SC Misconception #6 – Which always presents non-essential information

This article is a part of a series of articles on SC Misconceptions. In this series, I’m going to address many misconceptions prevalent among GMAT aspirants.

The misconception addressed in this post is:

Which always presents non-essential information

In other words, a ‘which clause’ is never an essential (restrictive) modifier and must always be separated from the modified noun by a comma.

Here’s an excerpt from OG 2019 (Page #681):

Which/that: Some American publishers have adopted the convention that which, used as a relative pronoun, should always be nonrestrictive and should be replaced with that in restrictive contexts (as in “Laws which have been repealed are no longer enforced” versus “laws that have been repealed are no longer enforced”). You should not expect to see questions for which the deciding factor is merely whether the writer adheres to this convention.

Thus, never reject an option just because it uses ‘which clause’ as an essential modifier.

Are you very surprised to see this rule disappear? And are you wondering why GMAC keeps changing its rules?

Let me first point you to Misconception #3 – GMAT English is different from Standard English. The point is that GMAC doesn’t change its rules. English, like many other languages, evolves. Rules change over time. However, as is the case in many other domains of life, we continue to stick to older rules since we know those rules and feel comfortable around them. We dislike change. In addition, even if we agree that English evolves, we’ve come to create in our minds a GMAT version of English that doesn’t change. Heaps of misconceptions! 

You may ask, “how do I cope up with these ever-changing rules?” 

Let me first calm you down. Rules don’t keep changing every night. Rules change over years. However, we and many test prep companies take even longer (decades probably!) to accept new rules. 

Then, how can you be sure that what you’re learning is right?

Observe. When you read CR and RC questions or articles from credible publications like WSJ.com or Nytimes.com, observe. Observe whether the rules you’ve learnt are being followed. If the rules you’ve learnt are regularly flouted in sources of good quality English, then your rules are probably not correct.

If you had been paying attention to CR and RC questions, you would have observed that many CR and RC questions use ‘which clauses’ as essential modifiers. Thus, even without reading this article, you would have been doubtful enough of the rule to carry more research around it.

By the way, here’s an official question which uses “which” as an essential modifier in the non-underlined part. (In this sentence, I also used “which” as an essential modifier)