For years, anthropologists have viewed as the inevitable

The argument assumes that all of the evidence from the burial site stems from an era after Egypt conquered Nubia.

If some of the evidence predated that time, the fact that some people were buried according to Nubian tradition would not say anything about who ruled the region after Egypt took over.

(A) doesn't have to do with the burial of Egyptians or Nubians
(B) outside of scope, as it has to do with burials in Egypt,
(C) This is correct. This confirms that Nubians had some control over burial practices even after the area was conquered.
(D) The number of people buried at the site is unimportant;
(E) few others moved to Nubia is not relevant to the argument.


Hope this helps.

The OA is C. I'm wrong

https://www.gmatdaily.com/20100817-gmat- ... e-day.html

This is a question where we need to strengthen the conclusion which is based on the argument.
Argument concludes: Members of both Egypt and conquered Nubian culture may share in the ruling of a conquered region and tradition of both cultures was followed.
This conclusion is against the anthropologists view that contact between cultures results in the domination and replacement of one culture by another.
The conclusion is based on the fact that a recent study of a burial site of high-ranking Egyptians in Nubia reveals that some were buried according to Egyptian tradition and other were buried according to Nubian custom.
The assumption here is that all the burials happened after the Egyptian conquered Nubia which will indicate that both cultures were followed.
So anything which supports the assumption will strengthen the argument.

(A) The burial site also housed the remains of several visitors from nations other than Egypt and Nubia, and most of those visitors were buried according to Egyptian tradition.
---- can’t be the answer as we are looking for facts related to burial according to Nubian custom in Nubia.

(B) Nubians who were buried in Egypt during the same period were buried according to Egyptian tradition.
---- can’t be the answer as we are looking for facts related to burial according to Nubian custom in Nubia.

(C) The burial site was not used as the resting place of Egyptians until 25 years after Egypt conquered Nubia.
Correct answer as it shows that even after getting conquered the local traditions of Nubian’s were followed.
(D) More than three-quarters of the people interred at the burial site are thought to have been Nubians.
---- can’t be the answer as the numbers doesn’t show if those burial happened before or after the conquest.

(E) After Egypt conquered Nubia, few Egyptians other than colonial personnel relocated to Nubia.
---- Not relevant.

C it is : C is giving us a reason to believe what argument is stating that is :This finding indicates that members of both cultures may share in the ruling of a conquered region.
so if this thing happened after Egypt conquered the Nubia then there is more reason to believe into this fact

This question appears to be from the GMAT Hacks question of the day archive. The question reappeared on March 26, 2013. In case anyone was curious, I am posting the Official Explanation from the website.

Answer: C This is a strengthen question. The argument claims that, because of the evidence in a burial site, both the conquering Egyptians and the conquered Nubians shared in the ruling of Nubia. The argument assumes that all of the evidence from the burial site stems from an era after Egypt conquered Nubia. If some of the evidence predated that time, the fact that some people were buried according to Nubian tradition would not say anything about who ruled the region after Egypt took over. Consider each choice, looking for one that strengthens that assumption: (A) This choice doesn't have to do with the burial of Egyptians or Nubians, so it is outside of the scope. (B) This choice is also outside of scope, as it has to do with burials in Egypt, where the local culture and the ruling culture were (as far as we know from the passage) the same. (C) This is correct. This confirms the assumption that the evidence from the burial site pertains to the period after Egypt took over, solidifying the claim that Nubians had some control over burial practices even after the area was conquered. (D) The number of people buried at the site is unimportant; the focus is on the burial practices used. (E) Given the reference in the passage to "high-ranking Egyptians," it seems likely that the argument refers mainly to colonial officials. Thus, the claim that few others moved to Nubia is not relevant to the argument.

Helpful thought logic:
1. Egypt Conquers Nubia
2. Egypt SHOULD have full control, right?
3. Question: Which shows that Nubia has SOME control?
4: C: it CONFIRMS that the Nubians had SOME control.

