GMAT Sentence Correction - In its Journal, the U.S.-Based Minor Planet Center (MPC) Announced that it would Officially Name Minor Planet Number 207715

Question: In its journal, the U.S.-based Minor Planet Center (MPC) announced that it would officially name minor planet number 207715, which was discovered by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) on September 11, 2007, “Muqin Shuijao”, which means “water cellar for mothers” in English, in the international minor planet table.

(A) In its journal, the U.S.-based Minor Planet Center (MPC) announced that it would officially name minor planet number 207715, which was discovered by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) on September 11, 2007, “Muqin Shuijao”, which means “water cellar for mothers” in English, in the international minor planet table.

(B) The U.S.-based Minor Planet Center (MPC) announced in its journal that in the international minor planet table that it would officially name minor planet number 207715 “Muqin Shuijao”, which means “water cellar for mothers” in English and which was discovered by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) on September 11, 2007.

(C) Discovered by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) on September 11, 2007, minor planet number 207715, which is to be officially named in the international minor planet table as “Muqin Shuijao”, or “water cellar for mothers” in English, as announced by the U.S.-based Minor Planet Center (MPC) in its journal.

(D) The U.S.-based Minor Planet Center (MPC) announced that in the international minor planet table, minor planet number 207715, which was discovered by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) on September 11, 2007, will officially be named “Muqin Shuijao”, which means “water cellar for mothers” in English, in its journal.

(E) Discovered by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) on September 11, 2007, the U.S.-based Minor Planet Center (MPC) announced in its journal that it will officially name minor planet number 207715 as “Muqin Shuijao”, which means “water cellar for mothers” in English, in the international minor planet table.

“In its journal, the U.S.-based Minor Planet Center (MPC) announced that it would officially name minor planet number 207715.”- is a GMAT sentence correction question. This particular GMAT sentence correction topic has been taken from the book ‘The Official Guide of GMAT Verbal Review, 2nd Edition, 2009’. This question checks Construction, Verb and Meaning. GMAT Sentence Correction questions comprise 11-16 questions to be completed within 65 minutes. Each Sentence Correction question contains a sentence with an underlined portion that includes 0-2 errors.

Answer: A
Explanation: The following concepts are tested here:

1. Construction
2. Verb
3. Meaning

Option A: Correct

This option is correct. In this option, all the modifiers are modifying correctly and the sentence makes sense. It also conveys the exact meaning of the sentence. So, Option A is correct.

Option B: Incorrect

This option is incorrect. The statement, “The MPC announced in its journal that in the international minor planet table that it would officially name…” does not make sense. The phrase, “that” seems to be modifying “minor planet table.”, which is not correct. So, Option B is incorrect.

Option C: Incorrect

This option is incorrect. The phrase, “which is to be officially named… as ‘Muqin Shuijao’…” seems unnecessary and awkward. Also, this statement is not even a correct one as it starts with an “-ed” modifier, followed by the subject but then the subject never actually “performs” a verb. Option C is incorrect.

Option D: Incorrect

This option is incorrect. We don’t understand what “in its journal” is doing at the very end of the sentence because it modifies the phrase “the MPC announced” which is way back at the beginning of the sentence. The phrase used in this choice sounds like the planet will be named in the journal itself, and that makes no sense as the planet will be named in the international minor planet table. Option D is incorrect.

Option E: Incorrect

This option is incorrect. This option is a clear case of a misplaced modifier. The MPC wasn't discovered by the Chinese scientists. So, Option E is incorrect.

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