Geographers and historians have traditionally held the view that Antar

Question

Geographers and historians have traditionally held the view that Antarctica was frst sighted around 1820, but some sixteenth-century European maps show a body that resembles the polar landmass, even though explorers of the period never saw it. Some scholars, therefore, argue that the continent must have been discovered and mapped by the ancients, whose maps are known to have served as models for the European cartographers.    1 
 Which of the following, if true, is most damaging to the inference drawn by the scholars?

A. The question of who frst sighted Antarctica in modern times is still much debated, and no one has been able to present conclusive evidence.
B. Between 3,000 and 9,000 years ago, the world was warmer than it is now, and the polar landmass was presumably smaller.
C. Tere are only a few sixteenth-century global maps that show a continental landmass at the South Pole.
D. Most attributions of surprising accomplishments to ancient civilizations or even extraterrestrials are eventually discredited or rejected as preposterous.
E. Ancient philosophers believed that there had to be a large landmass at the South Pole to balance the northern continents and make the world symmetrical.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

The inference that Antarctica was discovered by the ancients would be weakened if there were an alternative explanation of why the ancients might have drawn a landmass in that area on their maps.  Choice E  provides just such an explanation, so it is the correct answer.

Choice A  is incorrect because the identity of the modern discoverer of the Antarctica has no bearing on why the continent was included on sixteenth-century maps. Since the ancients referred to in the passage likely postdate the warm period mentioned in  Choice B , that option is also incorrect.

The passage never mentions how many sixteenth-century maps show a southern polar landmass, and the argument does not depend upon any particular quantity, so  Choice C  is incorrect.

Choice D  comments upon the conclusion but does not pertain to the argument itself, so it is also incorrect. 
 
  Answer: E

Geographers and historians have traditionally held the view that Antar

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards