To account for the conformation of the Alps, two hypotheses have been

Question

To account for the conformation of the Alps, two hypotheses have been advanced, which may be respectively named the hypothesis of fracture and the hypothesis of erosion. The former assumes that the forces by which the mountains were elevated produced fissures in the earth’s crust, and that the valleys of the Alps are the tracks of these fissures; the latter maintains that the valleys have been cut out by the action of ice and water, the mountains themselves being the residual forms of this grand sculpture. I had heard the Via Mala cited as a conspicuous illustration of the fissure theory—the profound chasm thus named, and through which the Hinter-Rhein now flows, could, it was alleged, be nothing else than a crack in the earth’s crust. To the Via Mala I therefore went in 1864 to instruct myself upon the point in question.

The gorge commences about a quarter of an hour above Tusis and, on entering it, the first impression certainly is that it must be a fissure. This conclusion in my case was modified as I advanced. Some distance up the gorge I found upon the slopes to my right quantities of rolled stones, evidently rounded by water-action. Still further up, and just before reaching the first bridge which spans the chasm, I found more rolled stones, associated with sand and gravel. Through this mass of detritus, fortunately, a vertical cutting had been made, which exhibited a section showing perfect stratification. There was no agency in the place to roll these stones, and to deposit these alternating layers of sand and pebbles, but the river which now rushes some hundreds of feet below them. At one period of the Via Mala’s history the river must have run at this high level. Other evidences of water-action soon revealed themselves. From the parapet of the first bridge I could see the solid rock 200 feet above the bed of the river scooped and eroded.   1  
 1. What is the primary purpose of the author in writing the passage?

(A) To discuss two alternative hypotheses about the creation of the Alps 
(B) To present the results of current studies about the formation of the Alps and to propose further studies 
(C) To explain recent developments in a field and predict their eventual consequence 
(D) To introduce two hypotheses about the creation of the Alps and agree with one of them
(E) To outline several hypotheses about a natural phenomenon and to support one of them

2 
 2. What is the function of the first sentence of the second paragraph—‘The gorge commences… it must be a fissure’?

(A) It is a hypothesis that the author later disagrees with.
(B) It is a hypothesis that the author goes on to prove right.
(C) It is a neutral observation made by the author.
(D) It confirms the author’s initial belief.
(E) It is the first step in the author’s experiment.

3 
 3. Which of the following can be inferred from the information provided in the passage?

(A) It is now absolutely clear what led to the formation of the Alps.
(B) The only evidence that the author found, which supports the hypothesis of erosion, is a vertical cross section of the Alps.
(C) According to the hypothesis of fracture, the valleys in the Alps have been created by the action of ice and water.
(D) A vertical cross-section of the Alps showing perfect stratification is proof of the hypothesis of erosion.
(E) The Via Mala is the name of a river that flows through the Alps.

4 
 4. With specific reference to the author’s conclusion based on the observation of rolled stones and pebbles in the gorge, which of the following is an assumption that the author relies on?

(A) The rolled stones appeared consistently throughout the chasm.
(B) Similar stones have also been found in other gorges in the Alps.
(C) These stones could not have been deposited in the gorge by the Alpine Ibex, an animal whose furs these stones tend to cling to.
(D) The vertical stratification observed by the author could have only been created as a result of river action.
(E) These stones were once part of the Hinter Rheine River.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

What is the source of this passage? Also please format the passage according to the RC rules, read the rules in the link below https://gmatclub.com/forum/rc-forum-rul ... 55874.html Thank you

junii · Answer

Hello there i followed the instruction and formatted accordingly. When i press edit option however i am unable to find the source edit option. It is from Wiley's GMAT reading Grail.

junii · Answer

GMATNinja 
 generis 
Please can you explain how to tackle this passage

AnirudhaS · Answer

are you sure the OA to Q4 is C?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

While posting a new passage you have to click on one of the source options available. See the screen shot below. 1.jpg If the source name is not available you just need to check on the last one "Other - please specify" and then name the source within the passage. This passage belong to Aristotle and I have updated the same. Thank you

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hello AnirudhaS

Yes, the OA is indeed C.

Thank you

junii · Answer

From those who have attempted the passage, please share your explanations.

Makesh89 · Answer

Took 7 minutes and got all correct.
It's a relatively easy passage.

Posted from my mobile device

junii · Answer

Please explain your reasoning Thanks!

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Passage Summary

Scope

To evaluate two theories about the formation of the Alps.

Passage Map

Paragraph 1  – To state that two theories have been put forward to explain the formation of the Alps—the erosion theory and the fracture theory. The author has heard that the fracture theory is supposedly the better one and is visiting a site to verify the same

Paragraph 2  – To state that after initially agreeing with the fracture theory the author later disagrees with it because of evidence such as the shape of pebbles that he found at the site and the nature of stratification present in a cross section of the mountain, all of which point to the theory of erosion.

Official Explanation

1. What is the primary purpose of the author in writing the passage?

Difficulty Level:   Medium

(D)  is the correct answer because the author is not just providing two alternative theories but clearly agreeing with the theory of erosion.

(A)  As explained above, the author is doing more than just discussing the two theories—he is also giving his preference for one.

(B)  The author never proposes any further study in the passage.

(C)  The author doesn’t make any predictions in the passage.

(E)  The author does not outline several hypotheses but only two of them. Also, a mountain cannot really be described as a phenomenon.

Answer: D

2. What is the function of the first sentence of the second paragraph—‘The gorge commences… it must be a fissure’?

Difficulty Level:   Hard

Explanation

In this line, the author states that the initial signs suggested that the theory of fracture was correct but later on in the paragraph he disagrees with the same and goes with the theory of erosion instead. Thus,  (A)  should be the correct answer.

(B)  Opposite. The author actually goes on to agree with the theory of erosion.

(C)  As explained above, this is definitely not a neutral observation made by the author.

(D)  The author didn’t really have any initial belief. He had heard that the theory of fracture was correct and had gone to the site to verify the same.

(E)  The author is not conducting any experiment in the passage.

Answer: A

3. Which of the following can be inferred from the information provided in the passage?

Difficulty Level:   Hard

Explanation

(D)  is the only option that is supported by the passage, making it the correct answer. The author is definitely relying on the stratification present in a vertical cross section of the Alps to conclude that the theory of erosion is actually correct.

(A)  The passage doesn’t state this anywhere. For all we know, some new evidence could always come up that could challenge the theory of erosion.

(B)  The author also found rolled pebbles and stones, which he considered signs of river action.

(C)  Opposite—this is actually true according to the hypothesis of erosion.

(E)  According to the last part of the first para, Via Mala is the name of the chasm; the name of the river is Hinter-Rheine.

Answer: D

4. With specific reference to the author’s conclusion based on the observation of rolled stones and pebbles in the gorge, which of the following is an assumption that the author relies on?

Difficulty Level:   Hard

Explanation

The author uses the rolled stones as evidence to conclude that these must have been deposited by a river. Hence, he assumes that nothing else could have led to the deposition of these stones at this site, that is,  (C)  is the correct answer.

(A)  The consistency of appearance is of no consequence to the author’s argument.

(B)  This may or may not be true but doesn’t necessarily have to be true for the author’s argument to be correct.

(D)  Vertical stratification has no connection with concluding something about the stones.

(E)  This is an inference and not an assumption.

Answer: C

VerbalBot · Answer

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To account for the conformation of the Alps, two hypotheses have been

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To account for the conformation of the Alps, two hypotheses have been

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