Last visit was: 21 Apr 2026, 05:11 It is currently 21 Apr 2026, 05:11
Home
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Back to Forum
Create Topic
   1   2   3   4   
705-805 (Hard)|   Assumption|         
User avatar
KunchiGoks
User avatar
Joined: 09 Jan 2025
Last visit: 14 Apr 2026
Posts: 20
Own Kudos:
20
Given Kudos: 3
Products:
Forum Quiz
Posts: 20
Kudos: 20
12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition 2025 - Day 4: In a recently 18 Dec 2025, 19:52
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Answer Choice: E

Conclusion: The Haraza archive was most likely produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside the region.

Why (E): If we isolate the key mechanism as the production of the archive, then scanning the answer choices shows that only (E) directly addresses this mechanism.

Why not the others (given the production mechanism):
(A) concerns the trading of the goods
(B) addresses administrative training
(C) focuses on preservation preferences
(D) concerns documentation content
User avatar
JohnByro
User avatar
Joined: 21 May 2024
Last visit: 10 Apr 2026
Posts: 5
Own Kudos:
1
Posts: 5
Kudos: 1
12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition 2025 - Day 4: In a recently 18 Dec 2025, 21:37
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
E IMO since its mentioned that the sccribes who came to Haraza and not imported from somewhere else
other options not relevant to the conclusion
User avatar
arnab24
User avatar
Joined: 16 Jan 2024
Last visit: 25 Feb 2026
Posts: 96
Own Kudos:
81
 [1]
Given Kudos: 7
Location: India
Schools: ISB '26
GPA: 8.80
Products:
Forum Quiz
Schools: ISB '26
Posts: 96
Kudos: 81
 [1]
12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition 2025 - Day 4: In a recently 18 Dec 2025, 22:40
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
The Main conclusion of the argument is "The reseachers therefore conclude that the Haraza archive was most likely produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside the region. One key assumption being identified here is that Tax record is most likely written in Hazara and not elsewhere. Let's now look at option one by one :

(A) A is not an assumption since the argument is not talking about trade of goods between Haraza and distant port cities.
(B) B is not an assumption since the argument is not talking about efficiency of officials regarding tax administration.
(C) C is not an assumption since if we negate it , it will become Haraza's local government typically not preferred to preserve local writing customs in official records. Preference is irrelevant here.
(D) D is not an assumption since if we negate it , it will become Haraza archive contains explicit statement identifying where the scribes were trained. In fact the argument still holds.
(E) E is definitely an assumption since if we negate it , it will become the Haraza tax records were not written in Haraza rather than brought in from elsewhere. This makes the argument illogical as we cannot conclude then they might have come here.

So , E is the answer.
Bunuel
In a recently excavated administrative archive unearthed beneath Haraza’s main city complex, researchers found dozens of tax records written in a highly specialized legal shorthand. Linguists note that during the period when the archive was produced, this shorthand was neither taught nor used in Haraza’s region, though it was common in several distant port cities. Further, the Haraza records employ the same abbreviations and sentence patterns found in tax records from those port cities. The researchers therefore conclude that the Haraza archive was most likely produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside the region.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

(A) Some of the goods listed in the Haraza tax records were also traded through the distant port cities.
(B) The port cities’ tax systems were administered by officials who had more training than Haraza’s officials did.
(C) Haraza’s local government typically preferred to preserve local writing customs in official records.
(D) The Haraza archive contains no explicit statement identifying where the scribes were trained.
(E) The Haraza tax records were written in Haraza rather than brought in from elsewhere.

Gift
12 Days of Christmas Competition
This question is part of our holiday event
Win $40,000 in prizes: courses, tests, and more
Show more
User avatar
bhanu29
User avatar
Joined: 02 Oct 2024
Last visit: 20 Apr 2026
Posts: 358
Own Kudos:
268
 [1]
Given Kudos: 262
Location: India
Schools: Anderson '27 Booth '27 Foster '27 Haas '27 Kellogg '27 Kellogg Mashall '27 McCombs '27 Ross '27 Scheller '27 Tepper '27 Yale '27 Sloan (MIT) Stanford '27
GMAT Focus 1: 675 Q87 V85 DI79
GMAT Focus 2: 715 Q87 V84 DI86
GPA: 9.11
WE:Engineering (Technology)
Products:
My Reviews GMAT Club Tests Forum Quiz
Schools: Anderson '27 Booth '27 Foster '27 Haas '27 Kellogg '27 Kellogg Mashall '27 McCombs '27 Ross '27 Scheller '27 Tepper '27 Yale '27 Sloan (MIT) Stanford '27
GMAT Focus 2: 715 Q87 V84 DI86
Posts: 358
Kudos: 268
 [1]
12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition 2025 - Day 4: In a recently 19 Dec 2025, 00:09
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Bunuel
In a recently excavated administrative archive unearthed beneath Haraza’s main city complex, researchers found dozens of tax records written in a highly specialized legal shorthand. Linguists note that during the period when the archive was produced, this shorthand was neither taught nor used in Haraza’s region, though it was common in several distant port cities. Further, the Haraza records employ the same abbreviations and sentence patterns found in tax records from those port cities. The researchers therefore conclude that the Haraza archive was most likely produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside the region.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

