chaudhurysr wrote:
Friends,
I need some clarification on the below questions.
Q5. Catherine travels a great deal with her mother and this is the reason she isn’t available to lead the city Finance Committee.
a) this is the reason she isn’t available to lead
b) this is why she isn’t available in leading
c) this is the reason that Catherine isn’t available to lead
d) this is the reason Catherine isn’t available to lead
e) might this be the reason that she can’t lead
Of course a), b) and e) gets eliminated, as they are cases of Vague Pronoun Reference. Between c) and d) the only difference is reason vs reason that. Reason can be used either standalone, or with why, that, for, or infinitive. So both answers seem to be correct. What makes d) incorrect?
Thanks,
Saurabh
Dear
chaudhurysr,
I'm happy to respond.
First of all, this question was already posted in this thread, so I am answering this question here, where it should have been posted. Once again, remember to search first, before starting a new thread.
I will also say, this is a truly atrocious question, very un-GMAT-like.
In US colloquial speech, (D) would be perfectly correct. The GMAT, though, has higher standards. The GMAT demands a level of formalism. In colloquial speech, the word "
that" is often dropped, but on the GMAT the "
that" need to be retained after verbs of speaking/thinking as well as Idea-related nouns such as "
reason."
he said that . . .
she thought that . . .
he argued that . . .
she was surprised that . . .
the reason that . . .
the idea that . . .
the concept that . . . etc.
In every single example here, the word "
that" would be dropped in US colloquial speech, but it needs to be retained on the GMAT. This is precisely why (D) is wrong in this question.
This question is of very low quality. It has a storybook subject matter never seen on the GMAT. All five answer choices have a pronoun mistake: the pronoun "
this" cannot refer to an action. This question is a complete disaster.
As a professional question writer, I would give this question a grade of
F.
Here's a high quality SC practice question:
Charles SumnerDoes all this make sense?
Mike
_________________
Mike McGarry
Magoosh Test PrepEducation is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. — William Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939)