Gall's hypothesis of there being different mental functions

[Abhimanyu]

Gall's hypothesis of there being different mental functions localized in different parts of the brain is widely
accepted today.
(A) of there being different mental functions localized in different parts of the brain is widely accepted today
(B) of different mental functions that are localized in different parts of the brain is widely accepted today
(C) that different mental functions are localized in different parts of the brain is widely accepted today
(D) which is that there are different mental functions localized in different parts of the brain is widely
accepted today
(E) which is widely accepted today is that there are different mental functions localized in different parts of
the brain

According to GMAT Prep the answer is C

But I think it should be B because That should follow a subjunctive verb like recommend,demand,order etc......
That was ok Here if the sentence started as Gall Hypothesized that different.......

Moreover Synonym of hypothesis is Theory and there in nothing wrong in Theroy of Natural Sciences etc....

Can somebody throww some light on this.... I am very confussed over this question...!!!!!

[Guest]

That in this case is modifying hypthosesis...this is not the subjunctive....need to be careful...just because you see that does not mean that it's a subjunctive...that is used as a modifier in this case....C sounds better than the others and is the most concise and clear.

[guest]

word "hypothesis" is same as "theory"...
it can have two usage as "theory" has

theory of "noun"..such as theory of Darvin ..theory of relativity.
when we try to explain something based on.....any theory...then it is better to use "theory that...."

theory that explains the cause of fire in forests...is correct not "theory of fire.....".

same is the case with "hypothesis"..hope it helps..

[RonPurewal]

Gall's hypothesis of there being different mental functions localized in different parts of the brain is widely
accepted today.
(A) of there being different mental functions localized in different parts of the brain is widely accepted today
(B) of different mental functions that are localized in different parts of the brain is widely accepted today
(C) that different mental functions are localized in different parts of the brain is widely accepted today
(D) which is that there are different mental functions localized in different parts of the brain is widely
accepted today
(E) which is widely accepted today is that there are different mental functions localized in different parts of
the brain

According to GMAT Prep the answer is C

But I think it should be B because That should follow a subjunctive verb like recommend,demand,order etc......
That was ok Here if the sentence started as Gall Hypothesized that different.......

Moreover Synonym of hypothesis is Theory and there in nothing wrong in Theroy of Natural Sciences etc....

Can somebody throww some light on this.... I am very confussed over this question...!!!!!

whoa whoa
it seems that you're inferring that any instance of 'that' implies the command subjunctive. that's nowhere close to being true.
the command subjunctive is used only for wishes, demands, requests, and other related things - which comprise a very tiny fraction indeed of all 'that'-clauses.

consider the following very familiar constructions:
the idea that he wrote that paper by himself is ridiculous.
i don't think that he is mature enough to understand the theme of the book.
etc.
these are definitely not subjunctive clauses, nor are the majority of other clauses starting with 'that'.
it is, however, important that you be able to recognize subjunctive clauses when they do appear (like this one!)

--

the other thing that's better about (c) than (b) is that it clearly states that gall's hypothesis is that the functions are housed in different parts of the brain.
choice (b) sounds as though gall was the first to propose that there are different mental functions in the first place (and, as an afterthought, that those functions are housed in different parts of the brain). that's not reasonable, as it's plainly obvious to anyone that there are different mental functions; the only thing at issue here is the location of those functions in the brain.

[stevefeiner5]

Sorry to bump this question up but...

Are D and E wrong because of no comma before which. I know the essential non essential modifier thing is never the only reason, but without commas wouldn't you need a that introduction instead of a which?

I just wanted to make sure I understood.

Thanks!

[RonPurewal]

Sorry to bump this question up but...

Are D and E wrong because of no comma before which. I know the essential non essential modifier thing is never the only reason, but without commas wouldn't you need a that introduction instead of a which?

I just wanted to make sure I understood.

