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Archaeologists are currently analyzing plant remains found at a site that was last occupied more than 10,000 years ago. If the plants were cultivated, then the people who occupied the site discovered agriculture thousands of years before any other people are known to have done so. On tbe other band, if the plants were wild - that is, uncultivated - then the people who occupied the site ate a wider variety of wild plants than did any other people at the time.

The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of tbe following?

(A) The archaeologists analyzing the plant remains at the site will be able to determine whether the plants were cultivated or were wild. This information isn't stated by the passage. It just explains what could be inferred if the plants were cultivated or uncultivated.
(B) The people who occupied the site used some plants in ways that no other people did at that time. This looks good. There are two options: 1) If the plants were cultivated, the residents used agriculture when noone else did. 2) If the plants were uncultivated, the local people ate a bigger variety of plants than anyone else. Either way, they did something unique at this time.
(C) If the people who occupied the site had reached a more advanced stage in the use of wild plants than any other people at the time, then the plants found at tbe site were uncultivated. This might look tempting, but it twists the original logic. The passage states: If the site were uncultivated, the people ate a wider variety of wild plants. The problem is that we can't be sure that the opposite reasoning is true. What if the people there ate a bigger variety of wild plants but still cultivated their fields?
(D) If the people who occupied the site discovered agriculture thousands of years before people anywhere else are known to have done so, then there are remains of cultivated plants at the site.The reasoning is the same as in C) and hence faulty.
(E) It is more likely that the people who occupied the site discovered agriculture thousands of years before people anywhere else did than it is that they ate a wider variety of wild plants than any other people at tbe time. The passage doesn't mention any likelinesses, therefore we can't infer anything about probabilities.

I hope that helps :-)
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I chose A but apparently it is wrong. Can anybody help me to understand how to eliminate A.
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Option A refers to things that can be inferred but not directly supported by the statements. So (A) is incorrect.
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Quote:
Archaeologists are currently analyzing plant remains found at a site that was last occupied more than 10,000 years ago. If the plants were cultivated, then the people who occupied the site discovered agriculture thousands of years before any other people are known to have done so. On tbe other band, if the plants were wild - that is, uncultivated - then the people who occupied the site ate a wider variety of wild plants than did any other people at the time.

The statements above, if true, most strongly support which one of tbe following?

Plant remains
Either X can happen or Y can happen
In any case, people did something that had not been done before at that time.

Which ond the following can be inferred from the argument given above?


Quote:
(A) The archaeologists analyzing the plant remains at the site will be able to determine whether the plants were cultivated or were wild.
We don’t know whether archaeologists will be able to conclude whether plan remains were cultivated or were wild. No such information is given in passage
Reject

Quote:
(B) The people who occupied the site used some plants in ways that no other people did at that time.
Hint : because in argument no side can be sure, so either option should be light by using words : some , few so that option can not be challenged OR they can assume by saying IF xxx then YY

In option B : Used some plants: light usage
In ways: Here they didn’t mention whether used as cultivation OR used to eat wild plants

This option can not be rejected as this option can be applicable to X or Y

I feel strong for Option B ,

Lets look at other options

Quote:
(C) If the people who occupied the site had reached a more advanced stage in the use of wild plants than any other people at the time, then the plants found at the site were uncultivated.
Here the option tries to conclude that plants were uncultivated.
What if even people reached at advanced stage in cultivation, still this plant could be wild plant
There is no where in the mentioned that people could be advanced in cultivation Or could only eat wild plants
Both can exisit at the same time as well as nothing is given in argument about this.

Confidentially reject


Quote:
(D) If the people who occupied the site discovered agriculture thousands of years before people anywhere else are known to have done so, then there are remains of cultivated plants at the site.

Again , If xx, then Yy.
Lets read carefully:
Again same reasoning as explanined in C,
There is nothing given in agument that Both pssobilities can not exisit at the same time

Confidentially reject

Quote:
(E) It is more likely that the people who occupied the site discovered agriculture thousands of years before people anywhere else did than it is that they ate a wider variety of wild plants than any other
people at the time.
X more likely than Y
Why? No reasoning can support this claim.
Easily reject.
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(A) The archaeologists analyzing tbe plant remains at the site will be able to determine whether the plants were cultivated or were wild.
We have no idea about the capabilities of the archealogists or if they are using aid of other people

(B) The people who occupied the site used some plants in ways that no other people did at that time.
They were a older settlemnt or the first of the civilization hence whatever they commited would be unique

(C) If the people who occupied the site had reached a more advanced stage in the use of wild plants than any other people at the time, then the plants found at tbe site were uncultivated.
We are not in a position to figure out whether advancement in wild plants had a corelationship with agricultural plants

(D) If the people who occupied the site discovered agriculture thousands of years before people anywhere else are known to have done so, then there are remains of cultivated plants at the site.
We have no idea as of what could have followed it could be that some natural phenomenon wiped out all the plants

(E) It is more likely that the people who occupied the site discovered agriculture thousands of years before people anywhere else did than it is that they ate a wider variety of wild plants than any other people at tbe time.
WE have no idea determinig the same it could be vice- versa
Hence IMO B
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I chose B, but the wording for B is awful.. used plants in ways that no one else did..agriculture would fit perfectly, but eating? Sure, they ate a wider range of plants than anyone else did, but eating itself isn't exactly something that no one else did...
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Hi experts,

Please help to explain why each choice is right or wrong. Thank you.
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(D) If the people who occupied the site discovered agriculture thousands of years before people anywhere else are known to have done so, then there are remains of cultivated plants at the site.

Suppose people at the site knew agriculture then they must have grown the plants somewhere. Since they belong to same place where plant remain were found it is highly likely that plants had grown were cultivated.
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Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

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