NEAR SPACECRAFT-KINDLY HELP!!

[apoorva_srivastva]

The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft will orbit the asteroid Eros for a year, slowly moving closer to the surface of the object to make ever more precise measurements that scientists hope will enable them to understand how the solar system formed some four billion years ago.

A. to make ever more precise measurements that scientists hope will enable them to

B. to make ever more and more precise measurements, which scientists are hoping to enable them

C. for making ever more precise measurements, and scientists hope that they will be able to

D. with the purpose of making more precise measurements than ever, and which scientists hope will enable them to

E. in order to make more precise measurements than it ever did, and scientists are hoping they will be able to

ALSO KINDLY TELL ME WHETHER GERUNDS SHOULD BE PREFERRED OVER INFINITIVES AND IN PARALLELISM INFINITIVES SHOULD BE PREFERRED OVER GERUNDS....!!!
KINDLY CALRIFY.

Regards,
Apoorva

[coolfisa]

The use of more should be accompanied by "than".So this eliminates a,b and c.Out of the 2 remaining i guess D would be the right one.What is the OA?

[kamalsinghy]

Is it a GMAT Prep question??

IMO B.

a) lack of "more X than Y" IDIOM
b) "more and more X" - this is acceptable as Ron has already mentioned in some thread
c) same as a).
d) "which" refers to what with conjunction 'and'. It should follow comma immediately.
e) Slightly awkward construction "...than it ever ...". And two independent clauses are there connected by conjunction "and"; they are not connected by semicolon, so that idea should be continued.

[RonPurewal]

whew!

this should be (a).

The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft will orbit the asteroid Eros for a year, slowly moving closer to the surface of the object to make ever more precise measurements that scientists hope will enable them to understand how the solar system formed some four billion years ago.

A. to make ever more precise measurements that scientists hope will enable them to

* "ever more..." is an acceptable idiomatic expression. its meaning is roughly the same as that of "increasingly" or "more and more".
in fact, "ever more" is the BEST way to write this. see "extra credit", below.

* "scientists hope" is interjected here in much the same way as "i think" would. (i have NO IDEA what the name of this sort of construction is ... sorry)
example:
here is a dish that i think will please your palate.
...has the same grammar as
here is a dish that will please your palate.

* "them" refers to "scientists". (if you actually omitted "scientists hope", then you would have to replace "them" by "scientists".)

B. to make ever more and more precise measurements, which scientists are hoping to enable them

* REDUNDANCY: you can't combine 2 idioms that mean the same thing.
you say EITHER "ever more" OR "more and more", but not both.
this is a common theme on the gmat. i've also seen other examples of the same thing, such as "both X and also Y".

* "measurements, which scientists are hoping to enable them" doesn't make sense. you're trying to give "enable" 2 different objects: "measurements, which" and "them".
example:
i am hoping to HIT it --> "it" = object of "hit"
[i]...the ball, which i am hoping to HIT" --> "ball, which" = object of "hit"
[i]...the ball, which i am hoping to HIT it" --> nonsense; you can't have a double object.

C. for making ever more precise measurements, and scientists hope that they will be able to

* "for making" is not idiomatic. this should be the infinitive "to make".

* the "and" connector is inappropriate here. if you use "and" like this, then you're implying that there are two ENTIRELY SEPARATE things going on: (a) the spacecraft is hanging around making measurements, and (b) scientists hope one day that blah blah blah.
these are clearly connected, so, "and" is inappropriate.

D. with the purpose of making more precise measurements than ever, and which scientists hope will enable them to

* not parallel.
you can't place a prepositional phrase (with the purpose of...) in parallel with a relative-pronoun clause (which ...).

E. in order to make more precise measurements than it ever did, and scientists are hoping they will be able to

same problem with "and" as in (c).
also unacceptably wordy / awkward.

