Recent research confirms that playing a stringed instrument, such as a

Hey Adi93 ,

Sure, here I go:

Let's understand the argument first:


Conclusion: Playing a stringed instrument actually improves its tone.

Premise: They did some experiment and found that playing those instruments frequently(daily in their case) than playing at a normal pace actually decreases damping coefficient. Less damping coefficient = Single note is heard longer

We need to see which of the following MUST be true.

--> This is not necessary. It was just in their experiment. The point is it should be played frequently compared to normal frequency.

--> Again, it was just their experiment to prove something. We cannot say "MUST" do that always. Extreme answer should be taken very seriously.

--> This is what actually they have made a point. Their experiment said coefficient decreased, this a single node is heard longer. Then they claimed about improvement in the tone. That means there is some positive relation between the two. Hence, the correct answer.

--> Really, when did we say so?

--> I know what happens when the humidity was high but I don't know anything about what happens when the humidity is normal or low. Remember, this is a very common trap on GMAT. They talk about one side and then we assume about the other side.

Does that make sense?

Hi abhimahna,

Thank you so much for explaining it so clearly but I have a query here. In must be true questions we don't bring outside knowledge right? In option C how can we say whether there is some positive or negative relation between the two.

Hey Adi93 ,

Yes, that is true. We can't bring outside information and we are not doing so in option C.

You need to understand that the author made a premise about X and concluded Y from it. That means there has to be some relationship in X and Y.

Here X is single note is heard longer

and Y is Playing a stringed instrument actually improves its tone.

This means single note being heard longer is somewhat related to improving the tone. Hence, the answer choice C.

P.S: Improving means something positive.

Does that make sense?

That makes so much sense to me now..

Don't know what I was thinking before.

Thank you so much abhimahna!

[/b]
If the above statements are true, then which of the following must also be true?


We can see that the tone of the passage is soft, so any answer choice using words such as only, must, all, always etc. can be

eliminated first. We need to be skeptical about extreme answer choices in INFERENCE questions. Most of the times extreme answer

choices are wrong.


A. In order to keep damping coefficients low, violinists must play their instruments every day.

B. In order to replicate the experiment's results, violinists must store their instruments in conditions of high humidity.

C. That a single note can be heard longer is considered a positive attribute of a stringed instrument's tone.

D.Researchers do not yet understand why the vibrations cause damping coefficients to decrease.

E.When the experiment is performed in conditions of low humidity, the damping coefficient increases.


A and B are wrong for using "must" an extreme word which we can't infer from the passage.

D and E are out of scope.

D. Passage says nothing about "researchers don't yet understand something" .

E. We are concerned with high humid conditions and not about low humid conditions.

C is correct choice.

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