Usage of "The Fact that"

[sushilmore]

I check the MGMAT guide and it says that "Fact that" usage is a suspect in idiomatic.

How far is it correct?

Is the usage of "Fact that" correct in the below sentence.? The tenses seem to be correct.

The fact that King Alfred had occupied and fortified London in 886 did not mean that he had also won the loyalty of its citizens: the invading Danes were well aware of this weakness and used it to their advantage in 893.

[JonathanSchneider]

First of all, this question comes from GMATPrep, and it is the best of the five answer choices that we have available. As such, it's a good reminder of a general principle of SC: you're not looking for the ideal answer, just the best one available.

Our SC guidebook's idiom list suggests that "the fact that" is suspect, as you mention. However, the particular examples cited also use "it is" or "is." In both cases, concision seems to be an issue as well. So, in sum: there's nothing inherently wrong with using "the fact that." However, when presented with this option, consider whether you have any better (particularly, more concise) version available.