Right, nearly always I get a "cleared" or "remain clear" it's rare that I get pointed at a B by someone without hearing those words. If I don't hear, I assume the controller is confusing me with IFR traffic and I query. It's really not that difficult or an imposition to take responsibility for attaining the words. To not is just being lazy, and that's not a particularly good habit in aviation.
In the post I linked, the pilot did take responsibility for getting the correct words, but the controller refused to give them, instead just repeating the climb instruction.