Archaeologists working in the Andes Mountains recently excavated a buried 4,000-year-old temple containing structures that align with a stone carving on a distant hill to indicate the direction of the rising sun at the summer solstice. Alignments in the temple were also found to point toward the position, at the summer solstice, of a constellation known in Andean culture as the Fox. Since the local mythology represents the fox as teaching people how to cultivate and irrigate plants, the ancient Andeans may have built the temple as a religious representation of the fox. Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument is based? (A) The constellation known as the Fox has the same position at the summer solstice as it did 4,000 years ago. (B) In the region around the temple, the summer solstice marks the time for planting. (C) The temple was protected from looters by dirt and debris built up over thousands of years. (D) Other structural alignments at the temple point to further constellations with agricultural significance. (E) The site containing the temple was occupied for a significant amount of time before abandonment. ID: 500326

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Archaeologists working in the Andes Mountains recently excavated a bur

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Elite097

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17 Oct 2022, 12:34

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avigutman GMATNinja not clear about why not B. If we say that summer solstice is not the time for planting which is basically representative of Fox's teaching , then I do not see how the conclusion can hold (that they must have built the temple as a religious representation of fox). Afterall, if we were to say it is a religious representation of a fox and it was not a planting season (or any other agriculture season) during summer solstice then how can we say the conclusion will hold? How can it be a religious representation of fox when it is not even a season which is representative of fox's teaching?

Also i did not get the significance then of mentioning the last line "since Local mythology represents the fox as teaching people how to cultivate and irrigate plants". How is this helping the argument in any way simply by showing fox is important to them? The correct answer is anyway ignoring this portion and simply saying that temple is a religious representation of fox fr a different reason that the constellation hasnt changed postion over the years (doesnt matter whether or not it is important)

Please justify why it is wrong and state as to what logic is being used explicitly for the above argument mentioned by me o not work- you may also give an analogy to better help understand where im going wrong in my thinking. I understand A so we can skip that.

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17 Oct 2022, 13:31

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Elite097

If we were to say it is a religious representation of a fox and it was not a planting season (or any other agriculture season) during summer solstice then how can we say the conclusion will hold? How can it be a religious representation of fox when it is not even a season which is representative of fox's teaching?

Why do you insist that the fox MUST be celebrated specifically at the time for planting, Elite097? Why can’t he be celebrated when it’s time for harvesting? Or any other time that was convenient?

Elite097

Also i did not get the significance then of mentioning the last line "since Local mythology represents the fox as teaching people how to cultivate and irrigate plants". How is this helping the argument in any way simply by showing fox is important to them?

It gives them a reason to build him a temple.

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25 Feb 2023, 08:08

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Hi avigutman @ReedArnoldMPREP- have the same doubt as Elite097

AviGutman

Elite097

I did not get the significance then of mentioning the last line "since Local mythology represents the fox as teaching people how to cultivate and irrigate plants". How is this helping the argument in any way simply by showing fox is important to them?

It gives them a reason to build him a temple.

Don’t understand how the author comes to his conclusion (the ancient Andeans may have built the temple as a religious representation of the fox)

based on the premise (Since the local mythology represents the fox as teaching people how to cultivate and irrigate plants).

Avi - I see your response in the red font above - not sure i understand. Could you elaborate perhaps ?

Here were my brainstormed assumptions between the premise and the conclusion

Temples are places where people are TAUGHT how to cultivate and TAUGHT how to irrigate plants
OR
Cultivation & Irrigation of Plants must be synonymous with religion, within the Andeans culture

I didnt see either of these -- in the answer choices.

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25 Feb 2023, 09:49

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jabhatta2

Here were my brainstormed assumptions between the premise and the conclusion

Temples are places where people are TAUGHT how to cultivate and TAUGHT how to irrigate plants
OR
Cultivation & Irrigation of Plants must be synonymous with religion, within the Andeans culture

I didnt see either of these -- in the answer choices.

jabhatta2 The argument doesn't require any assumption about where the teaching took place, or even whether the teaching took place.
The word mythology implies made-up stories that were passed on through the generations.
Even in that made-up story, the specific location of the teachings doesn't necessarily have to be the same as the exact temple's location.
The second assumption you came up with is much better. After all, if Andeans had no particular reverence for plant cultivation and irrigation, why would they build a temple for the entity that supposedly taught them those skills?

Why did the author feel the need to tell us about the plant cultivation and irrigation? Well, without that premise, it would be quite difficult to argue that the temple's purpose was to be a religious representation of the fox. Just because you found some alignments that happen to point at a particular constellation at the summer solstice means that the temple's purpose was to be a religious representation of that constellation? Why? What's so special about that constellation? The premise about plant cultivation and irrigation provides that missing reason.

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19 Sep 2023, 22:22

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KarishmaB GMATNinja

I understand the correct answer but am still not able to find a flaw in my incorrect assumption. I want to learn where am I going wrong in my assumption.

