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Updated on: 04 Jun 2025, 03:02
Originally posted by EMPOWERgmatVerbal on 26 May 2021, 14:32.
Last edited by Bunuel on 04 Jun 2025, 03:02, edited 2 times in total.
Last edited by Bunuel on 04 Jun 2025, 03:02, edited 2 times in total.
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Difficulty:
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38% (01:54) correct
62%
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Agricultural expert: It’s clear that the arrival of European explorers to North America led to a widespread loss of bamboo. When they first came to the continent, the explorers did not understand the many ways that bamboo can be used, and they regarded the massive canebrakes in which bamboo grew to be considerable obstacles to travel.
Which of the following would, if true, most strengthen the agricultural expert’s reasoning?
A. Early European explorers to North America would sometimes need to travel miles to get around the larger canebrakes.
B. Native Americans have long understood the many uses of bamboo.
C. Most European explorers arrived in North America without having ever seen bamboo in the wild.
D. Some species of bamboo were never seen by early European explorers to North America.
E. Early European explorers to North America allowed their cattle to overgraze on bamboo.
EMPOWERgmat CR Question Pack 2
Question 99: North American Bamboo
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◀ Question 98
▶ Question 100
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Which of the following would, if true, most strengthen the agricultural expert’s reasoning?
A. Early European explorers to North America would sometimes need to travel miles to get around the larger canebrakes.
B. Native Americans have long understood the many uses of bamboo.
C. Most European explorers arrived in North America without having ever seen bamboo in the wild.
D. Some species of bamboo were never seen by early European explorers to North America.
E. Early European explorers to North America allowed their cattle to overgraze on bamboo.
EMPOWERgmat CR Question Pack 2
Question 99: North American Bamboo
48 Hour Answer & Explanation Window
Earn KUDOS! Have your explanations evaluated to help boost your learning. Post your reasoning why the answer you chose is correct, and why the other 4 options are incorrect within 48 hours of this post.
Scroll Down For Official Explanation
◀ Question 98
▶ Question 100
⏏ CR Library Pack 2 Home
28 May 2021, 16:24
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Official Explanation:
Agricultural expert: It’s clear that the arrival of European explorers to North America led to a widespread loss of bamboo. When they first came to the continent, the explorers did not understand the many ways that bamboo can be used, and they regarded the massive canebrakes in which bamboo grew to be considerable obstacles to travel.
Which of the following would, if true, most strengthen the agricultural expert’s reasoning?
A. Early European explorers to North America would sometimes need to travel miles to get around the larger canebrakes.
B. Native Americans have long understood the many uses of bamboo.
C. Most European explorers arrived in North America without having ever seen bamboo in the wild.
D. Some species of bamboo were never seen by early European explorers to North America.
E. Early European explorers to North America allowed their cattle to overgraze on bamboo.
Question Type: Strengthen (Assumption Family)
Boil It Down: Europeans caused the loss of bamboo because they did not understand how to use bamboo and because they considered places where bamboo grows as an obstacle to traverse.
Goal: Find the option that best strengthens the argument that Europeans are the reason caused the loss of bamboo in North America.
Analysis:
As with all assumption family questions, we want to break the prompt down into our conclusion, and to our evidence, to figure out where the assumption is being made.
Evidence:
1. Europeans did not understand the many ways bamboo could be used.
2. Europeans regarded the cranebreaks where bamboo grew as a considerable obstacle to travel
Assumption: ???
Conclusion: European explorers led to the widespread loss of bamboo.
Just right off the bat, can we see where the assumption is being made? Sure, Europeans may have been annoyed by bamboo and didn’t know how to use it, but does that evidence prove the conclusion that Europeans destroyed the bamboo somehow? I don’t think so. The author is clearly assuming something about these two pieces of evidence to make his conclusion correct.