ALSO KINDLY TELL ME WHETHER GERUNDS SHOULD BE PREFERRED OVER INFINITIVES AND IN PARALLELISM INFINITIVES SHOULD BE PREFERRED OVER GERUNDS....!!!

i guess i really don't understand what you're asking here, especially given its apparent urgency (bold and colored...!).

clearly, you can't make a blanket statement about which is "preferred" between gerunds and infinitives. there is obviously no universal preference; the choice will depend on context each time.
worse yet, there are many idiomatic constructions that take one or the other, for absolutely no logical reason whatsoever; you just have to memorize these, one by one. such is the english language.

as for parallelism, parallel constructions should just be ... parallel. if one half of a parallel construction features a gerund, then so should the other half. if one half features an infinitive, then so should the other half.

--

EXTRA CREDIT:

"ever more" is a bit of an obscure construction. BUT it is the BEST construction to use here, because it is STRICTLY AN ADVERB.

here's what i mean:
if i write "more precise measurements", that's ambiguous. it can mean one of two things:
more precise measurements (in which "more" is an ADJECTIVE -- i.e., a greater number of precise measurements);
or
more precise measurements (in which "more" is an ADVERB -- i.e., measurements that are more precise).

"more and more" has the same problem; it can still have either of these 2 meanings.

"ever more", on the other hand, has ONLY the second of these meanings. therefore, it unambiguously means what it's supposed to mean in this context.
this was very nicely done on the part of the gmat writers.
style, indeed.

[santroz]

Ron,

I have a doubt here. In the sentence:

The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft will orbit the asteroid Eros for a year, slowly moving closer to the surface of the object to make ever more precise measurements THAT scientists hope will enable them to understand how the solar system formed some four billion years ago.

What is THAT here..

1) Is it acting as a relative pronoun? - If yes, then what noun is it referring to ?
2) Or is it acting as conjunction here ?

[RonPurewal]

Ron,

I have a doubt here. In the sentence:

The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft will orbit the asteroid Eros for a year, slowly moving closer to the surface of the object to make ever more precise measurements THAT scientists hope will enable them to understand how the solar system formed some four billion years ago.

What is THAT here..

1) Is it acting as a relative pronoun? - If yes, then what noun is it referring to ?
2) Or is it acting as conjunction here ?

it's a relative pronoun. (it's impossible to use "that" as a conjunction.)

here's a simpler sentence that uses the same structure:
here's the business that i plan to buy.
or
here's the business that i said i plan to buy. (in which "i said" plays the same role as "scientists hope")

[amethyst.wei]

B. to make ever more and more precise measurements, which scientists are hoping to enable them

* REDUNDANCY: you can't combine 2 idioms that mean the same thing.
you say EITHER "ever more" OR "more and more", but not both.
this is a common theme on the gmat. i've also seen other examples of the same thing, such as "both X and also Y".

* "measurements, which scientists are hoping to enable them" doesn't make sense. you're trying to give "enable" 2 different objects: "measurements, which" and "them".
example:
i am hoping to HIT it --> "it" = object of "hit"
[i]...the ball, which i am hoping to HIT" --> "ball, which" = object of "hit"
[i]...the ball, which i am hoping to HIT it" --> nonsense; you can't have a double object.

Hi Ron,

Thanks for the thorough explanation on this question.
For option B, I have no problem with the redundancy issue in "ever more and more", but I have question with the second issue of double object you identified here.

Can "measurement" be the object of "hope" instead of "enable", such that the meaning would be: "scientists are hoping the measurements to enable them ..."? Thus here "measurements" is the subject of "enable" rather than the object. This is a bit different from the example you gave whereby "ball" can only logically be the object of "hit" (no way to say "ball hit...") and thus makes a clearcut double object.


Thanks in advance

[mschwrtz]

I'm afraid that I don't quite understand what you're asking. I'll do my best to answer what I can follow, but if I don't get it then ask again as clearly as possible.

Can "measurement" be the object of "hope" instead of "enable", such that the meaning would be: "scientists are hoping the measurements to enable them ..."?