My Assumption: The author has assumed that the local mythology is linked with the Andean culture.

Once I read these words "local mythology" I started thinking that the author assumes that the current people living here (having their own local mythology) are definitely a part of Andean culture. On this basis, I chose option B which I know seems a bit far-fetched.

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19 Sep 2023, 22:46

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SkDv12

"Local mythology" means the mythology of the Andean people and Andean culture here. The temple was found in the Andes. The local mythology of the area will be the Andean mythology. Mythology develops over centuries e.g. Greek mythology. Who are represented as Gods and Goddesses? What does each signify etc.?

What we know is this:

The temple points toward the summer solstice position of a constellation known as Fox in the Andean mythology.
The fox is represented as teaching people how to cultivate and irrigate plants in Andean mythology. (So fox is considered an important figure in Andean myth)

Conclusion: This temple was built as a religious representation of the fox.

What is the assumption?

That 4000 years ago when the temple was built, the position where the temple points was the position of the Fox constellation. That constellations were not positioned differently then. For example, what if 4000 years ago, the position where the temple points at summer solstice was the position of the bull constellation? Perhaps the temple was built as a religious representation of the bull. Perhaps the stars have shifted positions over 4000 years.

To conclude that it was built for Fox, we need to assume that the Fox constellation occupied that position 4000 years ago too, just like today.

Answer (A)

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08 Jan 2024, 13:27

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I really didn't understand the passage itself. Here are my doubts:
1. What does alignments with stone carving on hill mean?
2. How does this alignment help in understanding the temple is in direction of rising sun?
3. The temple is also aligned with fox constellation. Why did we speak of rising sun in the beginning when conclusion is geared toward fox representation.

Here's my breakdown of passage
Excavation of a 4,000-Year-Old Temple: Archaeologists have unearthed an ancient temple in the Andes Mountains.

Alignments with a Stone Carving on a Distant Hill:

The temple's structures align with a stone carving located on a distant hill. This alignment indicates the direction of the rising sun at the summer solstice.
This alignment is significant because it helps mark the precise direction in which the sun rises during this particular astronomical event.

Alignments with the Fox Constellation:

The temple's alignments also point toward the position of a constellation known as the Fox.
These alignments occur specifically at the summer solstice.
The Fox constellation holds cultural significance in Andean mythology, where it is associated with teaching people how to cultivate and irrigate plants.

Possible Purpose of the Temple:

Given the alignment with the Fox constellation and its role in agriculture, the passage suggests that the ancient Andeans may have built the temple as a religious representation of the fox.
This implies that the temple could have served as a place of worship or symbolism related to agricultura

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09 Jan 2024, 22:34

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kpop1234567890

Think of alignment as some sort of arrow like structures. Say at the head of the temple, there is a huge arrow pointing towards the stone carving on the hill. The stone carving on the hill points toward the direction of the rising sun on a particular day of the year. With these indicators, people know where the sun rises and they can pray accordingly.
The alignment with the sun is mentioned to give context of why 'summer solstice' may be important to them. Sun is prayed to in most cultures and since markers were found pointing to its direction at summer solstice, it is an indicator that summer solstice might be a meaningful religious day for these people. Other pointers were found pointing at some other area in the sky. Since the Earth rotates and revolves, what we find in that area of the sky would depend on the time of the year. They found that at summer solstice (the time of the year which was likely important to these people) the indicators point to the fox constellation.
Hence the suggestion that the temple could have been devoted to agriculture.

But this makes sense only if 4000 years ago too, the fox constellation occupied that space in the sky at summer solstice. What if 4000 years ago, some other constellation was present at that point on that day? Then the temple might have been dedicated to some other aspect of the people's lives, say the Bear constellation representing safety.

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01 May 2024, 02:45

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GMATNinja

The conclusion is that "the ancient Andeans may have built the temple as a religious representation of the fox." How does the author arrive at that conclusion?

Archaeologists recently excavated a buried 4,000-year-old temple in the Andes Mountains.
The temple contains "structures that align with a stone carving on a distant hill to indicate the direction of the rising sun at the summer solstice." - Don't worry if you don't understand the meaning of "solstice." Even without knowing the definition, we can infer that the author is referring to some specific time of the year. What's important is that the temple-makers were apparently aware of the sun's position at that specific time when they built those structures.
"Alignments in the temple were also found to point toward the position, at the summer solstice, of a constellation known in Andean culture as the Fox." - If the temple-makers constructed some structures related to the position of the sun at the summer solstice, then it would make sense that other structures in the temple are related to the summer solstice. Now we have some other structures pointing to the position of the Fox constellation at the summer solstice. This is evidence (not proof) that the temple-makers designed these structures with the Fox constellation's position in mind.
"Local mythology represents the fox as teaching people how to cultivate and irrigate plants." - The fox was obviously an importantly animal to the people of that culture.

So we have evidence that the temple-makers took the summer-solstice position of celestial bodies into account when designing the temple. Some temple structures point towards the position of the Fox constellation, and the fox was an important animal to those people. This suggests that "the ancient Andeans may have built the temple as a religious representation of the fox."