(A) Some of the goods listed in the Haraza tax records were also traded through the distant port cities.
(B) The port cities’ tax systems were administered by officials who had more training than Haraza’s officials did.
(C) Haraza’s local government typically preferred to preserve local writing customs in official records.
(D) The Haraza archive contains no explicit statement identifying where the scribes were trained.
(E) The Haraza tax records were written in Haraza rather than brought in from elsewhere.

Gift
12 Days of Christmas Competition
This question is part of our holiday event
Win $40,000 in prizes: courses, tests, and more
Show more
Premises:
In a recently excavated administrative archive unearthed beneath Haraza’s main city complex, researchers found dozens of tax records written in a highly specialized legal shorthand.
Linguists note that during the period when the archive was produced, this shorthand was neither taught nor used in Haraza’s region, though it was common in several distant port cities.
Further, the Haraza records employ the same abbreviations and sentence patterns found in tax records from those port cities.

Conclusion:
The researchers therefore conclude that the Haraza archive was most likely produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside the region.

This is an assumption question, so we must find an option that must be true for the logic of the above argument to work. We are given some facts about the archive found and from that we directly jump to conclusion that Hazara archive was produced by scribes from outside Hazara region. We need to find the missing link here.

(A) Some of the goods listed in the Haraza tax records were also traded through the distant port cities.
This need not be true, the records can be produced by scribes without trade explicitly happening with the distant port city. Eliminate.

(B) The port cities’ tax systems were administered by officials who had more training than Haraza’s officials did.
Training of officials are irrelevant to the conclusion, Eliminate.
(C) Haraza’s local government typically preferred to preserve local writing customs in official records.
Preference of local government doesn't change the fact that records were written in format of scribes outside Hazara. Eliminate.

(D) The Haraza archive contains no explicit statement identifying where the scribes were trained.
Even if it did, the fact remains that they employed the writing method of distant port, so training is irrelevant and not an assumption required. Eliminate.
(E) The Haraza tax records were written in Haraza rather than brought in from elsewhere.
This must be true, if the Haraza tax records were written somewhere else, conclusion is wrecked, scribes never came to Haraza to write tax recors. Looks pretty good. Keep.

Correct Answer: E
User avatar
msignatius
User avatar
Joined: 28 Aug 2025
Last visit: 09 Apr 2026
Posts: 131
Own Kudos:
98
Given Kudos: 31
Location: India
Concentration: Strategy, Marketing
Schools: ISB '27 NUS '26 INSEAD Jan '26 (S) IESE '26 (D) HEC (S) IMD ESADE'26 Judge '26 LBS '27
GMAT Focus 1: 705 Q86 V85 DI84
GPA: 3.5
WE:Marketing (Consulting)
Products:
My Reviews
Schools: ISB '27 NUS '26 INSEAD Jan '26 (S) IESE '26 (D) HEC (S) IMD ESADE'26 Judge '26 LBS '27
GMAT Focus 1: 705 Q86 V85 DI84
Posts: 131
Kudos: 98
12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition 2025 - Day 4: In a recently 19 Dec 2025, 00:31
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
When asked to determine "the assumption the argument depends on", I generally look at the option and imagine, what if what the option says did not take place, would it impact the argument? If the answer is yes, then that's generally the assumption the argument depends on.

The stem talks about the presence of tax records below Haraza's main city complex, which were written sometime in the past with a complicated shorthand system. This contradicts the notion that this shorthand was never taught in Haraza, but in distant cities (evident from tax records in those cities). The conclusion then states this may be because Haraza's archive was produced by scribes who came from outside the region.

But other alternatives could explain this contradiction too - maybe the shorthand was, after all, taught in Hazara, or Haraza's scribes went to the port-cities to acquire this knowledge.

Either way, we're looking for something that will bridge the gap between "scribes in other cities know shorthand" with "scribes who wrote shorthand in Hazara were not from Hazara":

A: This just reaffirms the link between Haraza's tax records and the distant port cities' tax records. Even if we assume the opposite - that different goods were traded in the respective regions - there is no impact on the argument.