No, hope can't have an object, can't be followed solely by a noun. Hope can be followed by an infinitive (I hope to do well on the GMAT), by a preposition+noun (I hope for success on the GMAT) by that+subordinate clause (I hope that I do well on the GMAT), by a subordinate clause (I hope I do well on the GMAT), etc., but not simply by a noun.

Thus here "measurements" is the subject of "enable" rather than the object. This is a bit different from the example you gave whereby "ball" can only logically be the object of "hit" (no way to say "ball hit...") and thus makes a clearcut double object.

See, this is where you lose me. I'm sure that you have a question here that isn't addressed by writing about the correct use of the word hope, but I can't tease that question out.

[divineacclivity]

* "them" refers to "scientists". (if you actually omitted "scientists hope", then you would have to replace "them" by "scientists".)

Hi Ron,
Sorry for opening an old thread but I dont understand why "them" is not ambiguous (could refer to scientists/measurements) here.
Please help me understand. thank you very much in advance

[thanghnvn]

regarding 'for making" in C

"for doing" can modifies a noun or a verb.

if it modifies a verb , "for doing" is not used to show a purpose

to show the purpose of a verb, "to do " is used

is my thinking correct?, pls, confirm

[sachin.w]

whew!

this should be (a).

The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft will orbit the asteroid Eros for a year, slowly moving closer to the surface of the object to make ever more precise measurements that scientists hope will enable them to understand how the solar system formed some four billion years ago.

A. to make ever more precise measurements that scientists hope will enable them to

* "ever more..." is an acceptable idiomatic expression. its meaning is roughly the same as that of "increasingly" or "more and more".
in fact, "ever more" is the BEST way to write this. see "extra credit", below.

* "scientists hope" is interjected here in much the same way as "i think" would. (i have NO IDEA what the name of this sort of construction is ... sorry)
example:
here is a dish that i think will please your palate.
...has the same grammar as
here is a dish that will please your palate.

* "them" refers to "scientists". (if you actually omitted "scientists hope", then you would have to replace "them" by "scientists".)

B. to make ever more and more precise measurements, which scientists are hoping to enable them

* REDUNDANCY: you can't combine 2 idioms that mean the same thing.
you say EITHER "ever more" OR "more and more", but not both.
this is a common theme on the gmat. i've also seen other examples of the same thing, such as "both X and also Y".

* "measurements, which scientists are hoping to enable them" doesn't make sense. you're trying to give "enable" 2 different objects: "measurements, which" and "them".
example:
i am hoping to HIT it --> "it" = object of "hit"
[i]...the ball, which i am hoping to HIT" --> "ball, which" = object of "hit"
[i]...the ball, which i am hoping to HIT it" --> nonsense; you can't have a double object.

C. for making ever more precise measurements, and scientists hope that they will be able to

* "for making" is not idiomatic. this should be the infinitive "to make".

* the "and" connector is inappropriate here. if you use "and" like this, then you're implying that there are two ENTIRELY SEPARATE things going on: (a) the spacecraft is hanging around making measurements, and (b) scientists hope one day that blah blah blah.
these are clearly connected, so, "and" is inappropriate.

D. with the purpose of making more precise measurements than ever, and which scientists hope will enable them to

* not parallel.
you can't place a prepositional phrase (with the purpose of...) in parallel with a relative-pronoun clause (which ...).

E. in order to make more precise measurements than it ever did, and scientists are hoping they will be able to

same problem with "and" as in (c).
also unacceptably wordy / awkward.

ALSO KINDLY TELL ME WHETHER GERUNDS SHOULD BE PREFERRED OVER INFINITIVES AND IN PARALLELISM INFINITIVES SHOULD BE PREFERRED OVER GERUNDS....!!!

i guess i really don't understand what you're asking here, especially given its apparent urgency (bold and colored...!).

clearly, you can't make a blanket statement about which is "preferred" between gerunds and infinitives. there is obviously no universal preference; the choice will depend on context each time.
worse yet, there are many idiomatic constructions that take one or the other, for absolutely no logical reason whatsoever; you just have to memorize these, one by one. such is the english language.

as for parallelism, parallel constructions should just be ... parallel. if one half of a parallel construction features a gerund, then so should the other half. if one half features an infinitive, then so should the other half.