Between B and C.
B-Showed dominance
C-sharing of culture

The Answer is C

Premise:- One culture (that conquers other culture) become dominant and replaces the other culture.
Premise:- Everyone thought when Egypt conquered Nubia, the same dominance and preplcaement of Nubian culture by Egyptian must have taken place
Counter Premise:- However Nubian culture still existed, as proven by the burial method which was according to Nubian culture. (Death is deep cultural thing. HIndu cremate dead, christian bury dead, Zoroastrian put dead on tower where vultures come and eat the dead body, some african tribe eat their own dead etc etc )
Conclusion of the argument:- This burial method is an indication that both Nubian and Egyptian ruled that region of Nubia which was conquered by Egypt.


The argument can only be strengthened if we prove without any doubt that the Nubian Burial was done AFTER Egypt conquered Nubia. Meaning that even after being conquered by Egypt , Nubian culture was not dominated and replaced by Egyptian culture. Both cultures existed in some sort of balance with each other.

Option C does that beautifully
IT TELLS US THAT THE BURIAL HAPPENED AFTER THE CONQUEST.
THIS REMOVES ANY DOUBT THAT THE EGYPTIAN PEOPLE WERE BURIED LONG BEFORE THE CONQUEST.

IMAGINE 30 EGYPTIAN PEOPLE CAME ON VACATION TO NUBAI LONG BEFORE IT WAS CONQUERED. UNFORTUNATELY THESE 30 EGYPTIAN PEOPLE DIED BECAUSE OF A DISEASE. NUBIAN PEOPLE OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE DEAD AND FEAR OF DISEASE SPREAD BURIED THEM QUICLY WITH THIER OWN DEAD PEOPLE IN THIER GRAVEYARDS.

AFTER 50 YEARS NUBIA WAS CONQUERED BY EGYPTIAN .
NOW IN TODAYS TIME, IF THESE BURIED EGYPTIAN PEOPLE ARE FOUND BY ARCHEOLOGIST , THE ARCHEOLOGIST WOULD THINK ..HUMM, EGYPTIAN DEAD PEOPLE IN NUBIAN GRAVEYARDS.. IT MEANS EGYPTIAN PEOPLE AFTER CONQUERING NUBIA DID NOT DESTROYED THE CULTURE BUT RATHER ACCEPTED IT THEMSELVES---> BUT THIS IS WRONG.

SO BY SHOWING THAT THESE EGYPTIAN PEOPLE WERE BURIED TO THIER CULTURE AND NUBIAN PEOPLE WERE ALLOWED TO FOLLOW THEIR OWN BURIAL PRACTISE EVEN AFTER THE CONQUEST WE CAN STRENGTHEN THE CONCLUSION THAT BOTH CULTURES COEXISTED TOGETHER. EGYPTIAN CULTURE DID NOT REPLACED OR DOMINATED NUBIAN CULTURE.


For years, anthropologists have viewed as the inevitable result of contact between cultures, the domination and replacement of one culture by another. This scenario was thought to have occurred when Egypt conquered its southern neighbor, Nubia, in 150 B.C. However, a recent study of a burial site of high-ranking Egyptians in Nubia reveals that some were buried according to Egyptian tradition, and other were buried according to Nubian custom. This finding indicates that members of both cultures may share in the ruling of a conquered region.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the argument?

(A) The burial site also housed the remains of several visitors from nations other than Egypt and Nubia, and most of those visitors were buried according to Egyptian tradition.
(B) Nubians who were buried in Egypt during the same period were buried according to Egyptian tradition.
(C) The burial site was not used as the resting place of Egyptians until 25 years after Egypt conquered Nubia.
(D) More than three-quarters of the people interred at the burial site are thought to have been Nubians.
(E) After Egypt conquered Nubia, few Egyptians other than colonial personnel relocated to Nubia.

I thought a lot on the option C, but I am not able to convince myself the authenticity of C.
It says the burial site was not used by Egyptians, it may also mean that Egyptians may not consider the site to be pure or they may have any other reason not to bury their dead.

Please help me in understanding the thought process. I am messed up with many questions.

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