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Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus reve 13 Feb 2022, 16:35
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avigutman
Very nicely done, jabhatta2. The only thing I would push back on in this:
jabhatta2

Fact: Kourion was destroyed in A.D. 365
Conclusion: Kourion was destroyed by an earthquake
Strengthener: No coins minted after A.D. 365 were found in Kourion, but coins minted before that year were found in abundance.

Why do you think this strengthens, jabhatta2?
We already knew that Kourion was destroyed in A.D. 365, so the information about coins makes sense. how does it support the conclusion that an earthquake was what destroyed Kourion?
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Hi avigutman - I think your question was in pertinence to structure # 1. The reason i thought bullet 4 was a strengthener even in argument structure # 1 was

(# 4) describes what is 'typical' AFTER an earthquake..But one could argue -- (#4) describes what is 'typical' after a flood / 'typical' after a 'fire' / after a 'hailstorm' ...

So yes, i think (bullet 4) would be a very very low bar strengthener in argument structure # 1 [because (# 4) brings down the list of possible reasons to - hailstorm or earthquake or firestorm or tsunami....] -
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Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus reve 25 Mar 2022, 22:13
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Hello,

I found Mark's explanation - We're trying to conclude that the destruction in question was caused by a particular earthquake that occurred in A.D. 365. But the only premise is that the destruction was caused by some earthquake - quite helpful but to understand the passage better I have few questions.

Can we not understand the passage this way -
the pattern of destruction of the buildings of Kourion indicates that the destruction most probably (inferred from the word 'typical') has been caused by an earthquake. The author now concludes that the destruction was indeed due to a major earthquake in A.D. 365.

A supporting statement will have to provide additional information about one or both the cases below :
a) Evidence of earthquake in AD. 365.
b) The earthquake being major enough to cause such destruction.

Coming to the answer choice analysis of Choice B & Choice C -

(B) Here we have artifacts before the date in question, but not after the date in question. This would definitely support the hypothesis that the earthquake occurred in A.D. 365.
How do you infer from this Choice there was indeed an earthquake which destroyed the city?

(C) We've already established that there was an earthquake near Cyprus in A.D. 365 ("known to have occurred near [Cyprus] in A.D. 365"). The question of whether this was the particular earthquake that destroyed Kourion still remains1.
Yes, but this choice provides support to the fact that there was an earthquake in AD. 365

I will be thankful if anyone helps me understand this better.

Thanks in advance,
Kaushal
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Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus reve 27 Mar 2022, 15:58
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Hi ReedArnoldMPREP DmitryFarber MartyTargetTestPrep - on (B) - since when do earthquakes get rid of coins ? I think at best, an earthquake would scatter the coins but get rid of coins completely ? Seems suspect

By this logic - even a hurricane or a tsunami also gets rid of coins

Also if all the coins are missing - maybe they were stolen or used up by later generations.

I dont see how (B) prooves an earthquake did it any more than a flood or a hurricane
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Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus reve 27 Mar 2022, 16:27
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jabhatta2
Hi - on (B) - since when do earthquakes get rid of coins ? I think at best, an earthquake would scatter the coins but get rid of coins completely ? Seems suspect

By this logic - even a hurricane or a tsunami also gets rid of coins

Also if all the coins are missing - maybe they were stolen or used up by later generations.

I dont see how (B) prooves an earthquake did it any more than a flood or a hurricane
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Hi jabhatta2.

The idea is not that the earthquake got rid of the coins. The idea is that THE MINTING OF COINS CEASED right around when that "earthquake known to have occurred near the island in A.D. 365" occurred.

This information indicates that the city was likely destroyed, or heavily damaged, in the same year in which the earthquake occurred, which information makes the argument that the destruction of the city was caused by that earthquake a bit more convincing.
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Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus reve 27 Mar 2022, 16:49
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Hi MartyTargetTestPrep ReedArnoldMPREP i keep reading that (C) is wrong because (C) doesnt add any value.

