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Updated on: 22 Mar 2026, 22:25
Originally posted by EMPOWERgmatVerbal on 16 Sep 2020, 14:21.
Last edited by AbhishekP220108 on 22 Mar 2026, 22:25, edited 4 times in total.
Last edited by AbhishekP220108 on 22 Mar 2026, 22:25, edited 4 times in total.
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E
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
95%
(hard)
Question Stats:
38% (02:09) correct
62%
(02:24)
wrong
based on 549
sessions
History
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New historical research suggests to some historians that most early European settlers in the Americas underestimated the amount of time it would take them to learn to properly farm the land.This conclusion is based on written accounts taken from more than a dozen sites in what is now Virginia, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Other historians believe that since these accounts are taken only from a limited number of official records of property that had to be sold in order for the owners to avoid bankruptcy, they give a false impression of the status of farmers in those regions.
In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
(A) The first is evidence for an unstated conclusion ; the second is evidence that is used to weaken the conclusion suggested by the first piece of evidence.
(B) The first is background information; the second is evidence that provides a link from the background information to a possible conclusion.
(C) The first is a conclusion; the second provides an interpretation that conflicts with an assumption made by that conclusion.
(D) The first is evidence that supports a stated conclusion; the second is evidence that does not directly address the strength of that conclusion.
(E) The first is a conclusion; the second is evidence that is used to weaken the certainty of that conclusion.
In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
(A) The first is evidence for an unstated conclusion ; the second is evidence that is used to weaken the conclusion suggested by the first piece of evidence.
(B) The first is background information; the second is evidence that provides a link from the background information to a possible conclusion.
(C) The first is a conclusion; the second provides an interpretation that conflicts with an assumption made by that conclusion.
(D) The first is evidence that supports a stated conclusion; the second is evidence that does not directly address the strength of that conclusion.
(E) The first is a conclusion; the second is evidence that is used to weaken the certainty of that conclusion.
18 Sep 2020, 15:32
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Official Explanation:
NOTE: There was a mistake in the original question. The first sentence, not the second, should have been in boldface. We've fixed it in the original question, and down below in the explanation. We apologize for the confusion!
New historical research suggests to some historians that most early European settlers in the Americas underestimated the amount of time it would take them to learn to properly farm the land. This conclusion is based on written accounts taken from more than a dozen sites in what is now Virginia, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Other historians believe that since these accounts are taken only from a limited number of official records of property that had to be sold in order for the owners to avoid bankruptcy, they give a false impression of the status of farmers in those regions.
In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
(A) The first is evidence for an unstated conclusion ; the second is evidence that is used to weaken the conclusion suggested by the first piece of evidence.
(B) The first is background information; the second is evidence that provides a link from the background information to a possible conclusion.
(C) The first is a conclusion; the second provides an interpretation that conflicts with an assumption made by that conclusion.
(D) The first is evidence that supports a stated conclusion; the second is evidence that does not directly address the strength of that conclusion.
(E) The first is a conclusion; the second is evidence that is used to weaken the certainty of that conclusion.
Question Type: Bold Face CR
Boil It Down: Historical records say that European settlers were terrible farmers because they underestimated how long it would take to learn how to farm in the Americas. However, some historians say European settlers lied in these documents to more easily declare bankruptcy on their land.
Goal: Figure out the purpose of each bold faced section.
Analysis:
This question asks you to identify what parts the two boldfaced portions play in the passage.
The passage contains two conclusions, which we’ll call Conclusion A and B. They each have their own premise.
Premise A: Written accounts taken from more than a dozen sites contain information about early farm failures.
Conclusion A: Most early European settlers in the Americas underestimated the amount of time it would take them to learn to properly farm the land.
Premise B: The accounts of farm failures are taken from official records of property that had to be sold in order for the owners to avoid bankruptcy.
Conclusion B: The accounts give a false impression; one cannot conclude that most early European settlers in the Americas underestimated the amount of time it would take them to learn to properly farm the land, since the accounts are only of a limited number of farm failures.
The above analysis should make it clear that choice E is correct. The first portion is a conclusion. (The next few words – “This conclusion” make this crystal clear.”) The second portion supports a different conclusion that opposes the first one. It states that “one cannot conclude that most “. . . settlers . . . underestimated the amount of time . . .”
Don’t study for the GMAT. Train for it.
NOTE: There was a mistake in the original question. The first sentence, not the second, should have been in boldface. We've fixed it in the original question, and down below in the explanation. We apologize for the confusion!
New historical research suggests to some historians that most early European settlers in the Americas underestimated the amount of time it would take them to learn to properly farm the land. This conclusion is based on written accounts taken from more than a dozen sites in what is now Virginia, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Other historians believe that since these accounts are taken only from a limited number of official records of property that had to be sold in order for the owners to avoid bankruptcy, they give a false impression of the status of farmers in those regions.
In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
(A) The first is evidence for an unstated conclusion ; the second is evidence that is used to weaken the conclusion suggested by the first piece of evidence.
(B) The first is background information; the second is evidence that provides a link from the background information to a possible conclusion.
(C) The first is a conclusion; the second provides an interpretation that conflicts with an assumption made by that conclusion.
(D) The first is evidence that supports a stated conclusion; the second is evidence that does not directly address the strength of that conclusion.
(E) The first is a conclusion; the second is evidence that is used to weaken the certainty of that conclusion.
Question Type: Bold Face CR
Boil It Down: Historical records say that European settlers were terrible farmers because they underestimated how long it would take to learn how to farm in the Americas. However, some historians say European settlers lied in these documents to more easily declare bankruptcy on their land.
Goal: Figure out the purpose of each bold faced section.
Analysis:
This question asks you to identify what parts the two boldfaced portions play in the passage.
The passage contains two conclusions, which we’ll call Conclusion A and B. They each have their own premise.
Premise A: Written accounts taken from more than a dozen sites contain information about early farm failures.
Conclusion A: Most early European settlers in the Americas underestimated the amount of time it would take them to learn to properly farm the land.
Premise B: The accounts of farm failures are taken from official records of property that had to be sold in order for the owners to avoid bankruptcy.
Conclusion B: The accounts give a false impression; one cannot conclude that most early European settlers in the Americas underestimated the amount of time it would take them to learn to properly farm the land, since the accounts are only of a limited number of farm failures.
The above analysis should make it clear that choice E is correct. The first portion is a conclusion. (The next few words – “This conclusion” make this crystal clear.”) The second portion supports a different conclusion that opposes the first one. It states that “one cannot conclude that most “. . . settlers . . . underestimated the amount of time . . .”
Don’t study for the GMAT. Train for it.
