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16 Sep 2014, 02:29
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Although fullerenes, spherical molecules made entirely of carbon, were first discovered in the laboratory, they have since been found in nature, specifically in fissures of the rare mineral shungite. Because laboratory synthesis of fullerenes requires specific conditions of temperature and pressure, scientists argue that their presence in shungite provides evidence that the Earth's crust once had those same conditions when the fullerenes formed.
Which of the following, if true, would most seriously undermine the argument?
A. Confirming that the shungite genuinely contained fullerenes took careful experimentation
B. Some fullerenes have also been found on the remains of a small meteorite that collided with a spacecraft
C. The mineral shungnite itself contains large amount of carbon, from which fullerenes apparently formed
D. Shungite itself is only formed under distinctive conditions
E. Fullerenes are highly stable molecules that can persist unchanged for millions of years once formed.
Which of the following, if true, would most seriously undermine the argument?
A. Confirming that the shungite genuinely contained fullerenes took careful experimentation
B. Some fullerenes have also been found on the remains of a small meteorite that collided with a spacecraft
C. The mineral shungnite itself contains large amount of carbon, from which fullerenes apparently formed
D. Shungite itself is only formed under distinctive conditions
E. Fullerenes are highly stable molecules that can persist unchanged for millions of years once formed.
16 Sep 2014, 02:29
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Official Solution:
Although fullerenes, spherical molecules made entirely of carbon, were first discovered in the laboratory, they have since been found in nature, specifically in fissures of the rare mineral shungite. Because laboratory synthesis of fullerenes requires specific conditions of temperature and pressure, scientists argue that their presence in shungite provides evidence that the Earth's crust once had those same conditions when the fullerenes formed.
Which of the following, if true, would most seriously undermine the argument?
A. Confirming that the shungite genuinely contained fullerenes took careful experimentation
B. Some fullerenes have also been found on the remains of a small meteorite that collided with a spacecraft
C. The mineral shungnite itself contains large amount of carbon, from which fullerenes apparently formed
D. Shungite itself is only formed under distinctive conditions
E. Fullerenes are highly stable molecules that can persist unchanged for millions of years once formed.
The "undermine" questions ask about which option most seriously undermines the answer from the five given choices. Note that that is not the same as "which answer mercilessly and uterrly destorys the argument" or "which is the ultimate answer". Thus the one answer out of the five that most strongly, than other answers, undermines - that one is the correct answer, even if it may only slightly damage the argument. Thus your job on the GMAT is to evaluate the degree of undermining by each of the answers.
A) Incorrect. This option is irrelevant. It does not attack the argument (i.e. any assumption) in the passage. Hope much effort was taken to confirm the presence of fullerenes has no bearing on the argument.
B) Incorrect. This option is also irrelevant. Whether fullerenes are present outside the earth has no effect on the argument because finding fullerenes in a meteorite does not mean the fullerenes cannot have formed in the earth’s crust. It is very well possible that the meteorite and the earth’s crust had similar conditions, making it possible for fullerenes to form in both.
C) Incorrect. This option provides more evidence to the argument and thus is strengthening the argument.
D) CORRECT ANSWER: Shungite itself is only formed under distinctive conditions. This is the correct answer and the best weakener. If shungite itself (the host mineral) is only formed under distinctive conditions, then the fullerenes found within it might have formed along with the shungite under those conditions, rather than necessarily under the specific "temperature and pressure" conditions derived from laboratory synthesis of fullerenes. The argument assumes the lab conditions are paramount. If the host material has its own unique formation conditions, it introduces an alternative explanation for the fullerenes' presence that is not tied to the lab synthesis conditions, thus undermining the idea of using the lab fullerenes as a "test case" for Earth's crust conditions based solely on the fullerene formation. It breaks the direct link..
E) Incorrect. The argument's conclusion is specifically about using laboratory synthesis data to evaluate hypotheses about the Earth's crust conditions at the time these naturally occurring fullerenes were formed. The stability of fullerenes once formed is irrelevant to determining the unique temperature and pressure conditions required for their initial creation.
Answer: D
Although fullerenes, spherical molecules made entirely of carbon, were first discovered in the laboratory, they have since been found in nature, specifically in fissures of the rare mineral shungite. Because laboratory synthesis of fullerenes requires specific conditions of temperature and pressure, scientists argue that their presence in shungite provides evidence that the Earth's crust once had those same conditions when the fullerenes formed.
Which of the following, if true, would most seriously undermine the argument?
A. Confirming that the shungite genuinely contained fullerenes took careful experimentation
B. Some fullerenes have also been found on the remains of a small meteorite that collided with a spacecraft
C. The mineral shungnite itself contains large amount of carbon, from which fullerenes apparently formed
D. Shungite itself is only formed under distinctive conditions
E. Fullerenes are highly stable molecules that can persist unchanged for millions of years once formed.
The "undermine" questions ask about which option most seriously undermines the answer from the five given choices. Note that that is not the same as "which answer mercilessly and uterrly destorys the argument" or "which is the ultimate answer". Thus the one answer out of the five that most strongly, than other answers, undermines - that one is the correct answer, even if it may only slightly damage the argument. Thus your job on the GMAT is to evaluate the degree of undermining by each of the answers.
A) Incorrect. This option is irrelevant. It does not attack the argument (i.e. any assumption) in the passage. Hope much effort was taken to confirm the presence of fullerenes has no bearing on the argument.
B) Incorrect. This option is also irrelevant. Whether fullerenes are present outside the earth has no effect on the argument because finding fullerenes in a meteorite does not mean the fullerenes cannot have formed in the earth’s crust. It is very well possible that the meteorite and the earth’s crust had similar conditions, making it possible for fullerenes to form in both.
C) Incorrect. This option provides more evidence to the argument and thus is strengthening the argument.
D) CORRECT ANSWER: Shungite itself is only formed under distinctive conditions. This is the correct answer and the best weakener. If shungite itself (the host mineral) is only formed under distinctive conditions, then the fullerenes found within it might have formed along with the shungite under those conditions, rather than necessarily under the specific "temperature and pressure" conditions derived from laboratory synthesis of fullerenes. The argument assumes the lab conditions are paramount. If the host material has its own unique formation conditions, it introduces an alternative explanation for the fullerenes' presence that is not tied to the lab synthesis conditions, thus undermining the idea of using the lab fullerenes as a "test case" for Earth's crust conditions based solely on the fullerene formation. It breaks the direct link..
E) Incorrect. The argument's conclusion is specifically about using laboratory synthesis data to evaluate hypotheses about the Earth's crust conditions at the time these naturally occurring fullerenes were formed. The stability of fullerenes once formed is irrelevant to determining the unique temperature and pressure conditions required for their initial creation.
Answer: D