To strengthen the agreement, then, we need to add a piece of evidence to the assumption row which makes the conclusion more likely to be true. For example, a correct answer might say “Europeans always cut down cranebreaks which make travel difficult.” Why would this strengthen it? Because the evidence simply says Europeans hated cranebreaks. The conclusion says that Europeans got rid of bamboo. Nothing connects those two. This prediction, however, would bridge the gap between evidence and conclusion. Europeans hated cranebreaks where bamboo grows because they were difficult to traverse → Europeans always cut down difficult to traverse terrains → Europeans led to the demise of bamboo.
Now, let’s find an answer choice which does something similar.
A. Early European explorers to North America would sometimes need to travel miles to get around the larger canebrakes.
I can see why this answer can trip students up a bit. But I’ve said it before, and I will never stop saying it: Do not make assumptions in an answer choice. The only way that this is correct, is if you assume that because Europeans had to travel miles around cranebreaks, they cut them down and the bamboo with it. First, can you even cut down a cranebreak? We don’t know. Second, nothing suggests they would in fact cut them down. This answer choice is wrong.
B. Native Americans have long understood the many uses of bamboo.
This answer choice is also wrong. Does Native Americans knowing how to use bamboo make it more likely that Europeans were the ones who destroyed it? Is it possible that Native Americans, precisely because they knew the many uses of bamboo, led to the loss of Bamboo as they overused it? This answer choice does not strengthen our conclusion.
C. Most European explorers arrived in North America without having ever seen bamboo in the wild.
This supports our evidence that Europeans did not know the many uses of bamboo, but it does not support our conclusion in any way. Like with D, this only could be correct if you assume some sort of relation between not knowing about bamboo and getting rid of bamboo.
D. Some species of bamboo were never seen by early European explorers to North America.
This is a very similar answer choice to C, so it’s no surprise that D is also wrong. How do some early European settlers not seeing every species of bamboo help prove that Europeans led to the widespread loss of bamboo? It’s not clear to me why, and that makes this answer choice wrong.
E. Early European explorers to North America allowed their cattle to overgraze on bamboo.
Honestly, this is an interesting right answer choice because it does not bridge the gap. Most correct answer choices will bridge the gap between evidence and conclusion. Here, however, it’s just like adding a new piece of evidence, but it’s correct all the same. Does knowing that Europeans let their cattle overgraze on bamboo make it more likely that Europeans led to the widespread loss of bamboo? Yes. This strengthens our conclusion.
Don’t study for the GMAT. Train for it.
Agricultural expert: It’s clear that the arrival of European explorers to North America led to a widespread loss of bamboo. When they first came to the continent, the explorers did not understand the many ways that bamboo can be used, and they regarded the massive canebrakes in which bamboo grew to be considerable obstacles to travel.
Which of the following would, if true, most strengthen the agricultural expert’s reasoning?
A. Early European explorers to North America would sometimes need to travel miles to get around the larger canebrakes.
B. Native Americans have long understood the many uses of bamboo.
C. Most European explorers arrived in North America without having ever seen bamboo in the wild.
D. Some species of bamboo were never seen by early European explorers to North America.
E. Early European explorers to North America allowed their cattle to overgraze on bamboo.
Question Type: Strengthen (Assumption Family)
Boil It Down: Europeans caused the loss of bamboo because they did not understand how to use bamboo and because they considered places where bamboo grows as an obstacle to traverse.
Goal: Find the option that best strengthens the argument that Europeans are the reason caused the loss of bamboo in North America.
Analysis:
As with all assumption family questions, we want to break the prompt down into our conclusion, and to our evidence, to figure out where the assumption is being made.
Evidence:
1. Europeans did not understand the many ways bamboo could be used.
2. Europeans regarded the cranebreaks where bamboo grew as a considerable obstacle to travel
Assumption: ???
Conclusion: European explorers led to the widespread loss of bamboo.
Just right off the bat, can we see where the assumption is being made? Sure, Europeans may have been annoyed by bamboo and didn’t know how to use it, but does that evidence prove the conclusion that Europeans destroyed the bamboo somehow? I don’t think so. The author is clearly assuming something about these two pieces of evidence to make his conclusion correct.
