Trick GMAT Verbal Question – Do You See The Booby Trap?

Although just inside the orbit of Jupiter, amateur astronomers with good telescopes
should be able to see the comet within the next few weeks.
(A) Although just inside the orbit of
(B) Although it is just inside the orbit of
(C) Just inside the orbit of
(D) Orbiting just inside
(E) Having orbited just inside

Good question. If “comet” were placed right after the comma–then that would make almost all of the answer choices from (A) to (E) contenders to be the correct answer. The GMAT guys wouldn’t leave so many possible correct answers for you to choose from.

Instead, they tried to trick you here by getting you to automatically associate the phrase with “amateur astronomers.” Those who got this correct would have noticed that this combination just doesn’t make sense.

Since the main part of the sentence starting with “amateur astronomers” is NOT underlined, we have to assume that part of the sentence cannot be changed. So any answer choice that is structurally placed to describe “amateur astronomers” and does not make sense should be eliminated. 

(A) “Although just inside the orbit of Jupiter, amateur astronomers…” Nope! Doesn’t make sense. Astronomers are not just inside the orbit of Jupiter. Well, maybe crazy astronauts–but usually not astronomers.
(C) “Just inside the orbit of Jupiter, amateur astronomers…” –Nope! Doesn’t make sense. Again, astronomers are not just inside the orbit of Jupiter.
(D) “Orbiting just inside Jupiter, amateur astronomers…” --Nope! Doesn’t make sense. Astronomers don’t orbit Jupiter!
(E) “Having orbited just inside Jupiter, amateur astronomers…” Nope! Doesn’t make sense. Astronomers don’t orbit Jupiter!

What’s special about (B)? Well, as mentioned earlier, (B) includes the infamous “it.” We don’t really know what “it” is referring to until later in the sentence when “comet” is mentioned. But (B) is the only answer choice with the “it” that makes it a better answer choice than all the other ones.

So (B) is the answer.


Hope that helps!

Zeke Lee, A 98%ile GMAT in 2 Weeks GMAT Tutor
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