B: We're not looking at 'amount of training here'. Even if Haraza's officials had more training than the ones in port cities, the argument isn't about amount of training, but the fact that both parties were trained in the same legal shorthand.

C: If we assume this, we're likely weakening the argument, so it cannot be an assumption for the argument's sake. If Hazara's government prefers to preserve local writing systems, then the local use of this shorthand - despite it not being locally taught - points to an origin within Haraza, or a stronger link with Haraza then the argument lets on.

D: We turn around the assumption - what if the archive contains an explicit statement identifying where the scribes were trained? What if that statement states the scribes were trained abroad? Or they were trained in the city itself? This assumption is key to explain the validity of the argument. And by assuming there's no explicit statement identifying where the scribes came from, researchers can solidify their argument on the scribes coming in from elsewhere / the scribes from elsewhere writing the tax records. I'd go with this.

E: Even if the tax records were brought in from elsewhere (the opposite of this assumption), these could still be "produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside regions". And if they weren't brought in from elsewhere, and written in Haraza, then it doesn't necessarily need to have been done by folks who came to the region from outside. Hence, eliminate.



Bunuel
Quote:
In a recently excavated administrative archive unearthed beneath Haraza’s main city complex, researchers found dozens of tax records written in a highly specialized legal shorthand. Linguists note that during the period when the archive was produced, this shorthand was neither taught nor used in Haraza’s region, though it was common in several distant port cities. Further, the Haraza records employ the same abbreviations and sentence patterns found in tax records from those port cities. The researchers therefore conclude that the Haraza archive was most likely produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside the region.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

(A) Some of the goods listed in the Haraza tax records were also traded through the distant port cities.
(B) The port cities’ tax systems were administered by officials who had more training than Haraza’s officials did.
(C) Haraza’s local government typically preferred to preserve local writing customs in official records.
(D) The Haraza archive contains no explicit statement identifying where the scribes were trained.
(E) The Haraza tax records were written in Haraza rather than brought in from elsewhere.

Gift
12 Days of Christmas Competition
This question is part of our holiday event
Win $40,000 in prizes: courses, tests, and more
Show more
User avatar
adityamntr
User avatar
Joined: 15 Jul 2023
Last visit: 21 Feb 2026
Posts: 111
Own Kudos:
81
 [1]
Given Kudos: 13
Location: India
Concentration: General Management, Strategy
Schools: Booth '27 Fuqua '27 Kellog '27
Schools: Booth '27 Fuqua '27 Kellog '27
Posts: 111
Kudos: 81
 [1]
12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition 2025 - Day 4: In a recently 19 Dec 2025, 01:04
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Bunuel
In a recently excavated administrative archive unearthed beneath Haraza’s main city complex, researchers found dozens of tax records written in a highly specialized legal shorthand. Linguists note that during the period when the archive was produced, this shorthand was neither taught nor used in Haraza’s region, though it was common in several distant port cities. Further, the Haraza records employ the same abbreviations and sentence patterns found in tax records from those port cities. The researchers therefore conclude that the Haraza archive was most likely produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside the region.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

(A) Some of the goods listed in the Haraza tax records were also traded through the distant port cities.
(B) The port cities’ tax systems were administered by officials who had more training than Haraza’s officials did.
(C) Haraza’s local government typically preferred to preserve local writing customs in official records.
(D) The Haraza archive contains no explicit statement identifying where the scribes were trained.
(E) The Haraza tax records were written in Haraza rather than brought in from elsewhere.

Gift
12 Days of Christmas Competition
This question is part of our holiday event
Win $40,000 in prizes: courses, tests, and more
Show more
A)even if it was not true, it won;t affect the aruguement that scribes came to haraza to produce them
b) training of officialls, is not relevant to arguement
c) does not affect the main arguement.
d) if it does not mention, then there is no way it can provide support to arguement
e) if this were not true, then it may imply the records were written somewhere else and then brought to haraza, which will weaken the argeuement that scribes came ot haraza. hence this in assumption crucial to the arguement
User avatar
ledzep10
User avatar
Joined: 13 May 2025
Last visit: 21 Apr 2026
Posts: 104
Own Kudos:
59
 [1]
Given Kudos: 49
GMAT Focus 1: 645 Q87 V81 DI78
Products:
GMAT Club Tests Forum Quiz
GMAT Focus 1: 645 Q87 V81 DI78
Posts: 104
Kudos: 59
 [1]
12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition 2025 - Day 4: In a recently 19 Dec 2025, 01:04
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Main Conclusion: Hazara archive was most likely produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside the region

A. The trading of goods does not support that scribes came to Haraza.

B. Out of scope

C. If this were to be the assumption it would weaken the conclusion since the foreign language would not be used to keep record.