To strengthen the agreement, then, we need to add a piece of evidence to the assumption row which makes the conclusion more likely to be true. For example, a correct answer might say “Europeans always cut down cranebreaks which make travel difficult.” Why would this strengthen it? Because the evidence simply says Europeans hated cranebreaks. The conclusion says that Europeans got rid of bamboo. Nothing connects those two. This prediction, however, would bridge the gap between evidence and conclusion. Europeans hated cranebreaks where bamboo grows because they were difficult to traverse → Europeans always cut down difficult to traverse terrains → Europeans led to the demise of bamboo.
Now, let’s find an answer choice which does something similar.
A. Early European explorers to North America would sometimes need to travel miles to get around the larger canebrakes.
I can see why this answer can trip students up a bit. But I’ve said it before, and I will never stop saying it: Do not make assumptions in an answer choice. The only way that this is correct, is if you assume that because Europeans had to travel miles around cranebreaks, they cut them down and the bamboo with it. First, can you even cut down a cranebreak? We don’t know. Second, nothing suggests they would in fact cut them down. This answer choice is wrong.
B. Native Americans have long understood the many uses of bamboo.
This answer choice is also wrong. Does Native Americans knowing how to use bamboo make it more likely that Europeans were the ones who destroyed it? Is it possible that Native Americans, precisely because they knew the many uses of bamboo, led to the loss of Bamboo as they overused it? This answer choice does not strengthen our conclusion.
C. Most European explorers arrived in North America without having ever seen bamboo in the wild.
This supports our evidence that Europeans did not know the many uses of bamboo, but it does not support our conclusion in any way. Like with D, this only could be correct if you assume some sort of relation between not knowing about bamboo and getting rid of bamboo.
D. Some species of bamboo were never seen by early European explorers to North America.
This is a very similar answer choice to C, so it’s no surprise that D is also wrong. How do some early European settlers not seeing every species of bamboo help prove that Europeans led to the widespread loss of bamboo? It’s not clear to me why, and that makes this answer choice wrong.
E. Early European explorers to North America allowed their cattle to overgraze on bamboo.
Honestly, this is an interesting right answer choice because it does not bridge the gap. Most correct answer choices will bridge the gap between evidence and conclusion. Here, however, it’s just like adding a new piece of evidence, but it’s correct all the same. Does knowing that Europeans let their cattle overgraze on bamboo make it more likely that Europeans led to the widespread loss of bamboo? Yes. This strengthens our conclusion.
Don’t study for the GMAT. Train for it.
General Discussion
27 May 2021, 01:57
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A. Early European explorers to North America would sometimes need to travel miles to get around the larger canebrakes. -- Irrelevant to point widespread loss of bamboo. Incorrect
B. Native Americans have long understood the many uses of bamboo. -- Native Americans are not mentioned. Irrelevant. Incorrect
C. Most European explorers arrived in North America without having ever seen bamboo in the wild. -- Yes, if these explorers are not familiar with the bamboo in wild then they definitely thought it as an hindrance to their movement and hence destroyed it. Correct
D. Some species of bamboo were never seen by early European explorers to North America. -- Close one, but it says some species were not seen. What if those species available were already known to the explorers. Hence this creates a doubt. Incorrect
E. Early European explorers to North America allowed their cattle to overgraze on bamboo. -- Again cattle overgrazing or any other method of removal is not mentioned. Incorrect
Please correct me if I'm wrong!!!
B. Native Americans have long understood the many uses of bamboo. -- Native Americans are not mentioned. Irrelevant. Incorrect
C. Most European explorers arrived in North America without having ever seen bamboo in the wild. -- Yes, if these explorers are not familiar with the bamboo in wild then they definitely thought it as an hindrance to their movement and hence destroyed it. Correct
D. Some species of bamboo were never seen by early European explorers to North America. -- Close one, but it says some species were not seen. What if those species available were already known to the explorers. Hence this creates a doubt. Incorrect
E. Early European explorers to North America allowed their cattle to overgraze on bamboo. -- Again cattle overgrazing or any other method of removal is not mentioned. Incorrect
Please correct me if I'm wrong!!!
