Last visit was: 14 May 2026, 07:41 It is currently 14 May 2026, 07:41
Home
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Back to Forum
Create Topic
   1   2   3   4 
605-655 (Medium)|   Grammatical/Rhetorical Construction|   Parallelism|   Subject Verb Agreement|                                 
User avatar
GmatKnightTutor
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 31 Jan 2020
Last visit: 01 Nov 2025
Posts: 5,203
Own Kudos:
1,577
Given Kudos: 18
Posts: 5,203
Kudos: 1,577
The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar 29 Jun 2023, 11:37
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
tsraeroshad
I understand that E might be the best among the lot.
But I can't come terms with how this is correct:

".....simultaneously with but also independently...."

Can someone help me with this. Also could you show any other example where such a construction is used.
Show more

The correct answer choice uses

simultaneously with but independently of

All the best,

contact: gmatknight site
User avatar
GMATNinja
User avatar
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
Joined: 13 Aug 2009
Last visit: 13 May 2026
Posts: 7,393
Own Kudos:
70,906
Given Kudos: 2,137
Status: GMAT/GRE/LSAT tutors
Location: United States (CO)
GMAT 1: 780 Q51 V46
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Products:
GMAT Club Tests
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Posts: 7,393
Kudos: 70,906
The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar 01 Jul 2023, 09:04
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
tsraeroshad
I understand that E might be the best among the lot.

But I can't come terms with how this is correct:

".....simultaneously with but also independently...."

Can someone help me with this. Also could you show any other example where such a construction is used.
Show more

We attempted to address the parallelism in an earlier post: https://gmatclub.com/forum/the-first-tr ... l#p2946556 - check it out, and let us know if you still have questions!
avatar
TheUltimateWinner
avatar
Schools: Harvard '24 Judge '23 LBS '24 McCombs '24 Mendoza Tepper '24 Ross '24 Cox Marshall '24 Fisher Kelley '24 Jones McDonough '24 Owen '24 Terry BU Simon '24 Katz GWU Mason Babson Gabelli Foster '24 Goizueta '24 Scheller Stern '23 CBS '23 Booth '23 Haas '25 Wharton '25 Stanford '26 Johnson'23 Fuqua '23 Kellogg '23 Kenan-Flagler'23 INSEAD Aug 22 intake Olin '23 Said '23 Sloan '23 Carey Arizona "22 Yale '23 UC Davis Madison '23 Anderson '23 Carroll Carlson '23 Darden '23
Posts: 2,465
Kudos: 2,468
The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar 22 Oct 2023, 14:45
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Quote:
The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but independently of the more celebrated city-states of southern Mesopotamia, in what is now southern Iraq.


(A) that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but

(B) that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously with but also

(C) having been cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously but

(D) cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence of centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arising simultaneously but also

(E) cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arose simultaneously with but

Show more
Request Expert Reply:
We, normally, can't omit the that when that refers to the subject of the clause. So, how did we omit that in choice E?
User avatar
DmitryFarberMPrep
User avatar
Manhattan Prep Instructor
Joined: 22 Mar 2011
Last visit: 03 Mar 2026
Posts: 3,004
Own Kudos:
8,630
 [2]
Given Kudos: 57
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT Focus 1: 745 Q86 V90 DI85
Posts: 3,004
Kudos: 8,630
 [2]
The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar 31 Oct 2023, 23:33
2
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I'll copy my response to the same question from the MPrep forums:

There aren't a lot of rules about what we can't omit, partly because that would imply that we always use a certain word, such as "that," to create modifiers. It's true that if we said "The first trenches were cut," then "were" would be the main verb. Since we want that part to be a modifier, we'd need to say "The first trenches THAT were cut."

However, it is quite common to use participles (past tense forms of verbs) to create modifiers. In this case, we don't need THAT to introduce them:

The plan proposed by the mayor was surprising.
Artifacts found at the site include arrow heads and carvings.

Notice that in both the cases above, the first "verb" we see is really just a modifier. "Proposed by the mayor" modifies "plan" and "found at the site" modifies "artifacts. Similarly, in the original sentence, "cut into a site" modifies "trenches." We COULD choose to introduce any of these modifiers with "that were/was," but we don't have to, and normally the GMAT won't.
User avatar
VerbalBot
User avatar
Non-Human User
Joined: 01 Oct 2013
Last visit: 04 Jan 2021
Posts: 19,422
Own Kudos:
1,012
Posts: 19,422
Kudos: 1,012
The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar 30 Nov 2025, 09:08
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Automated notice from GMAT Club VerbalBot:

A member just gave Kudos to this thread, showing it’s still useful. I’ve bumped it to the top so more people can benefit. Feel free to add your own questions or solutions.

This post was generated automatically.
   1   2   3   4 
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7393 posts
AbhishekP220108
564 posts
bhanu29
368 posts