Art restorers who have been studying the factors that cause Renaissanc

How does the amount of gesso count? There is no such information in the stem. It says, used gesso => less resistant.
IMO D could be a good candidate, since it infers that to mold the frames they had to use gesso, although it speaks of a specific type of gesso which makes it less appealing.

Hi,

All D is trying to say is the type of material that gesso is, it in no way supports the hypothesis. That is why D is wrong.

Conclusion: Guesso causes deterioration of paintings
Premise: Paint adjusts well to climatic changes

Something which says guesso doesn't adjust well to climatic changes will support the conclusion.

Prethink: Need a statement that says something about how Gesso causes the damage.

A. Less Gesso = less damage

Hi Experts,

How can (A) supports ? More or less how does it matter. Use Gesso ---> Cause deterioration.

Thanks
Nandish

Hi NandishSS ,
(A) Renaissance oil paintings with a thin layer of gesso are less likely to show deterioration in response to climatic changes than those with a thicker layer.
- On using negation test on answer A, the argument falls apart. If Gesso was not responsible for the deterioration, then the amount of Gesso used in an Oil painting will have no effect on deterioration. But since as per A, the likelihood to show deterioration does increase with the amount of Gesso used.

Hope this helps!!

The post by Skywalker18 explains your query. I would just add that for strengthening question, negation of the correct option need not break down the argument - it just weakens the argument. Only for assumption type question such breaking down test is required. Moreover my personal experience is that easy and moderate CR's can be solved faster if negation tests are NOT used - it is more efficient to use negation ONLY for tough assumption questions in which the last two options after elimination of the rest cannot be decided on. However solving strategy may vary from person to person, and one needs to select the best suited for himself / herself.

Renaissance paintings are subject to deterioration due to changes in climate, but their actual paint is not a factor in this deterioration. Statement 'A' supports the hypothesis.

(A) Renaissance oil paintings with a thin layer of gesso are less likely to show deterioration in response to climatic changes than those with a thicker layer. Supports the hypothesis. Gesso impacts the deterioration.
(B) Renaissance oil paintings are often painted on wooden panels, which swell when humidity increases and contract when it declines. Irrelevant to the problem in hand.
(C) Oil paint expands and contracts readily in response to changes in temperature, but it absorbs little water and so is little affected by changes in humidity. Irrelevant.
(D) An especially hard and nonabsorbent type of gesso was the raw material for moldings on the frames of Renaissance oil paintings. Good to know. But does not tell how it leads or does not lead to deterioration.
(E) Gesso layers applied by Renaissance painters typically consisted of a coarse base layer onto which several increasingly fine-grained layers were applied Not concerned about how the gesso layers are applied. We only want to know how it impacts the deterioration.

Art restorers who have been studying the factors that cause Renaissance oil paintings to deteriorate physically when subject to climatic changes have found that the oil paint used in these paintings actually adjusts to these changes well. The restorers therefore hypothesize that it is a layer of material called gesso,which is under the paint, that causes the deterioration.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the restorers’ hypothesis?

(A) Renaissance oil paintings with a thin layer of gesso are less likely to show deterioration in response to climatic changes than those with a thicker layer.
(B) Renaissance oil paintings are often painted on wooden panels, which swell when humidity increases and contract when it declines.
(C) Oil paint expands and contracts readily in response to changes in temperature, but it absorbs little water and so is little affected by changes in humidity.
(D) An especially hard and nonabsorbent type of gesso was the raw material for moldings on the frames of Renaissance oil paintings.
(E) Gesso layers applied by Renaissance painters typically consisted of a coarse base layer onto which several increasingly fi ne-grained layers were applied.

Stimulus : Contains Argument with conclusion that "gesso causes deterioration of paintings".

Argument type : strong.

Question stem : Take answer choices to be true : Family 2 ( Assumption / strengthen / resolve the paradox).

Keeping this in mind lets attack the answer choices.

(A) Renaissance oil paintings with a thin layer of gesso are less likely to show deterioration in response to climatic changes than those with a thicker layer.
Change in gesso layer thickness results in change in resistance, New information is ok for family 2 : Contender

(B) Renaissance oil paintings are often painted on wooden panels, which swell when humidity increases and contract when it declines.
Gives us cause other than geeso : Incorrect

(C) Oil paint expands and contracts readily in response to changes in temperature, but it absorbs little water and so is little affected by changes in humidity.
Talk only of the oil paint and why oil paints are little effected by humidity : Incorrect

(D) An especially hard and nonabsorbent type of gesso was the raw material for moldings on the frames of Renaissance oil paintings.
especially hard and nonabsorbent type gesso does not make it prone to deterioration. Incorrect

(E) Gesso layers applied by Renaissance painters typically consisted of a coarse base layer onto which several increasingly fi ne-grained layers were applied.
coarse base layer .... etc .. does not make gesso prone to deterioration Incorrect.

A is the answer

this question is important b/c the source is from OV Guide.
The question is hard b/c D is a good trap. D is correct if D has one more assumption that connects the nonabsorbent type and the deterioration.
On the other hand, A is a common pattern that gives a correlation between gesso and the deterioration.

Option A most strongly supports the restorers’ hypothesis that a layer of material called gesso, which is under the paint, that causes the deterioration.

Option A says just that in GMAT language however if you simplify this option says - More Gesso -> More Deterioration.

Hi mikemcgarry, GMATNinjaTwo, GMATNinja, MagooshExpert Carolyn,
sayantanc2
VeritasPrepKarishma

I struggle with B , I genuinely need your helps.
I read lots of explanations, which say that B weakens the argument because B implies another cause.
However, I think of B as strengthen.
in the argument, oil paint can adjust to the climate change, and author eliminates oil paint as the cause of deterioration.
similarly,B states that wooden panels, like oil paint, are good at adjusting to the climate. so wooden panels, as oil paint does, help adjusting to the climate changes, B eliminates one possible cause deterioration.


experts, please help.


thanks in advance

Have a nice day

>_~

A

Strengthens the argument, when a thick layer of gesso is applied, it causes more deterioration.

Official Answer:

Argument Evaluation

Situation Renaissance paintings are subject to deterioration due to changes in climate, but their actual paint is not a factor in this deterioration. Instead, restorers hypothesize, it is gesso, the material under the paint, that causes problems for the paintings.

Reasoning What would most strongly support the hypothesis that gesso is causing the deterioration? An indication that gesso is affected by climatic changes would be most helpful in supporting the hypothesis. What could show that gesso is affected in this way? If the extent of a painting's deterioration is directly related to the amount of gesso used under that painting, then the gesso clearly plays some part in that deterioration.

Option A is Correct. This statement properly identifies a point supporting the hypothesis.

Option B suggests that another factor—the wood of the panels—has a role in the paintings' deterioration. Thus it weakens the hypothesis that gesso causes the deterioration.

I feel you have wanted to reply to another CR question. This question and your explanation do not match in content. Kindly recheck.