But i thought the information in the red below is 'part of the hypothesis'. I didnt think its a given / fact that an earthquake MUST HAVE OCCURED in 365 AD because the words in the red come after the word hypothesis

Anything after the word hypothesis is -- a hyothesis (including the words in the red)

So maybe the earthquake took place but not in 365 AD but maye NO Earthquake took place in 365 AD

So (C) was strengthening because (C) confirms -- YES ! an earthquake DID OCCUR in 365 AD.


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Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus revealed a pattern of debris and collapsed buildings typical of towns devestated by earthquakes. Archaeologists have hypothesized that the destruction was due to a major earthquake known to have occured near the island in A.D. 365.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the archaeologists' hypothesis?
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Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus reve 27 Mar 2022, 18:01
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jabhatta2
But i thought the information in the red below is 'part of the hypothesis'. I didnt think its a given / fact that an earthquake MUST HAVE OCCURED in 365 AD because the words in the red come after the word hypothesis

Anything after the word hypothesis is -- a hyothesis (including the words in the red)

So maybe the earthquake took place but not in 365 AD but maye NO Earthquake took place in 365 AD

So (C) was strengthening because (C) confirms -- YES ! an earthquake DID OCCUR in 365 AD.


Quote:

Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus revealed a pattern of debris and collapsed buildings typical of towns devestated by earthquakes. Archaeologists have hypothesized that the destruction was due to a major earthquake known to have occured near the island in A.D. 365.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the archaeologists' hypothesis?
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The hypothesis is that the devastation is connected to an earthquake KNOWN, as opposed to hypothesized, to have occurred. So, the earthquake occurred, and hypothesis is that the devastation was caused by that particular earthquake.
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Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus reve 28 Mar 2022, 02:31
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The archaeologists conclude that the destruction found in Kourion was caused by an earthquake near Cyprus in the year A.D. 365. Here’s how they arrive at that conclusion:

    1. They found a pattern of destruction in Kourion (a city on the island of Cyprus).
    2. This pattern is typically found in towns devastated by earthquakes.
    3. An earthquake took place near Cyprus in A.D. 365.
    4. Therefore, this earthquake is what caused the destruction of Kourion.

And the question is asking: which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the archaeologists' hypothesis?

To strengthen this argument, we'll need to rule out other causes of the same pattern of destruction or find evidence that Kourion was actually devastated in A.D. 365, not sometime before or after the earthquake.

Quote:
(A) Bronze ceremonial drinking vessels that are often found in graves dating from years preceding and following A.D. 365 were also found in several graves near Kourion.
If Kourion was devastated in A.D. 365, we wouldn’t expect to see any drinking vessels originating from after that year. Choice (A) weakens the argument, so we’ll eliminate it.

Quote:
(B) No coins minted after A.D. 365 were found in Kourion, but coins minted before that year were found in abundance.
Choice (B) presents exactly the kind of evidence we need to back the archaeologists. If they found pre-365 coinage in the debris but couldn’t find a single coin created after 365, then we’d be more inclined to believe that the earthquake in A.D. 365 did in fact devastate Kourion. Let’s keep this and continue eliminating choices.

Quote:
(C) Most modern histories of Cyprus mention that an earthquake occurred near the island in A.D. 365.
Choice (C) doesn’t give us any new information. It may strengthen the fact that an earthquake took place in this year, but doesn’t strengthen the argument that this earthquake caused the destruction seen in Kourion. Let’s eliminate choice (C).

Quote:
(D) Several small statues carved in styles current in Cyprus in the century between A.D. 300 and 400 were found in Kourion.
Choice (D) would neither strengthen nor weaken the argument, which places the destruction of Kourion in A.D. 365. If these small statues were carved between 300 and 365, choice (D) would strengthen the argument. If these small statues were carved between 365 and 400, choice (D) would weaken the argument. Since we don’t know when exactly the statues were carved, we’ll eliminate choice (D).

