V60-01

Question

The Bermuda Triangle is a mythical section of the Atlantic Ocean roughly bounded by Miami, Bermuda and Puerto Rico where dozens of ships and airplanes have disappeared. Unexplained circumstances surround some of these accidents, including one in which the pilots of a squadron of U.S. Navy bombers became disoriented while flying over the area; the planes were never found. Other boats and planes have seemingly vanished from the area in good weather without even radioing distress messages. But although myriad fanciful theories have been proposed regarding the Bermuda Triangle, none of them prove that mysterious disappearances occur more frequently there than in other well-traveled sections of the ocean. In fact, people navigate the area every day without incident.

The area referred to as the Bermuda Triangle, or Devil's Triangle, covers about 500,000 square miles of ocean off the southeastern tip of Florida. When Christopher Columbus sailed through the area on his first voyage to the New World, he reported that a great flame of fire (probably a meteor) crashed into the sea one night and that a strange light appeared in the distance a few weeks later. He also wrote about erratic compass readings, perhaps because at that time a sliver of the Bermuda Triangle was one of the few places on Earth where true north and magnetic north lined up.

A pattern allegedly began forming in which vessels traversing the Bermuda Triangle would either disappear or be found abandoned. Then, in December 1945, five Navy bombers carrying 14 men took off from a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, airfield in order to conduct practice bombing runs over some nearby shoals. But with his compasses apparently malfunctioning, the leader of the mission, known as Flight 19, got severely lost. All five planes flew aimlessly until they ran low on fuel and were forced to ditch at sea. That same day, a rescue plane and its 13-man crew also disappeared. After a massive weeks-long search failed to turn up any evidence, the official Navy report declared that it was "as if they had flown to Mars."

In all probability, however, there is no single theory that solves the mystery. As one skeptic put it, trying to find a common cause for every Bermuda Triangle disappearance is no more logical than trying to find a common cause for every automobile accident in Arizona. Moreover, although storms, reefs and the Gulf Stream can cause navigational challenges there, maritime insurance leader Lloyd's of London does not recognize the Bermuda Triangle as an especially hazardous place. Neither does the U.S. Coast Guard, which says: "In a review of many aircraft and vessel losses in the area over the years, there has been nothing discovered that would indicate that casualties were the result of anything other than physical causes. No extraordinary factors have ever been identified."

What is the primary purpose of the passage?

A. A. Debating different theories regarding the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. 
B. B. Discussing the events around and history of the Bermuda Triangle 
C. C. The pattern of disappears of many vessels traversing the region known as the Bermuda Triangle. 
D. D. Trace the origin of the rhetoric around the mystery of the Triangle from the days of Christopher Columbus. 
E. E. Argue about the differences in opinion of what constitutes the Bermuda Trian

StudiosTom · Answer

What is the primary purpose of the passage?

A. Debating different theories regarding the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle-Close ,but passage also includes part of history,So B is better.
B. Discussing the events around and history of the Bermuda Triangle- Correct 
C. The pattern of disappears of many vessels traversing the region known as the Bermuda Triangle-There is no pattern of disappearance
D. Trace the origin of the rhetoric around the mystery of the Triangle from the days of Christopher Columbus-Origin is just a part of passage,not main purpose
E. Argue about the differences in opinion of what constitutes the Bermuda Triangle-Unrelated

tkorzhan1995 · Answer

GMATNinja , can you please help to understand on the basis of what D should be eliminated? I did not select B because I did not see how it addresses the fact that there is no single theory that may explain a mystery.

Gemmie · Answer

The primary purpose of the passage is:  B. Discussing the events around and history of the Bermuda Triangle

The passage covers various aspects of the Bermuda Triangle, including historical accounts, specific disappearances like Flight 19, and the lack of evidence for extraordinary phenomena. It aims to provide a broader discussion of the topic, not focus on a specific aspect like theories or contrasting opinions.

Why the other answer choices are not the primary focus:

(A) Debating Theories:  While the passage mentions theories, it doesn't give them equal weight. It focuses on the lack of evidence for them.

(C) Pattern of Disappearances:  The passage mentions disappearances but goes beyond them to include Columbus's experience and the official stance of Coast Guard and Lloyd's.

(D) Origin of Rhetoric:  The passage touches on Columbus's experience but spends more time on various disappearances and the lack of evidence for mysteries.

(E) Differences in Opinion:  The passage mentions differing opinions (skeptics vs. believers) but focuses more on presenting facts and the official view that there's nothing extraordinary about disappearances.

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