D. Where the scribes were trained is irrelevant. We are trying to see whether the scribes came to Haraza produce the archive.

E. This assumption is necessary. If we negate the option and the tax records were written elsewhere and brought to Haraza, then the scribes would not have come to Haraza.

Answer E
Bunuel
In a recently excavated administrative archive unearthed beneath Haraza’s main city complex, researchers found dozens of tax records written in a highly specialized legal shorthand. Linguists note that during the period when the archive was produced, this shorthand was neither taught nor used in Haraza’s region, though it was common in several distant port cities. Further, the Haraza records employ the same abbreviations and sentence patterns found in tax records from those port cities. The researchers therefore conclude that the Haraza archive was most likely produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside the region.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

(A) Some of the goods listed in the Haraza tax records were also traded through the distant port cities.
(B) The port cities’ tax systems were administered by officials who had more training than Haraza’s officials did.
(C) Haraza’s local government typically preferred to preserve local writing customs in official records.
(D) The Haraza archive contains no explicit statement identifying where the scribes were trained.
(E) The Haraza tax records were written in Haraza rather than brought in from elsewhere.

Gift
12 Days of Christmas Competition
This question is part of our holiday event
Win $40,000 in prizes: courses, tests, and more
Show more
User avatar
Kinshook
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 03 Jun 2019
Last visit: 21 Apr 2026
Posts: 5,985
Own Kudos:
5,855
 [1]
Given Kudos: 163
Location: India
Schools: HBS '26 CBS '26 Wharton '26
GMAT 1: 690 Q50 V34
WE:Engineering (Transportation)
Products:
My Reviews
Schools: HBS '26 CBS '26 Wharton '26
GMAT 1: 690 Q50 V34
Posts: 5,985
Kudos: 5,855
 [1]
12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition 2025 - Day 4: In a recently 19 Dec 2025, 01:19
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
In a recent excavated administrative archive unearthed beneath Haraza's main city complex, researchers found tax records written in a highly specialised legal shorthand.
This shorthand was not taught or used in Haraza's region but was common in several distant port cities.
Hazara records use same abbreviations and sentence patterns found in tax records from those port cities.

Conclusion: Haraza's archive was most likely produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside the region.

Objective: To find the assumption

Pre-thinking: If assumption is negative, conclusion falls apart.
If Haraza's archive had many similarities to writings from distant port cities, it could have been simply brought from those cities. This will contradict the conclusion that Haraza's archive was most likely produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside the region.

Options:

A. There seem to be no correlation between trading of goods and concluding that Hazara's records being written by scribes from outside. Incorrect

B. How does the training of Hazara's official vs training of port cities officials have an impact on the conclusion? The conclusion is about scribes and not officials. Incorrect

C. This statement seem to contradict the premise that Haraza's archive had many similarities to those of distant port cities but does not impact the conclusion. Incorrect

D. The conclusion is not where training of scribes was imparted. Incorrect

E. In case Haraza's tax recores were not written in Haraza then the conclusion that Haraza's tax records were written by scribes who came to Haraza from outside falls apart. Correct.

IMO E
User avatar
gchandana
User avatar
Joined: 16 May 2024
Last visit: 21 Apr 2026
Posts: 191
Own Kudos:
139
 [1]
Given Kudos: 170
Location: India
Products:
GMAT Club Tests Forum Quiz
Posts: 191
Kudos: 139
 [1]
12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition 2025 - Day 4: In a recently 19 Dec 2025, 01:20
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
We have to read the conclusion precisely here.

A. Doesn't necessarily have to be true.
B. Just because they were found to be written by highly specialized legal shorthand, they don't need to have more traning or we are not given enough information about this relation. This is not necessary for the conclusion to hold.
C. Sure, but it still doesn't relate the tax records to the scribes from outside.
D. Again, like B, we are not worried about the training of the scribes here.
E. Yes, this is correct. The author concludes that the archive was most likely produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside the region, rather than the archives just being bought from outside. If this is negated, the conclusion doesn't hold.
Bunuel
In a recently excavated administrative archive unearthed beneath Haraza’s main city complex, researchers found dozens of tax records written in a highly specialized legal shorthand. Linguists note that during the period when the archive was produced, this shorthand was neither taught nor used in Haraza’s region, though it was common in several distant port cities. Further, the Haraza records employ the same abbreviations and sentence patterns found in tax records from those port cities. The researchers therefore conclude that the Haraza archive was most likely produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside the region.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

(A) Some of the goods listed in the Haraza tax records were also traded through the distant port cities.
(B) The port cities’ tax systems were administered by officials who had more training than Haraza’s officials did.
(C) Haraza’s local government typically preferred to preserve local writing customs in official records.
(D) The Haraza archive contains no explicit statement identifying where the scribes were trained.
(E) The Haraza tax records were written in Haraza rather than brought in from elsewhere.

