By pressing a tiny amount of nitrogen

[agendra1003]

By pressing a tiny amount of nitrogen between two diamonds to a pressure of 25 million pounds per square inch, scientists not only were able to transform the gas into a solid, but they also created a semiconductor similar to silicon.


A. not only were able to transform the gas into a solid, but they also created
B. not only were able to transform the gas into a solid but also creating
C. were able not only to transform the gas into a solid but to create
D. were able not only to transform the gas into a solid but also creating
E. were not only able to transform the gas into a solid, but they were also able to create

OA..C.

I was thinking that right answer must have idiom 'not only..but also'...but I m surprised it is not the case...why so??? plz explain....

[Kweku.Amoako]

I picked E because C sounded akward to me but the parallel structure in C is gramatically correct



Not only X but Y ....I usually make sure whatever follows "Not only" also follows "But" to ensure parallel structure

In C
Not only to transform the gas into a solid
but
But to create

Notice both parts use the infinitive. E is also grammatically right but when you apply the concision rule( assumming meaning is ok) C wins. In A the first part of the comparison uses the passive voice and the second part does not. Also notice what follow "Not only" and "But Also" are differrent. B & D have same error as A

On page 198 of the Manhattan SC guide, there is a not about "But" and "But Also". Basically GMAT sometimes uses "But" in correct answer choices but I don't know exactly why...

E still sounds like the correct answer to me.

[RonPurewal]

By pressing a tiny amount of nitrogen between two diamonds to a pressure of 25 million pounds per square inch, scientists not only were able to transform the gas into a solid, but they also created a semiconductor similar to silicon.


A. not only were able to transform the gas into a solid, but they also created
B. not only were able to transform the gas into a solid but also creating
C. were able not only to transform the gas into a solid but to create
D. were able not only to transform the gas into a solid but also creating
E. were not only able to transform the gas into a solid, but they were also able to create

OA..C.

I was thinking that right answer must have idiom 'not only..but also'...but I m surprised it is not the case...why so??? plz explain....

you have just learned that "not only ... but ..." is ALSO a correct idiom.

remember, correct answers (to official probelms) are ... correct! don't question them; learn from them.

there's a long thread about this problem here:
by-pressing-a-tiny-amount-of-nitrogen-between-two-diamonds-t1459.html