Thanks!

you could actually rule out those choices based on that consideration. however, there are couple of extra things wrong with those choices.

in (d), the construction "which is that..." is unnecessarily wordy. (they won't create a choice that is ONLY incorrect because of wordiness, but excessive wordiness is a warning sign that something else is probably wrong, too.)
e.g.
G's hypothesis which is that X happens... --> excessively wordy (and contains a misuse of "which", as you pointed out above)
G's hypothesis that X happens... --> better

i couldn't believe my friend's story that was about his weekend in Vegas --> unnecessarily wordy
i couldn't believe my friend's story about his weekend in Vegas --> better

--

in both (d) and (e), "there is..." is problematic, from the standpoint of meaning.
consider the difference between the following two sentences:
first-aid supplies are in the drawer --> we already know that there are first-aid supplies; the point is to specify where they are located.
there are first-aid supplies in the drawer --> the point is to specify the existence of the first-aid supplies (their location is an afterthought).

same thing is going on here:

different mental functions are located in different parts of the brain --> we already know that there are different mental functions; the hypothesis is that they are located in different parts of the brain (THIS MAKES SENSE, since the existence of different mental functions is obvious to anyone)

there are different mental functions located in different parts of the brain --> this statement emphasizes the existence, not the location, of the different mental functions. that's the wrong emphasis.

--

finally, in (e), even if you change "which" to "that", you get an essential modifier. that's a problem semantically, since an essential modifier NARROWS THE MEANING of the sentence.
e.g.
my friend in barbados will let us stay at his house --> this implies that i only have one friend in barbados.

using the same logic, choice (e) (if you switch "which" to "that") implies that Gall only had one hypothesis that is accepted today. the sentence isn't supposed to say that -- it's just supposed to say that this particular hypothesis is accepted. whether gall's other hypotheses are accepted is unknown and irrelevant.

[annaschreinemacher]

Hi :)

I see why solutin C is right.

Nevertheless, I have two question regarding E.

(1) According to OA "Which is widely accepted today" implies that Galls' s other theories are not accepted today. How can this be interferred?

(2) Then I thought maybe whe "which is widely accepted today" is a essential clause, as there are no commas. From this it can be concluded, that the others are not accepted. But in your SC Book you state, that only "THAT" can be used for essential claused (that refer to things.) Can you please explain what I got wrong here. I am really confused.

Thank you for your help.
Bests,
Anna

[RonPurewal]

I thought maybe whe "which is widely accepted today" is a essential clause, as there are no commas. From this it can be concluded, that the others are not accepted.

this is the correct explanation for your #1 above.

But in your SC Book you state, that only "THAT" can be used for essential claused (that refer to things.)

this is also true -- this kind of modifier (without commas) should start with "that", not with "which".
in fact, this is another reason to eliminate choice (e).

[pratyush4]

Sorry for bumping it up.

According to OG- the correct answer is:
Gall’s hypothesis that different mental functions are localized in
different parts of the brain is widely accepted today.

The two bold faces that are connected by 'that' are not being correlated in the statement.

Shouldn't the structure be something like:
Gall’s hypothesis that <Some Verb> different mental functions are localized in
different parts of the brain is widely accepted today.

The verb can be states or says. Without that verb, this statement doesn't seem grammatically correct.

Or 'Hypothesis' should be used in its verb form.

Option A is wordy and awkward, but answer still makes the most sense. Can you please explain this with an example of a similar usage of 'that'.

Thanks :)

[RonPurewal]

Sorry for bumping it up.

According to OG- the correct answer is:
Gall’s hypothesis that different mental functions are localized in
different parts of the brain is widely accepted today.

The two bold faces that are connected by 'that' are not being correlated in the statement.

first --
OFFICIALLY CORRECT ANSWERS ARE CORRECT!
do not question officially correct answers!
far too many students on this forum make the mistake of questioning the correct answers; please note that doing so is a complete waste of your time and effort. i.e., exactly 0% of the time that you spend posting "isn't this official answer wrong?" is productive, and exactly 100% of that time is wasted.

