gmat_perfect wrote:A huge flying reptile that died out with the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago, the Quetzalcoatlus had a wingspan of 36 feet, believed to be the largest flying creature the world has ever seen.
(A) believed to be
(B) and that is believed to be
(C) and it is believed to have been
(D) which was, it is believed,
(E) which is believed to be
[spoiler]OA: After Discussion. [/spoiler]
What should be known first:
1. COMMA + Past participle:
COMMA + Past Participle modifies the preceding NOUN before COMMA.
Example:
The boy,
fallen into trap, wants to come out. --> it means the boy is in trap.
The pen,
kept on the table, is mine. --> The pen is kept on the table.
This rule eliminates option A because it changes the intended meaning of the sentence. it means that "wingspan is a largest flying creature.
2. X preposition Y, which:
"which" refers to either
Y or the whole of "
X preposition Y".
The options D and E can be eliminated because neither "wingspan of 36 feet" nor "36 feet" are eligible referent of "which".
3. The use of "that" in GMAT:
The following use of "that" is found in OG:
(I) As a an introducer of "
RESTRICTIVE CLAUSE": In this case that clause define the previous NOUN. It is essential to the meaning of the sentence.
Example:
OG10:
Question#1:
The Wallerstein study indicates that even after a decade young men and women still experience some of the effects of a divorce occurring when a child.
(D)
that occurred when they were children
OG10#26
Of all the possible
disasters that threaten American agriculture, the possibility of an adverse change in climate is maybe the more difficult for analysis.
(B) is probably the most difficult to analyze
(II) As an introducer of adjective clause:
It has been said that.....
it reveals that........
The theory proves that........
The hypothesis states that.....
Research indicates that.....
.....agree that.....
OG10#5:
Carbon-14 dating
reveals that the megalithic monu¬ments in Brittany are nearly 2,000 years as old as any of their supposed Mediterranean predecessors.
(B) older than any of their supposed
OG10#7:
Dr. Hakuta's research among Hispanic children in the United States
indicates that the more the children use both Spanish and English, their intellectual advantage is greater in skills underlying reading ability and nonverbal logic.
(C) the greater their intellectual advantage in skills underlying reading ability and nonverbal logic
OG10#10:
However much United States voters may
agree that there is waste in government and that the government as a whole spends beyond its means, it is difficult to find broad support for a movement toward a minimal state.
(II) That XX and that YY:
Where XX and YY are clauses.
The type of
that used in the option B is very rarely seen in GMAT. I have seen one of them in GMATPREP, but it was in a parallel situation.
Now, come to the context.
That MUST have an antecedent. In general English we use this type of that.
Example:
I have a book; he wants that. ---> here "that" refers to "book".
They have many good crafts, and wee want those. ---> Those refers to crafts.
Since "that" has the verb "is" after it, it is singular. To be antecedent of "that", there are several NOUNS before "that".
reptile, Quetzalcoatlus, wingspan. Which one is the referent of "that"? We are not sure. As it stands, "that" is ambiguous.
Answer MUST be C.
The use of that:
Here a "that," there a "that,"
everywhere a "that-that"
After a verb of attribution (said, stated, announced, disclosed), the word "that" often can be omitted with no loss of meaning:
He said (that) he was tired. No need for "that." Better to omit.
But if the words that follow "said" (or any verb of attribution) might be mistaken as objects of the verb, omitting "that" might lead the reader down a false trail:
The governor announced his new tax plan would be introduced soon.
Here "that" is needed after "announced. Without it, the reader's first impression is that the plan itself has been put forth. Remember that even momentary confusion provides readers with a handy place to stop - and that's not good. A reader should never have to pause to understand what the writer (or speaker) is trying to convey. If that happens too often (and once may be once too often), a reader stops reading.
Time element: When a time element is linked to the verb of attribution, the conjunction "that" must be used. For example:
The mayor announced June 1 the fund would be exhausted.
The reader needs to know if the time applies to the material that precedes or follows it. Did he make the announcement June 1? ("...announced June 1 that...") Or did he say the fund then would be exhausted? ("...announced that June 1...") In either case, the need for "that" should be obvious. The need remains when the time element is not a date but a day of the week (Monday, Tuesday, today, yesterday, etc.).
"
Thats" that travel in pairs
Often a sentence with two parallel clauses requires the expression "and that" to introduce the second clause and link it to the antecedent common to both clauses:
The senator said he might run again and, if he did, Myra Henry would be his campaign manager.
A "that" is needed after "and" to make it clear for the reader. Therefore, a "that" must be inserted after "said" because of a rule called parallelism - if you've got one "that" referring to the same antecedent, you need another. The "that" after "said" is required even though none would be required had the sentence ended after "again."
The senator said
that he might run again and
that, if he did, Myra Henry would be his campaign manager.
So, just remember. If you need one "that" for clarity, make sure you put in another "that" in any compound sentence.
To use "that" or not to use "that"?
That is the question.
The decision to use or omit "that" is not always a simple one. Sometimes it's a judgment call. But don't let your desire to lop off unnecessary words lead you into bad judgment.
As a rule of thumb in questionable cases, remember: Using "that" is never really wrong, though it may be unnecessary; omitting "that" in some cases indeed may be wrong.
courtesy:
https://web.ku.edu/~edit/that.html