Quote:
(E) Stone inscriptions in a form of the Greek alphabet that was definitely used in Cyprus after A.D. 365 were found in Kourion.
This evidence weakens the argument because it presents an artifact that was created after the year of the earthquake in A.D. 365. Let’s eliminate choice (E).

Answer choice (B) is the best option.
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Option B is only providing evidence that destruction might have occured. It doesn't tell us the cause was Earthquake then how does this option supports the hypothesis.
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Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus reve 28 Mar 2022, 04:43
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Option B is only providing evidence that destruction might have occured. It doesn't tell us the cause was Earthquake then how does this option supports the hypothesis.
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See my response here: https://gmatclub.com/forum/excavation-o ... l#p2991535
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Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus reve 03 Apr 2022, 00:09
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(B) No coins minted after A.D. 365 were found in Kourion, but coins minted before that year were found in abundance
I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE REASON,
yes, it says that if coins were not found before A.D. 365 then destruction has happened. But same as C we can't conclude that earthquake happened but not the destruction.. then for B how we are concluding that .. because destruction has happened it only because of earth quack.... could be other reason of destruction like a flood, war, etc.
What I think, why B is correct because in question stem it says that destruction seems like an earthquake pattern, not other reason.
Correct me if I am wrong.
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Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus reve 24 Aug 2022, 07:41
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Bit confused. If coins post AD 365 are not found how does this fact suggest that the town was destroyed by earthquake itself? The town might have been destroyed by flood or some other natural disaster. Option C does reiterate a known fact but modern histories of Cyprus validates archaeologists' hypothesis. Or does it not?

Thanks for you answer
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Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus reve 24 Aug 2022, 11:01
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Bit confused. If coins post AD 365 are not found how does this fact suggest that the town was destroyed by earthquake itself? The town might have been destroyed by flood or some other natural disaster.
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The first sentence establishes that the town was destroyed by an earthquake. (A different type of natural disaster is not magically going to produce devastation that looks exactly like the destruction caused by an earthquake!)

The issue in the argument is not whether the town was destroyed by an earthquake; the issue is WHEN the town was destroyed.
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Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus reve 31 Jul 2023, 22:40
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The archaeologists conclude that the destruction found in Kourion was caused by an earthquake near Cyprus in the year A.D. 365. Here’s how they arrive at that conclusion:

    1. They found a pattern of destruction in Kourion (a city on the island of Cyprus).
    2. This pattern is typically found in towns devastated by earthquakes.
    3. An earthquake took place near Cyprus in A.D. 365.
    4. Therefore, this earthquake is what caused the destruction of Kourion.

And the question is asking: which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the archaeologists' hypothesis?

To strengthen this argument, we'll need to rule out other causes of the same pattern of destruction or find evidence that Kourion was actually devastated in A.D. 365, not sometime before or after the earthquake.

Quote:
(A) Bronze ceremonial drinking vessels that are often found in graves dating from years preceding and following A.D. 365 were also found in several graves near Kourion.
If Kourion was devastated in A.D. 365, we wouldn’t expect to see any drinking vessels originating from after that year. Choice (A) weakens the argument, so we’ll eliminate it.

Quote:
(B) No coins minted after A.D. 365 were found in Kourion, but coins minted before that year were found in abundance.
Choice (B) presents exactly the kind of evidence we need to back the archaeologists. If they found pre-365 coinage in the debris but couldn’t find a single coin created after 365, then we’d be more inclined to believe that the earthquake in A.D. 365 did in fact devastate Kourion. Let’s keep this and continue eliminating choices.

Quote:
(C) Most modern histories of Cyprus mention that an earthquake occurred near the island in A.D. 365.
Choice (C) doesn’t give us any new information. It may strengthen the fact that an earthquake took place in this year, but doesn’t strengthen the argument that this earthquake caused the destruction seen in Kourion. Let’s eliminate choice (C).