Gift
12 Days of Christmas Competition
This question is part of our holiday event
Win $40,000 in prizes: courses, tests, and more
Show more
User avatar
truedelulu
User avatar
Joined: 01 Sep 2025
Last visit: 24 Jan 2026
Posts: 81
Own Kudos:
70
 [1]
Given Kudos: 16
Products:
Forum Quiz
Posts: 81
Kudos: 70
 [1]
12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition 2025 - Day 4: In a recently 19 Dec 2025, 01:33
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
The argument's conclusion: the Haraza archive was most likely produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside to region.

A. Incorrect. The goods listed in the tax records are irrelevant to the origin of the scribes who produced Haraza archive.
B. Incorrect. Differences in training have nothing to do with who wrote the archive.
C. Incorrect. Not relevant.
D. Incorrect. Even if the Haraza archive states where the scribes were trained, we still have no information about the scribes were trained in or outside Haraza. This statement is not enough to be an argument.
E. CORRECT. If the records were written outside Haraza, then the scribes wouldn't come to Haraza to write it.
Bunuel
In a recently excavated administrative archive unearthed beneath Haraza’s main city complex, researchers found dozens of tax records written in a highly specialized legal shorthand. Linguists note that during the period when the archive was produced, this shorthand was neither taught nor used in Haraza’s region, though it was common in several distant port cities. Further, the Haraza records employ the same abbreviations and sentence patterns found in tax records from those port cities. The researchers therefore conclude that the Haraza archive was most likely produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside the region.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

(A) Some of the goods listed in the Haraza tax records were also traded through the distant port cities.
(B) The port cities’ tax systems were administered by officials who had more training than Haraza’s officials did.
(C) Haraza’s local government typically preferred to preserve local writing customs in official records.
(D) The Haraza archive contains no explicit statement identifying where the scribes were trained.
(E) The Haraza tax records were written in Haraza rather than brought in from elsewhere.

Gift
12 Days of Christmas Competition
This question is part of our holiday event
Win $40,000 in prizes: courses, tests, and more
Show more
User avatar
AditiDeokar
User avatar
Joined: 12 Jan 2025
Last visit: 12 Apr 2026
Posts: 87
Own Kudos:
21
Given Kudos: 298
Location: India
Concentration: Finance
Schools: NUS ESSEC MiM '26 ESSEC MiF '26 INSEAD MiM '26 ESADE Imperial ISB '26 ESADE HEC Sept '26 IE INSEAD Jan '26
GMAT Focus 1: 525 Q77 V77 DI74
GPA: 3.5
Schools: NUS ESSEC MiM '26 ESSEC MiF '26 INSEAD MiM '26 ESADE Imperial ISB '26 ESADE HEC Sept '26 IE INSEAD Jan '26
GMAT Focus 1: 525 Q77 V77 DI74
Posts: 87
Kudos: 21
12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition 2025 - Day 4: In a recently 19 Dec 2025, 01:39
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
The answer is E, as this is the necessary assumption to prove the conclusion that scribes came to Haraza, they would have had to write in Haraza, rather than getit from outside and transport it.
User avatar
AbhishekP220108
User avatar
Joined: 04 Aug 2024
Last visit: 21 Apr 2026
Posts: 494
Own Kudos:
209
Given Kudos: 135
GMAT Focus 1: 555 Q81 V78 DI74
Products:
My Reviews GMAT Club Tests Forum Quiz
GMAT Focus 1: 555 Q81 V78 DI74
Posts: 494
Kudos: 209
12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition 2025 - Day 4: In a recently 19 Dec 2025, 02:30
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
IMO the answer is E.

Let's look at the argument.

Premise- the legal shorthand of tax records are not taught nor used in Hazara, and the tax record archived matches the abbreviation and sentence patterns with the distant port cities.
Conclusion- The tax produced was most likely produced by scribes from another region.

Falsification question. In what scenario were the tax records not likely produced by scribes who came from another region?

What if someone went to those cities from Haraza and then came back to Haraza and wrote? Or what if the tax records were brought and kept there?

