SC Query

Question

I have a query: 
Can  conclude  be used w/o 'that' following it in the following case:  The presence of both plant impressions and phytoliths led researchers to conclude there was habitual use of plants 
This is a part of an SC question that apparently have stumped me out. Somehow, I am not agreed that,  when  that  is used as dependent clause connector, it may be kept understood.   
May I ask experts to kindly comment on the boldfaced statement above?

Thanks.

mikemcgarry · Answer

Dear binit , I am happy to respond. What you have asked is an excellent question! :-)

As a general rule, dropping the " that " with any one of a number of cognitive verbs ( understood, know, conclude, argue, assume , etc.) would be considered too colloquial for the GMAT. In colloquial, everyday American English, folks drop the " that " all the time. This the accepted informal way of talking. I assume he is coming. Did you know she was fired? She argued women should get equal pay for equal work. All of these would pass as correct in American conversation, and all would be wrong on the GMAT. The GMAT is far more formal and precise. In this environment, it is true almost 100% of the time that the OA includes the word " that ." If some answers have " that " and some done, the OA will be among those that include " that ." Now, here's the frustrating thing about real GMAT SC questions. Occasionally, a structure that would be wrong if it were part of the underlined section appears someone in the non-underlined section. The GMAT is not rigorous about following its own rules. GMAT questions are meticulous selected for one thing: distinguishing high performers from low performers. If a mistake in the non-underlined part doesn't interfere with this primary function of the question, then the mistake will pass. The GMAT will never have something 100% grammatically wrong in the non-underlined part, but at times, it has something a bit too informal or otherwise less than ideal. Dropping the "that" would be a good example. I will also say: what is the source of the question you cite? I don't believe it is an official question. Keep in mind. Some of the GMAT SC practice questions out there on the market are good (MGMAT, Magoosh, Veritas), but many of them are atrocious. It's simply astonishing to me how many low quality questions are on the market, and student who don't know better trust them! Students should beware! All the glitters is not gold. Does all this make sense? Mike :-)

b9n920 · Answer

Hi Mike, Not only making sense but also clarifying doubts, your response is thoroughly insightful and engaging, as usual. I am sorry if the previous sentence was not good enough for the GMAT. But I really mean it.

So, GMAT may sometime may pass little 'ungrammatical' things in the non-underlined parts. That's a great lesson for me. As you rightly guessed, that SC question was neither Official nor from the prep courses you approved. I actually pasted the underlined part in the previous post, so the question is outright faulty. I shall better be careful about trusting a source. Thanks so much for all the help. Kudos.

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