Barley was the first grain to be cultivated by the ancient Egyptians.

Question

Barley was the first grain to be cultivated by the ancient Egyptians.   There is ample evidence that barley was baked into loaves that were fermented to make beer. There is, however, no indication that Egyptians of that period ever ate loaves of barley or that they cooked barley to make any other food. Since the possibility that   they consumed barley raw   can be safely dismissed, it seems probable that at one period the ancient Egyptians consumed cultivated grain in the form of beer only.

In the argument given, the two highlighted portions play which of the following roles?

A The first introduces the circumstance, the explanation of which is at issue in the argument; the second is an assumption that is explicitly made in drawing the conclusion of the argument.
B The first introduces the circumstance, the explanation of which is at issue in the argument; the second is evidence that was used to support a position to which the argument is opposed.
C The first provides evidence to support the main conclusion; the second introduces a phenomenon that the argument seeks to explain.
D The first provides evidence to support the main conclusion; the second states a hypothesis that the argument as a whole seeks to refute.
E The first provides evidence to support the main conclusion; the second is a statement that is explicitly rejected in drawing that conclusion.

sanya2711 · Answer

Can someone please provide an explanation for this question? I thought the answer should be A.

JyotiChauhan · Answer

GMATNinja  : can you please explain why E is correct here?

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

The first sentence of the passage is a fact - and is not being made an "issue" of in the passage. It's accepted as a legitimate truth.

The answer is (E), though I can understand people finding that last clause a bit wonky to read.

Amit0701 · Answer

GMATNinja ,  daagh  could you please help in explaining, why E is correct?

vv65 · Answer

The conclusion is:
"it seems probable that at one period the ancient Egyptians consumed cultivated grain in the form of beer only"

Why A and B are wrong:
the argument is NOT trying to explain why "Barley was the first grain to be cultivated by the ancient Egyptians" (Boldface1). The explanation of Boldface1 is NOT at issue in the argument.

C is wrong for a similar reason:
The argument is NOT trying to explain why "they consumed barley raw". In fact, the argument assumes and states that they did NOT consume barley raw ("the possibility that they consumed barley raw can be safely dismissed")

Why D is wrong:
The argument isn't trying to 'refute the hypothesis' that 'they consumed barley raw'. It does assume and state that they did not consume barley raw, but does not give any evidence or reason for this assumption.

E is good:
Boldface1 'is evidence' - true
Boldface2 'is explicitly rejected' - also true

Posted from my mobile device

VerbalBot · Answer

Automated notice from GMAT Club VerbalBot: 

A member just gave Kudos to this thread, showing it’s still useful. I’ve bumped it to the top so more people can benefit. Feel free to add your own questions or solutions.

 This post was generated automatically.

Barley was the first grain to be cultivated by the ancient Egyptians.

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Questions

Barley was the first grain to be cultivated by the ancient Egyptians.

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards