The solidity of bridge piers built on pilings depends largely on how d

A & B) Nothing in the passage about safety
C) "Contemporary standard" met
D) No information about what happened after 1588
E) Default answer; "additional penetration... no greater than," suggests penetration may not be 0.

Bump!

Can someone please explain why is it E.

(A) The Rialto Bridge was built on unsafe pilings'
It is not mentioned in the passage

(B) The standard of refusal was not sufficient to ensure the safefy of a bridge.
Can't be infer from the passage

(C) Da Ponte's standard of refusal was less strict than that of other bridge builders of his day.
Can't be infer from the passage

(D) After 1588, no bridges were built on pilings that were driven to the point of refusal,
Opposite of what mentioned in passage

(E) It is possible that the pilings of the Rialto Bridge could have been driven deeper even after the standard of refusal had been met.

In a 1588 inquiry into the solidity of piers for Venice's Rialto Bridge, it was determined that the bridge's
builder, Antonio Da Ponte, had met the contemporary standard for refusal: he had caused the pilings to be driven until additional penetration into the ground was no greater than two inches after twenty-four hammer blows.

given above facts in the passage imply that the penetration can be done further.

(A) The Rialto Bridge was built on unsafe pilings' OUT of scope

(B) The standard of refusal was not sufficient to ensure the safefy of a bridge. OUT of scope

(C) Da Ponte's standard of refusal was less strict than that of other bridge builders of his day. OUT of scope

(D) After 1588, no bridges were built on pilings that were driven to the point of refusal, Opposite of what mentioned in passage

(E) It is possible that the pilings of the Rialto Bridge could have been driven deeper even after the standard of refusal had been met. CORRECT

Premise 1: Bridge solidity depends on how deep pilings are driven.
Premise 2: Prior to 1700: pilings driven to refusal level.
Premise 3: In 1588 inquiry:Builder met the contemporary standard of refusal: he had driven until additional penetration was no greater than 2 inches.
Pre phrase: Premise 1, 2 and 3 all talk about refusal level. And how a builder ensured he meet the refusal level, meaning that he could have driven deeper than refusal level.

A. No information in the passage.
B. No information in the passage.
C. Opposite information. It had met the CONTEMPORARY standard for refusal.
D. Out of scope. No information is provided "after 1588."
E. Correct. After the point of refusal the builder ensured that the additional penetration into the ground was no greater than two inches after twenty-four hammer blows.
Hence, E

D is obviously incorrect for the very reason you cited! The period between 1588 and 1700 is prior to 1700 and pilings were still driven to 'refusal' during that period.

A, B,and C could be true. When the question stem asks you to infer, you look for the answer choice that must be true given the information in the stimulus. E is the only answer that must be true.

The solidity of bridge piers built on pilings depends largely on how deep the pilings are driven. Prior to 1700, pilings were driven to “refusal,” that is, to the point at which they refused to go any deeper. In a 1588 inquiry into the solidity of piers for Venice’s Rialto Bridge, it was determined that the bridge’s builder, Antonio Da Ponte, had met the contemporary standard for refusal: he had caused the pilings to be driven until additional penetration into the ground was no greater than two inches after twenty-four hammer blows.

Which one of the following can properly be inferred from the passage?

(A) The Rialto Bridge was built on unsafe pilings. - Avoid extreme statements
(B) The standard of refusal was not sufficient to ensure the safety of a bridge.Avoid extreme statements
(C) Da Ponte’s standard of refusal was less strict than that of other bridge builders of his day.Not mentioned anywhere
(D) After 1588, no bridges were built on pilings that were driven to the point of refusal.We dont know for sure
(E) It is possible that the pilings of the Rialto Bridge could have been driven deeper even after the standard of refusal had been met.Quite Possible

Thus E

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

The correct answer choice is (E).

This interesting stimulus contains two definitions of “refusal:” an initial definition that implies refusal is a point at which pilings will go no further, and then a second, contemporary standards definition of refusal that reveals that refusal is a point at which additional penetration into the ground is no greater than two inches after twenty-four hammer blows. The stimulus is a fact set, and thus there is no conclusion present.

Answer choice (A): Although there was an inquiry into the solidity of the piers of the Rialto Bridge, the results of that inquiry are not disclosed. The only other information we are given is that the pilings of the Rialto Bridge met the contemporary standard of refusal, but this is not sufficient to indicate whether the pilings of this particular bridge were safe. Hence, this answer fails the Fact Test and is incorrect.

Answer choice (B): Similar to answer choice (A), we have insufficient information to make this judgment.

Answer choice (C): This answer is somewhat opposite of the information in the stimulus, which states that Da Ponte had met the contemporary standard of refusal.

Answer choice (D): This is another Opposite answer. The stimulus indicates that bridges built prior to 1700 were driven to the point of refusal.

Answer choice (E): This is the correct answer. As stated in the stimulus, “he had caused the pilings to be driven until additional penetration into the ground was no greater than two inches after twenty-four hammer blows.” The statement indicates that additional penetration was possible with a sufficient number of hammer blows.

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