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03 Jun 2026, 00:35
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Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
85%
(hard)
Question Stats:
53% (02:15) correct
47%
(02:36)
wrong
based on 468
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An Italian map labeled “Mappamundi” (“Map of the world”) is undated, but, based on its contents, was probably drawn sometime in the years 1488 to 1493. The map accurately depicts the western coast of Africa down to the Cape of Good Hope, which European explorers first reached in 1488, but it shows none of the islands of the West Indies visited by Columbus on his first voyage, from which he returned to Europe in early 1493.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
A. European ships of the period required nearly a year to make the voyage to the Cape of Good Hope and back.
B. Columbus published a widely read account of his first voyage immediately after his return.
C. European authorities who sponsored expeditions often tried to keep information gained by those expeditions secret for as long as possible.
D. A map as complicated as the map in question would have taken a cartographer of the 1400s several months to finish.
E. During his first voyage, Columbus was able to sail from the West Indies back to Europe in less than three months.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
A. European ships of the period required nearly a year to make the voyage to the Cape of Good Hope and back.
B. Columbus published a widely read account of his first voyage immediately after his return.
C. European authorities who sponsored expeditions often tried to keep information gained by those expeditions secret for as long as possible.
D. A map as complicated as the map in question would have taken a cartographer of the 1400s several months to finish.
E. During his first voyage, Columbus was able to sail from the West Indies back to Europe in less than three months.
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Updated on: 01 Aug 2026, 20:15
Originally posted by MartyMurray on 03 Jun 2026, 05:28.
Last edited by MartyMurray on 01 Aug 2026, 20:15, edited 3 times in total.
Last edited by MartyMurray on 01 Aug 2026, 20:15, edited 3 times in total.
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An Italian map labeled “Mappamundi” (“Map of the world”) is undated, but, based on its contents, was probably drawn sometime in the years 1488 to 1493. The map accurately depicts the western coast of Africa down to the Cape of Good Hope, which European explorers first reached in 1488, but it shows none of the islands of the West Indies visited by Columbus on his first voyage, from which he returned to Europe in early 1493.
The conclusion of the argument is the following:
An Italian map labeled “Mappamundi” (“Map of the world”) is undated, but, based on its contents, was probably drawn sometime in the years 1488 to 1493.
We see that the reasoning of the argument is basically the following: Since the map depicts features discovered in 1488 but not features that would likely have been known in 1493, the map was probably drawn during the time period bounded by those two years.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
The correct answer to this Strengthen question will provide additional confirmation of the conclusion.
A. European ships of the period required nearly a year to make the voyage to the Cape of Good Hope and back.
This choice could be a strengthener.
After all, the argument says that European explorers "first reached" the Cape of Good Hope in 1488. So, this choice could be read as confirming that they would have been able to return to Europe within six months of first reaching the Cape, meaning by the end of 1488 or by 1489.
So, this choice could be read as helping to confirm that it's possible that the map was drawn between 1488 and1493.
At the same time, the wording of this choice, "nearly a year," seems to indicate that the question writer intended this choice to mean that the voyage took a long time, rather than a time sufficiently short for the conclusion to be true. So, there's a good chance this choice is not the correct answer.
Keep for now, but look for a better choice.
B. Columbus published a widely read account of his first voyage immediately after his return.
This choice is interesting.
If Columbus published a widely read account of his first voyage immediately after his return, then mapmakers would have had access to information on the West Indies during 1493, meaning that the map was likely created before the end of 1493. That implication helps to confirm the conclusion that the map was drawn "sometime in the years 1488 to 1493 by indicating that any world map drawn after 1493 or even toward the end of 1493 would likely have included the West Indies.
It's also key to notice that the point of the argument is not that the map was in fact drawn in 1493. The point is that the map was drawn sometime in the period from 1488 to 1493. So, the fact that this choice indicates that the map was likely drawn before early 1493 doesn't conflict with the conclusion.
Keep.
C. European authorities who sponsored expeditions often tried to keep information gained by those expeditions secret for as long as possible.
If anything, this weakens the case for the conclusion by indicating that the map could have been drawn later than 1493 if authorities succeeded in keeping information gained by the expeditions secret for a long time.
Eliminate.
D. A map as complicated as the map in question would have taken a cartographer of the 1400s several months to finish.
The fact that the map would have taken several months to finish doesn't significantly change what we know. After all, the length of time it takes to create a map doesn't really indicate when it was created.
I guess we could say that this choice indicates that the map didn't take over five years to create, meaning that it's physically possible for the map to have been completely drawn between 1488 and 1493. At the same time, since it's unlikely that drawing a map would take five years, we can make the call that the question writer's idea was that this choice has no effect on the case for the conclusion.
Eliminate.
E. During his first voyage, Columbus was able to sail from the West Indies back to Europe in less than three months.
How long Columbus took to make the voyage doesn't help to confirm the time when the map was created because the passage already says that he "returned to Europe in early 1493."
After all, regardless of how long the trip took, what indicates the time before which the map would have been created is the time of his return.
Eliminate.
We've ended up with two possible strengtheners, (A) and (B). I think (B) is the better choice for the correct answer because it indicates that information on the West Indies became available during 1493. That information is a strong reason to believe that the map was created before the end of 1493.
(A) we can eliminate because its wording, "required nearly a year," seems to indicate that the question writer was making the point that the voyage took a long time, not that it took sufficiently little time for the map to have been created by 1493.
So, by considering all of the above, we can eliminate (A) and choose (B).
Correct answer: B
The conclusion of the argument is the following:
An Italian map labeled “Mappamundi” (“Map of the world”) is undated, but, based on its contents, was probably drawn sometime in the years 1488 to 1493.
We see that the reasoning of the argument is basically the following: Since the map depicts features discovered in 1488 but not features that would likely have been known in 1493, the map was probably drawn during the time period bounded by those two years.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
The correct answer to this Strengthen question will provide additional confirmation of the conclusion.
A. European ships of the period required nearly a year to make the voyage to the Cape of Good Hope and back.
This choice could be a strengthener.
After all, the argument says that European explorers "first reached" the Cape of Good Hope in 1488. So, this choice could be read as confirming that they would have been able to return to Europe within six months of first reaching the Cape, meaning by the end of 1488 or by 1489.
So, this choice could be read as helping to confirm that it's possible that the map was drawn between 1488 and1493.
At the same time, the wording of this choice, "nearly a year," seems to indicate that the question writer intended this choice to mean that the voyage took a long time, rather than a time sufficiently short for the conclusion to be true. So, there's a good chance this choice is not the correct answer.
Keep for now, but look for a better choice.
B. Columbus published a widely read account of his first voyage immediately after his return.
This choice is interesting.
If Columbus published a widely read account of his first voyage immediately after his return, then mapmakers would have had access to information on the West Indies during 1493, meaning that the map was likely created before the end of 1493. That implication helps to confirm the conclusion that the map was drawn "sometime in the years 1488 to 1493 by indicating that any world map drawn after 1493 or even toward the end of 1493 would likely have included the West Indies.
It's also key to notice that the point of the argument is not that the map was in fact drawn in 1493. The point is that the map was drawn sometime in the period from 1488 to 1493. So, the fact that this choice indicates that the map was likely drawn before early 1493 doesn't conflict with the conclusion.
Keep.
C. European authorities who sponsored expeditions often tried to keep information gained by those expeditions secret for as long as possible.
If anything, this weakens the case for the conclusion by indicating that the map could have been drawn later than 1493 if authorities succeeded in keeping information gained by the expeditions secret for a long time.
Eliminate.
D. A map as complicated as the map in question would have taken a cartographer of the 1400s several months to finish.
The fact that the map would have taken several months to finish doesn't significantly change what we know. After all, the length of time it takes to create a map doesn't really indicate when it was created.
I guess we could say that this choice indicates that the map didn't take over five years to create, meaning that it's physically possible for the map to have been completely drawn between 1488 and 1493. At the same time, since it's unlikely that drawing a map would take five years, we can make the call that the question writer's idea was that this choice has no effect on the case for the conclusion.
Eliminate.
E. During his first voyage, Columbus was able to sail from the West Indies back to Europe in less than three months.
How long Columbus took to make the voyage doesn't help to confirm the time when the map was created because the passage already says that he "returned to Europe in early 1493."
After all, regardless of how long the trip took, what indicates the time before which the map would have been created is the time of his return.
Eliminate.
We've ended up with two possible strengtheners, (A) and (B). I think (B) is the better choice for the correct answer because it indicates that information on the West Indies became available during 1493. That information is a strong reason to believe that the map was created before the end of 1493.
(A) we can eliminate because its wording, "required nearly a year," seems to indicate that the question writer was making the point that the voyage took a long time, not that it took sufficiently little time for the map to have been created by 1493.
So, by considering all of the above, we can eliminate (A) and choose (B).
Correct answer: B
04 Jun 2026, 19:45
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An Italian map labeled “Mappamundi” (“Map of the world”) is undated, but, based on its contents, was probably drawn sometime in the years 1488 to 1493. The map accurately depicts the western coast of Africa down to the Cape of Good Hope, which European explorers first reached in 1488, but it shows none of the islands of the West Indies visited by Columbus on his first voyage, from which he returned to Europe in early 1493.
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
The argument dates the map by what it includes and what it omits. It includes the Cape of Good Hope, so it was likely made after Europeans reached it in 1488. It omits the West Indies, so it was likely made before news of Columbus’s voyage became widely available in 1493. The key support is that information about Columbus’s discoveries became public soon after his return.
A. European ships of the period required nearly a year to make the voyage to the Cape of Good Hope and back.
This does not strengthen the upper limit of 1493. It only gives travel time to the Cape, not when mapmakers learned about it.
B. Columbus published a widely read account of his first voyage immediately after his return.
This is correct. If Columbus’s discoveries became widely known immediately after his return in early 1493, then a world map made after that would likely include the West Indies. Since the map does not, it is more likely that the map was made before that information became available.
C. European authorities who sponsored expeditions often tried to keep information gained by those expeditions secret for as long as possible.
This weakens the argument. If discoveries were often kept secret, then the map could have been made after 1493 and still omitted the West Indies.
D. A map as complicated as the map in question would have taken a cartographer of the 1400s several months to finish.
This does not clearly strengthen the date range. It concerns production time, not whether the mapmaker would have known about the West Indies.
E. During his first voyage, Columbus was able to sail from the West Indies back to Europe in less than three months.
This does not help much. The passage already says Columbus returned in early 1493; the issue is whether his discoveries became known to mapmakers.
Answer: (B)
Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?
The argument dates the map by what it includes and what it omits. It includes the Cape of Good Hope, so it was likely made after Europeans reached it in 1488. It omits the West Indies, so it was likely made before news of Columbus’s voyage became widely available in 1493. The key support is that information about Columbus’s discoveries became public soon after his return.
A. European ships of the period required nearly a year to make the voyage to the Cape of Good Hope and back.
This does not strengthen the upper limit of 1493. It only gives travel time to the Cape, not when mapmakers learned about it.
B. Columbus published a widely read account of his first voyage immediately after his return.
This is correct. If Columbus’s discoveries became widely known immediately after his return in early 1493, then a world map made after that would likely include the West Indies. Since the map does not, it is more likely that the map was made before that information became available.
C. European authorities who sponsored expeditions often tried to keep information gained by those expeditions secret for as long as possible.
This weakens the argument. If discoveries were often kept secret, then the map could have been made after 1493 and still omitted the West Indies.
D. A map as complicated as the map in question would have taken a cartographer of the 1400s several months to finish.
This does not clearly strengthen the date range. It concerns production time, not whether the mapmaker would have known about the West Indies.
E. During his first voyage, Columbus was able to sail from the West Indies back to Europe in less than three months.
This does not help much. The passage already says Columbus returned in early 1493; the issue is whether his discoveries became known to mapmakers.
Answer: (B)