"is this correct?" is NEVER a productive question to ask about one of GMAC's correct answers -- the answer is always yes.
"is this wrong?" / "is this X type of error?" is NEVER a productive question to ask about one of GMAC's correct answers -- the answer is always no.

instead, the questions you should be asking about correct official answers, if you don't understand them, are:
"why is this correct?"
"how does this work?"
"what understanding am i lacking that i need to understand this choice?"

this is a small, but hugely significant, change to your way of thinking -- you will suddenly find it much easier to understand the format, style, and conventions of the official problems if you dispose of the idea that they might be wrong.

Shouldn't the structure be something like:
Gall’s hypothesis that <Some Verb> different mental functions are localized in
different parts of the brain is widely accepted today.

The verb can be states or says.

no, because a hypothesis can't "state" or "say" things. only a person (or a document, book, or other thing containing actual words) can do that.

there are lots of other things that work like "the hypothesis that xxxxx".
e.g.
the notion that the earth is flat was still common just a few centuries ago.
the idea that all people are equal before the law is a fundamental part of american public policy.
etc.

[FanPurewal]

Gall's hypothesis of there being different mental functions localized in different parts of the brain is widely
accepted today.
(A) of there being different mental functions localized in different parts of the brain is widely accepted today
(B) of different mental functions that are localized in different parts of the brain is widely accepted today
(C) that different mental functions are localized in different parts of the brain is widely accepted today
(D) which is that there are different mental functions localized in different parts of the brain is widely
accepted today
(E) which is widely accepted today is that there are different mental functions localized in different parts of
the brain

According to GMAT Prep the answer is C

But I think it should be B because That should follow a subjunctive verb like recommend,demand,order etc......
That was ok Here if the sentence started as Gall Hypothesized that different.......

Moreover Synonym of hypothesis is Theory and there in nothing wrong in Theroy of Natural Sciences etc....

Can somebody throww some light on this.... I am very confussed over this question...!!!!!

whoa whoa
it seems that you're inferring that any instance of 'that' implies the command subjunctive. that's nowhere close to being true.
the command subjunctive is used only for wishes, demands, requests, and other related things - which comprise a very tiny fraction indeed of all 'that'-clauses.

consider the following very familiar constructions:
the idea that he wrote that paper by himself is ridiculous.
i don't think that he is mature enough to understand the theme of the book.
etc.
these are definitely not subjunctive clauses, nor are the majority of other clauses starting with 'that'.
it is, however, important that you be able to recognize subjunctive clauses when they do appear (like this one!)

--

the other thing that's better about (c) than (b) is that it clearly states that gall's hypothesis is that the functions are housed in different parts of the brain.
choice (b) sounds as though gall was the first to propose that there are different mental functions in the first place (and, as an afterthought, that those functions are housed in different parts of the brain). that's not reasonable, as it's plainly obvious to anyone that there are different mental functions; the only thing at issue here is the location of those functions in the brain.

SORRY,RON
i can not understand the PURPLE THINGs you mentioned above, can you explain the rules or points again with some examples?

thank you in advance!

[jlucero]

B) Gall's hypothesis of different mental functions (that are localized in different parts of the brain) is widely accepted today

C) Gall's hypothesis that (different mental functions are localized in different parts of the brain) is widely accepted today

Notice the word "that" in each of the two options and how it is a modifier of a more important part of the core of the sentence. In C, everything in parenthesis is clearly describing Gall's hypothesis. In B, Gall's hypothesis is of different mental functions, but we're not sure whether the part in parenthesis is part of Gall's hypothesis or something that was discovered later on.

[RichaChampion]

my friend in barbados will let us stay at his house --> this implies that i only have one friend in barbados.

using the same logic, choice (e) (if you switch "which" to "that") implies that Gall only had one hypothesis that is accepted today. the sentence isn't supposed to say that -- it's just supposed to say that this particular hypothesis is accepted. whether gall's other hypotheses are accepted is unknown and irrelevant.

I tried the whole day, but i couldn't understand this. May be because I am a non native speaker so I have difficulty understanding this.

[RonPurewal]

ok, well, you should also be able to eliminate E just be looking at it and seeing that it's needlessly inefficient in its use of words, compared to the other choices.

https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/foru ... ml#p118104