--

EXTRA CREDIT:

"ever more" is a bit of an obscure construction. BUT it is the BEST construction to use here, because it is STRICTLY AN ADVERB.

here's what i mean:
if i write "more precise measurements", that's ambiguous. it can mean one of two things:
more precise measurements (in which "more" is an ADJECTIVE -- i.e., a greater number of precise measurements);
or
more precise measurements (in which "more" is an ADVERB -- i.e., measurements that are more precise).

"more and more" has the same problem; it can still have either of these 2 meanings.

"ever more", on the other hand, has ONLY the second of these meanings. therefore, it unambiguously means what it's supposed to mean in this context.
this was very nicely done on the part of the gmat writers.
style, indeed.

I always thought more and less should be followed by 'than' and so I eliminated A but these idioms ( 'ever more in this case' )make me choose the wrong answer :(

[thanghnvn]

The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft will orbit the asteroid Eros for a year, slowly moving closer to the surface of the object to make ever more precise measurements that scientists hope will enable them to understand how the solar system formed some four billion years ago.

A. to make ever more precise measurements that scientists hope will enable them to

B. to make ever more and more precise measurements, which scientists are hoping to enable them

C. for making ever more precise measurements, and scientists hope that they will be able to

D. with the purpose of making more precise measurements than ever, and which scientists hope will enable them to

E. in order to make more precise measurements than it ever did, and scientists are hoping they will be able to

ALSO KINDLY TELL ME WHETHER GERUNDS SHOULD BE PREFERRED OVER INFINITIVES AND IN PARALLELISM INFINITIVES SHOULD BE PREFERRED OVER GERUNDS....!!!
KINDLY CALRIFY.

Regards,
Apoorva

B is wrong because
hope somebody to do something
is not idiom

C is wrong because
"for doing" is not used to show the purpose of a verb/action. "for doing" can modify a noun or a verb but if it modifies a verb it can show the reason or other relation with the main verb but not the purpose of the main verb.

D is wrong because
"and which" is parallel with nothing

E is wrong because
the meaning is changed.

the choice of type E is popular on gmat. if this choice stand alone , it is correct grammatically and logically. but if this choice stands with another choice, we immediately realize which meaning is the intended meaning. choice A is the intended meaning and choice E is considered the distorted meaning.


pls, confirm/comment

[jlucero]

* "them" refers to "scientists". (if you actually omitted "scientists hope", then you would have to replace "them" by "scientists".)

Hi Ron,
Sorry for opening an old thread but I dont understand why "them" is not ambiguous (could refer to scientists/measurements) here.
Please help me understand. thank you very much in advance

Ambiguous pronouns are one of the things we've come to find more and more often on OG problems. So you're correct, but since the OG does this, you'll have to let it slide and look for other more egregious errors. I suppose the OG would say it's non-sensical to throw "measurements" in as the antecedent of them. But as all 5 answer choices have a they/them, you shouldn't be worried about the pronoun anyway, otherwise they'd all be wrong.

[jlucero]

regarding 'for making" in C

"for doing" can modifies a noun or a verb.

if it modifies a verb , "for doing" is not used to show a purpose

to show the purpose of a verb, "to do " is used

is my thinking correct?, pls, confirm

Correct. If you want to use "for X", X must be a noun (prep phrase). So you can use a gerund here, but nothing that shows action.

I have an iPod for running.
I have an iPod to listen to music.

[jlucero]

I always thought more and less should be followed by 'than' and so I eliminated A but these idioms ( 'ever more in this case' )make me choose the wrong answer :(

Two different usages:
X is more than Y. (comparing 2 things)
He is more X. (a higher number/quality/whatever of X)