Let's check with this thinking in mind and eliminate the wrong choices.

A. Content in tax records is not relevant.
B. The skills level of officials doesn't explain the location of writing
C. again Irrelevant
D. Document saying Made in Haraza is not relevant
E. It matches our thinking. hence correct.
Bunuel
In a recently excavated administrative archive unearthed beneath Haraza’s main city complex, researchers found dozens of tax records written in a highly specialized legal shorthand. Linguists note that during the period when the archive was produced, this shorthand was neither taught nor used in Haraza’s region, though it was common in several distant port cities. Further, the Haraza records employ the same abbreviations and sentence patterns found in tax records from those port cities. The researchers therefore conclude that the Haraza archive was most likely produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside the region.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

(A) Some of the goods listed in the Haraza tax records were also traded through the distant port cities.
(B) The port cities’ tax systems were administered by officials who had more training than Haraza’s officials did.
(C) Haraza’s local government typically preferred to preserve local writing customs in official records.
(D) The Haraza archive contains no explicit statement identifying where the scribes were trained.
(E) The Haraza tax records were written in Haraza rather than brought in from elsewhere.

Gift
12 Days of Christmas Competition
This question is part of our holiday event
Win $40,000 in prizes: courses, tests, and more
Show more
User avatar
rutikaoqw
User avatar
Joined: 29 Oct 2025
Last visit: 20 Mar 2026
Posts: 30
Own Kudos:
16
Given Kudos: 5
Location: India
Schools: ISB '27 IIM
GMAT Focus 1: 605 Q84 V82 DI72
GPA: 9.28
Schools: ISB '27 IIM
GMAT Focus 1: 605 Q84 V82 DI72
Posts: 30
Kudos: 16
12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition 2025 - Day 4: In a recently 19 Dec 2025, 02:54
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Conclusion: Records were written by scribes who came to Haraza
Story: The shorthand was neither taught nor used in Haraza
Gap:
2. No one came here to write them
Attempt: To slightly stenghten the gaps
Option E does exactly that. It says that they are written in haraza, so the scribes came in here and wrote them.
User avatar
Sujithz001
User avatar
Joined: 09 Jun 2024
Last visit: 06 Feb 2026
Posts: 101
Own Kudos:
46
Given Kudos: 75
Posts: 101
Kudos: 46
12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition 2025 - Day 4: In a recently 19 Dec 2025, 03:11
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Assumption

Conclusion: The researchers conclude that the Haraza archives were produced by scribes who came to that region from outside.

Premise: The shorthand language in which tax records were written, was not known by anyone in Hazara region but known by people in the distant port regions.

Assumption (Holding link): To be found.

Answer: C

Reason: Negate this statement - Haraza government typically preferred to preserve foreign writing customs in records. This definitely breaks the argument into pieces.

Not the answer & reason:

E - Just restating the information already provided in the argument, so not a great choice.
User avatar
hershehy
User avatar
Joined: 28 Jul 2025
Last visit: 20 Apr 2026
Posts: 24
Own Kudos:
18
 [1]
Given Kudos: 5
Posts: 24
Kudos: 18
 [1]
12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition 2025 - Day 4: In a recently 19 Dec 2025, 03:43
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
IMO E

Because the conclusion states that the Haraza archive was most likely produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside the region. so for this to hold, the argument must assume that the records were actually written in Haraza.
If instead the records were brought in from elsewhere, then the linguistic features would not tell us anything about where the scribes were from.

Why Others do not work:

A: Out of scope, doesnt matter. Overlap in traded goods is irrelevant to who wrote the records.

B: Relative training levels are never used in the reasoning. Making us think outside stimuli, not correct.

C: Even if Haraza preferred local customs, outsiders could still write records there; not required.

D: The argument does not rely on the absence of explicit training statements.
User avatar
Dereno
User avatar
Joined: 22 May 2020
Last visit: 21 Apr 2026
Posts: 1,398
Own Kudos:
1,372
 [1]
Given Kudos: 425
Products:
GMAT Club Tests
Posts: 1,398
Kudos: 1,372
 [1]
12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition 2025 - Day 4: In a recently 19 Dec 2025, 03:44
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Bunuel
In a recently excavated administrative archive unearthed beneath Haraza’s main city complex, researchers found dozens of tax records written in a highly specialized legal shorthand. Linguists note that during the period when the archive was produced, this shorthand was neither taught nor used in Haraza’s region, though it was common in several distant port cities. Further, the Haraza records employ the same abbreviations and sentence patterns found in tax records from those port cities. The researchers therefore conclude that the Haraza archive was most likely produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside the region.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

(A) Some of the goods listed in the Haraza tax records were also traded through the distant port cities.
(B) The port cities’ tax systems were administered by officials who had more training than Haraza’s officials did.
(C) Haraza’s local government typically preferred to preserve local writing customs in official records.
(D) The Haraza archive contains no explicit statement identifying where the scribes were trained.
(E) The Haraza tax records were written in Haraza rather than brought in from elsewhere.

