the differences mean. (You can start with any answer you want, but you want to compare to A, and it’s physically easiest to compare B to A because they’re right next to each other – so have a good reason if you decide you want to start with something other than B.)

In comparing A to B, I find two differences, both at the end of the underline. In A, we have “to have 5 to 15 times the mass of Jupiter” and in B, we have “to be 5 to 15 times Jupiter’s mass.” The word right before the “to have / to be” portion is “estimated.” Idiomatically, we do want to have an infinitive verb right after the word estimated – so those are both okay from that perspective. What’s the difference between saying “mass of Jupiter” and “Jupiter’s mass”? Not a lot… if we ignore the rest of the sentence.

In fact, when I did this one myself, I followed this second path, and when I got to the split between “mass of Jupiter” and “Jupiter’s mass,” I started asking myself “Oh, does this have to do with meaning? What’s the difference in meaning between “to have 5 to 15 times the mass of something” and “to be 5 to 15 times something’s mass?” That question is annoying – it’s more of a judgment call then a strict rule. I glanced back up at the original sentence and that’s when I noticed that extra bit at the end, not underlined. Bingo! There’s a hard rule here – the modifier rule – and it’s clearly being broken in answer B. (I then scanned down the other answers and eliminated E for the same reason.)

So now we’re down to A, C, and D. I could read these two in their entirety, but that would take a lot of time – so first, I’m going to check the places that I know have already been tested. I’ve already noticed that C and D both say “mass of Jupiter,” so they’re okay on that issue. We also had a split between “estimated to have” and “estimated to be.” What do C and D do with that portion of the sentence?

Yes! C and D say “estimated at!” That’s an idiom error – “at” is a preposition, not an infinitive verb. I can eliminate both C and D.

The correct answer is A.

If that last step hadn’t worked, then I would have had pick either C or D and compare it to A. That’s fine – it’ll just take a bit longer, so let’s first try to reuse our previous work as much as possible. Finally, there are some other errors in the answers… but I’m going to give you a task. Tell me what you think the other errors are in the comments; I’ll reply to confirm.

An international team of astronomers working at telescopes in the Cana

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An international team of astronomers working at telescopes in the Cana

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