Quote:
(D) Several small statues carved in styles current in Cyprus in the century between A.D. 300 and 400 were found in Kourion.
Choice (D) would neither strengthen nor weaken the argument, which places the destruction of Kourion in A.D. 365. If these small statues were carved between 300 and 365, choice (D) would strengthen the argument. If these small statues were carved between 365 and 400, choice (D) would weaken the argument. Since we don’t know when exactly the statues were carved, we’ll eliminate choice (D).

Quote:
(E) Stone inscriptions in a form of the Greek alphabet that was definitely used in Cyprus after A.D. 365 were found in Kourion.
This evidence weakens the argument because it presents an artifact that was created after the year of the earthquake in A.D. 365. Let’s eliminate choice (E).

Answer choice (B) is the best option.
Show more



Hi GMATNinja, KarishmaB, MartyTargetTestPrep,

I have a silly doubt.. :facepalm_man:

If the question was framed to find the assumption, then would the choice (C) be the most appropriate answer to select in this case or choice (B) will still be the best bet ?

Thank you!
Tilak
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Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus reve 31 Jul 2023, 23:15
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The archaeologists conclude that the destruction found in Kourion was caused by an earthquake near Cyprus in the year A.D. 365. Here’s how they arrive at that conclusion:

    1. They found a pattern of destruction in Kourion (a city on the island of Cyprus).
    2. This pattern is typically found in towns devastated by earthquakes.
    3. An earthquake took place near Cyprus in A.D. 365.
    4. Therefore, this earthquake is what caused the destruction of Kourion.

And the question is asking: which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the archaeologists' hypothesis?

To strengthen this argument, we'll need to rule out other causes of the same pattern of destruction or find evidence that Kourion was actually devastated in A.D. 365, not sometime before or after the earthquake.

Quote:
(A) Bronze ceremonial drinking vessels that are often found in graves dating from years preceding and following A.D. 365 were also found in several graves near Kourion.
If Kourion was devastated in A.D. 365, we wouldn’t expect to see any drinking vessels originating from after that year. Choice (A) weakens the argument, so we’ll eliminate it.

Quote:
(B) No coins minted after A.D. 365 were found in Kourion, but coins minted before that year were found in abundance.
Choice (B) presents exactly the kind of evidence we need to back the archaeologists. If they found pre-365 coinage in the debris but couldn’t find a single coin created after 365, then we’d be more inclined to believe that the earthquake in A.D. 365 did in fact devastate Kourion. Let’s keep this and continue eliminating choices.

Quote:
(C) Most modern histories of Cyprus mention that an earthquake occurred near the island in A.D. 365.
Choice (C) doesn’t give us any new information. It may strengthen the fact that an earthquake took place in this year, but doesn’t strengthen the argument that this earthquake caused the destruction seen in Kourion. Let’s eliminate choice (C).

Quote:
(D) Several small statues carved in styles current in Cyprus in the century between A.D. 300 and 400 were found in Kourion.
Choice (D) would neither strengthen nor weaken the argument, which places the destruction of Kourion in A.D. 365. If these small statues were carved between 300 and 365, choice (D) would strengthen the argument. If these small statues were carved between 365 and 400, choice (D) would weaken the argument. Since we don’t know when exactly the statues were carved, we’ll eliminate choice (D).

Quote:
(E) Stone inscriptions in a form of the Greek alphabet that was definitely used in Cyprus after A.D. 365 were found in Kourion.
This evidence weakens the argument because it presents an artifact that was created after the year of the earthquake in A.D. 365. Let’s eliminate choice (E).

Answer choice (B) is the best option.



Hi GMATNinja, KarishmaB, MartyTargetTestPrep,

I have a silly doubt.. :facepalm_man:

If the question was framed to find the assumption, then would the choice (C) be the most appropriate answer to select in this case or choice (B) will still be the best bet ?