Gift
12 Days of Christmas Competition
This question is part of our holiday event
Win $40,000 in prizes: courses, tests, and more
Show more
There is a city called Hazara, beneath the city’s main complex, recently excavation was done unearthing an Administrative archive. The excavation contained dozens of tax records, which were written in highly specialised legal shorthand.

Till now the scene is narrated for us to visualise what is actually going on, and what to anticipate moving further.

Now, the analysis of the tax records begins, Linguists raise a doubt that when this document was produced, there was no Shorthand taught or used. Why was the word : taught is mentioned here. Used refers to someone who has gained prominence in that and is in existence for at least a brief period. Taught denotes the craft was not originated in Hazara, and experts were roped in to teach them. May be a few would have been in Hazara to teach them on this script.

The Linguists further mentions - this shorthand is common in distant port cities. So, this gives us a clue or direction that experts could have arrived to Hazara to write these documents or may be the documents might have been taken to a different place to be written.

To support the view point that the shorthand is prevalent in distant port cities, Linguists mentions the abbreviations, sentence patterns on the Hazara records are similar to the tax records from those port cities.

So, the researchers come to a conclusion that : Hazara archives has a greater chance of being produced by scribes who come from outside regions.

We now need to find the assumption:

Assumption is a statement not explicitly mentioned in the passage, which brings in fresh information to bridge the logical gap. Moreover, the statement when negated should pass the test.

A) This option speaks about the goods being traded to distance port cities are available in the Hazara tax records. This option tries to establish the relation that there was trade communication with the port cities from where the shorthand must have arrived. Goods being traded doesn’t support the view either records / scribes came from that place. Hence, Wrong.

B) This compares the technical expertise of distant port officials vs Hazara officials. This can conclude that the tax records were well maintained and precise. This neither explains the scribe’s presence in Hazara or the documents sent to port city. Hence, wrong.

C) That’s a good habit to preserve local writings in official documents. Is short hand the official local language, or does it mean they preserved the language which is about to be extinct. We cannot say anything about it. Since a language is in official document, does not give it a freedom to say it as local language.

Even for the sake of discussions, if we consider shorthand as local language. This raises serious concerns on the conclusion, that scribes came from distant port cities. Hence, Wrong.

D) First of all, location of training of scribes is immaterial. Was it put to use after the training was completed? Was the language the most widely used one in Hazara during that time. Is there any supporting material to establish the link, these are the questions to which answers are needed. Hence, Wrong.

E) If Hazara tax records were written at Hazara, then the scribes must have came from distant port cities to make the record. This supports the conclusion.

Let’s negate it: The Hazara tax records were NOT written at Hazara, which means the tax records were written some where else. This makes the conclusion fail, that it’s the documents which were sent to distant port cities to make entries. This is the correct answer.

Option E
User avatar
jkkamau
User avatar
Joined: 25 May 2020
Last visit: 21 Apr 2026
Posts: 226
Own Kudos:
190
 [1]
Given Kudos: 142
Location: Kenya
Schools: Haas '25
GMAT 1: 730 Q50 V46
GPA: 3.5
Products:
Forum Quiz
Schools: Haas '25
GMAT 1: 730 Q50 V46
Posts: 226
Kudos: 190
 [1]
12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition 2025 - Day 4: In a recently 19 Dec 2025, 04:19
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
A. We do not care about the goods traded but about the tax records and who wrote them and where they did so
B This does not offer any explanation that is relevant to the question for which we need answers
C Where the government preferred to preserve the records does not matter to us
D This is also irrelevant to the question at hand
E. Correct. If these records were actually brought to the city then the argument breaks
Ans E
Bunuel
In a recently excavated administrative archive unearthed beneath Haraza’s main city complex, researchers found dozens of tax records written in a highly specialized legal shorthand. Linguists note that during the period when the archive was produced, this shorthand was neither taught nor used in Haraza’s region, though it was common in several distant port cities. Further, the Haraza records employ the same abbreviations and sentence patterns found in tax records from those port cities. The researchers therefore conclude that the Haraza archive was most likely produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside the region.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

(A) Some of the goods listed in the Haraza tax records were also traded through the distant port cities.
(B) The port cities’ tax systems were administered by officials who had more training than Haraza’s officials did.
(C) Haraza’s local government typically preferred to preserve local writing customs in official records.
(D) The Haraza archive contains no explicit statement identifying where the scribes were trained.
(E) The Haraza tax records were written in Haraza rather than brought in from elsewhere.