Notice that the conclusion contains the word may. The author is not trying to PROVE that the temple was built as a religious representation of the fox. The author is simply arguing that, based on the evidence cited in the passage, this may have been the case.

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

Quote:

(A) The constellation known as the Fox has the same position at the summer solstice as it did 4,000 years ago.

The conclusion is based on the finding that the temple has alignments pointing towards the position, at the summer solstice, of a constellation.

But this finding is based on the CURRENT alignments. The temple was built 4,000 years ago. What if the constellation has shifted over the course of the last 4,000 years? In that case, the alignment found by the archaeologists would be different than the alignment that existed when the Andeans built the temple. Thus, we would not be able to use the CURRENT alignment to make conclusions about the intentions of the Andeans 4,000 years ago.

Without this assumption, the evidence is clearly undermined, so hang on to (A).

Quote:

(B) In the region around the temple, the summer solstice marks the time for planting.

This may or may not be true, but it is not a required assumption. The author argues that the temple was built to represent the fox. The author is not trying to argue that the temple served a specific agricultural function. Eliminate (B).

Quote:

Sure, it is possible that looters moved some of the structures around, but that doesn't make this a required assumption. Even if looters had entered the temple and removed some objects, the structures referred to in the passage could still have their same positions. Eliminate (C).

Quote:

(D) Other structural alignments at the temple point to further constellations with agricultural significance.

If the temple structures point to no other constellations besides the Fox constellation, then it is reasonable to conclude that the temple may have been built to represent the fox. However, if the temple pointed to multiple constellations, then it is less likely that the temple was built to represent the fox in particular. In fact, (D) seems to suggest that the temple-makers were more concerned with agriculture in general than with the fox.

So (D) might weaken the argument. Regardless, it is certainly not a required assumption. Eliminate (D).

Quote:

(E) The site containing the temple was occupied for a significant amount of time before abandonment.

The amount of time that the temple was occupied is irrelevant to the argument. Eliminate (E).

(A) is the best answer.

Hi GMATNinja

Thanks for the detailed explanation.
I had selected Option B and am still confused with Option B to eliminate it. Could you please help with the elaborative answer?

After negating Option B: "In the region around the temple, the summer solstice doesn't mark the time for planting."

Per negated B, if the summer solstice doesn't mark the planting time, it casts a strong doubt that the temple is associated mythologically with the fox, hence, the conclusion can also be destroyed here.

Please let me know if I am missing any possibility where the conclusion can still hold after negation. It would be great if you could provide an example of how the conclusion would still hold after negated B.

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23 May 2024, 18:14

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agrasan

Hi GMATNinja

Thanks for the detailed explanation.

I had selected Option B and am still confused with Option B to eliminate it. Could you please help with the elaborative answer?

After negating Option B: "In the region around the temple, the summer solstice doesn't mark the time for planting."

Per negated B, if the summer solstice doesn't mark the planting time, it casts a strong doubt that the temple is associated mythologically with the fox, hence, the conclusion can also be destroyed here.

Please let me know if I am missing any possibility where the conclusion can still hold after negation. It would be great if you could provide an example of how the conclusion would still hold after negated B.

Sure, maybe the spring equinox marks time for planting, and temple contains some other structures or alignments that indicate the direction of the rising sun at the spring equinox. In that case, the temple would point to the fox constellation at one time AND mark the time for planting another time.

But we don't even need to go that far. The temple can be a a religious representation of the fox even if it does not have any special structures or alignments corresponding to the time for planting.

Would it HELP the argument if (B) were true? Maybe. But it isn't necessary. Pointing clearly at the fox constellation at the same significant moment every year is pretty strong evidence that the temple was built with the fox in mind, regardless of whether that moment marks the time for planting.

Choice (A), on the other hand, is necessary. Without it, there's absolutely no evidence that temple was built with the fox constellation in mind.

I hope that clears things up!

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I have read all replies and i understand option A. My doubt is following

1.Why not option B?
2.Understanding structure of argument and how each statement is connected with each other to arrive at conclusion

Also what's the point of mentioning the fact that fox was hailed as important for teaching people on cultivating plants if that had no role in assumption or conclusion?

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06 Nov 2024, 21:48

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MalachiKeti

Hi MalachiKeti,

I can see how option B can look quite good with that statement about teaching people how to cultivate and irrigate plants.

The argument has the following links:

1. Summer solstice + the Fox
and
2. the Fox + {cultivate & irrigate plants}

So if the summer solstice marks the time for planting, that gives us another reason to believe that the logic linking the temple to the Fox is correct.

However, this is an assumption question, and we normally expect the correct option to be required in such cases. So we must ask ourselves whether the argument absolutely needs the summer solstice to mark the time for planting specifically. Or maybe the argument would hold even if the summer solstice marks the time for something else (other than the planting of plants) related to plants?

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