Question

The largest of all the planets, not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger planet, but also possesses four of the largest satellites, or moons, in our solar system.

• A. not only is Jupiter three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger
• B. not only is Jupiter three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
• C. Jupiter, not only three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
• D. Jupiter not only is three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest
• E. Jupiter is not only three times so massive as Saturn, the next larger

Answer 1

The correct option is D Jupiter not only is three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest

The major error that we notice at first is the placement of 'Jupiter' with respect to the modifier 'The largest of all planets'. The phrase 'the largest of all planets' modifies 'Jupiter', so Jupiter should be placed right next to it. Otherwise, it would create an error in the meaning of the sentence. Also, 'so massive as' is the wrong idiom. The correct idiom is 'as massive as'. This eliminates options A (here, 'next larger' is also wrong, it should be 'next largest'), B and E ('next larger' should be 'next largest'). Now, in C, we notice an error in the sentence's parallel structure- the clause that follows 'not only...' is an adjective clause whereas the clause that follows 'but also...' is a verb clause. Thus, D comes across as the correct answer by avoiding all these errors.