Thank you!
Tilak
Show more

A couple of points to note:

1. An assumption is a MISSING necessary premise.
2. Assumptions are a special type of strengtheners. So it is not possible that an assumption is not the answer in a strengthen question.

Option (C) suggests something that is already given to us in the argument.
... major earthquake known to have occurred near the island in A.D. 365.

The earthquake is KNOWN to have occurred. Hence there is no doubt on whether it occurred or not. Whether modern histories of Cyprus mention it is irrelevant. We know it occurred.

Hence option (C) only indicates something we already know. So it adds no value at all.
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Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus reve 09 Jun 2024, 05:02
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Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus revealed a pattern of debris and collapsed buildings typical of towns devastated by earthquakes. Archaeologists have hypothesized that the destruction was due to a major earthquake known to have occurred near the island in A.D. 365.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the archaeologists' hypothesis?

A. Bronze ceremonial drinking vessels that are often found in graves dating from years preceding and following A.D. 365 were also found in several graves near Kourion.

B. No coins minted after A.D. 365 were found in Kourion, but coins minted before that year were found in abundance.

C. Most modern histories of Cyprus mention that an earthquake occurred near the island in A.D. 365.

D. Several small statues carved in styles current in Cyprus in the century between A.D. 300 and 400 were found in Kourion.

E. Stone inscriptions in a form of the Greek alphabet that was definitely used in Cyprus after A.D. 365 were found in Kourion.



Verbal Question of The Day: Day 249: Critical Reasoning


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­GMATNinja KarishmaB

I have a doubt with respect to option B and C.
Before we move to options I would like to validate if my understanding about the hypothesis is right or not. My understanding is that archaeologists’ hypothesis is : the destruction was due to A.D 365 earthquake. So now the option should stengthen both that there was an earthquake and the earthquake was in A.D 365. Is that right?

Now – Option C talks about both and option B doesn’t talk about earthquake at all. Maybe the destruction happened because of a blast?

I am confused why C is wrong and B is right.

Thanks in advance!
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Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus reve 09 Jun 2024, 22:23
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scorpio7
Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus revealed a pattern of debris and collapsed buildings typical of towns devastated by earthquakes. Archaeologists have hypothesized that the destruction was due to a major earthquake known to have occurred near the island in A.D. 365.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the archaeologists' hypothesis?

A. Bronze ceremonial drinking vessels that are often found in graves dating from years preceding and following A.D. 365 were also found in several graves near Kourion.

B. No coins minted after A.D. 365 were found in Kourion, but coins minted before that year were found in abundance.

C. Most modern histories of Cyprus mention that an earthquake occurred near the island in A.D. 365.

D. Several small statues carved in styles current in Cyprus in the century between A.D. 300 and 400 were found in Kourion.

E. Stone inscriptions in a form of the Greek alphabet that was definitely used in Cyprus after A.D. 365 were found in Kourion.



Verbal Question of The Day: Day 249: Critical Reasoning


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­GMATNinja KarishmaB

I have a doubt with respect to option B and C.
Before we move to options I would like to validate if my understanding about the hypothesis is right or not. My understanding is that archaeologists’ hypothesis is : the destruction was due to A.D 365 earthquake. So now the option should stengthen both that there was an earthquake and the earthquake was in A.D 365. Is that right?

Now – Option C talks about both and option B doesn’t talk about earthquake at all. Maybe the destruction happened because of a blast?

I am confused why C is wrong and B is right.

Thanks in advance!
Show more
­
No, your understanding is not correct. We are given as a premise that there was an earthquake is 365 AD. Also data shows that the town was devastated by an earthquake. 
The conclusion is only that the town was devastated in the earthquake of 365 AD. (not some other earthquake)

So we have to show that the town was devastated in 365 AD. Option (B) supports that. 
Option (C) gives us information that we already have . A major earthquake is known to have occurred near the island in A.D. 365.
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