Gift
12 Days of Christmas Competition
This question is part of our holiday event
Win $40,000 in prizes: courses, tests, and more
Show more
User avatar
Lizaza
User avatar
Joined: 16 Jan 2021
Last visit: 29 Mar 2026
Posts: 240
Own Kudos:
282
Given Kudos: 7
GMAT 1: 710 Q47 V40
GMAT 1: 710 Q47 V40
Posts: 240
Kudos: 282
12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition 2025 - Day 4: In a recently 19 Dec 2025, 04:30
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
The logical chain here is the following: tax records are written differently + this writing comes from remote port cities => the records were made by locals who'd come or had been taught in other places.
The assumption to make it work is such that there are either NO other explanations to how alternative shorthand could've gotten in, or there're no explanations that are AS VALID.

A) Strengthener perhaps, not an assumption.

B) This is irrelevant, since we're not saying they're more educated, just differently so.

C) This could be a weakener, since it points to the fact that the documents may have been imported, but this is as far as it gets.

D) This is a 'one-sided' assumption, in the way that if there're records, then we can surely know whether we're right or not.

E) Our option, since it directly states that there're no other ways for the tax records to get into the city.

Therefore, the answer is E.
User avatar
prepapr
User avatar
Joined: 06 Jan 2025
Last visit: 01 Apr 2026
Posts: 90
Own Kudos:
82
 [1]
Given Kudos: 3
GMAT Focus 1: 615 Q85 V80 DI77
GMAT Focus 1: 615 Q85 V80 DI77
Posts: 90
Kudos: 82
 [1]
12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition 2025 - Day 4: In a recently 19 Dec 2025, 04:32
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Context: Researchers found records written in specialised legal shorthand in the recent excavation.
Premise: The shorthand was neither taught nor used in Haraza region during the period of records
Conclusion: The archive was produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside the region.
Logical gap: Since the legal shorthand was not known at the time of writing, they were written by scribes. This is a logical jump. There may be other possibilities too.

Analysing options:
A) We are not concerned with the goods traded. Irrelevant
B) This says about the training of Haraza officials and port cities' officials. We do not know if port cities' officials knew this legal shorthand. So this is not an assumption.
C) This is not necessary for the conclusion to hold true. The conclusion is not about why the records were preserved in the first place.
D) This is also not required. We do not need to know from where the scribes were trained to say that they were trained.
E) This option is ruling out another possibility of finding these records in Haraza without scribes writing them. This is required for the conclusion to hold good. If the records were brought from outside of Haraza, then the scribes need not have written those records. The conclusion will break. Hence this is an assumption.
Bunuel
In a recently excavated administrative archive unearthed beneath Haraza’s main city complex, researchers found dozens of tax records written in a highly specialized legal shorthand. Linguists note that during the period when the archive was produced, this shorthand was neither taught nor used in Haraza’s region, though it was common in several distant port cities. Further, the Haraza records employ the same abbreviations and sentence patterns found in tax records from those port cities. The researchers therefore conclude that the Haraza archive was most likely produced by scribes who came to Haraza from outside the region.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

(A) Some of the goods listed in the Haraza tax records were also traded through the distant port cities.
(B) The port cities’ tax systems were administered by officials who had more training than Haraza’s officials did.
(C) Haraza’s local government typically preferred to preserve local writing customs in official records.
(D) The Haraza archive contains no explicit statement identifying where the scribes were trained.
(E) The Haraza tax records were written in Haraza rather than brought in from elsewhere.

Gift
12 Days of Christmas Competition
This question is part of our holiday event
Win $40,000 in prizes: courses, tests, and more
Show more
User avatar
Abhiswarup
User avatar
Joined: 07 Apr 2024
Last visit: 12 Jan 2026
Posts: 198
Own Kudos:
172
 [1]
Given Kudos: 42
Location: India
Posts: 198
Kudos: 172
 [1]
12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition 2025 - Day 4: In a recently 19 Dec 2025, 04:47
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Answer is E, as the conclusion that Hazara archives were produced by scribes who came from outside region will hold only when the Hazara archives are written in Hazara. It may happen so if they are written somewhere else and transported to Hazara. So conclusion will not hold.

So answer is E.
   1   2   3   4   
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7391 posts
AbhishekP220108
494 posts
bhanu29
358 posts