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Divers have discovered the wreckage of an unidentified ship about thir

gmatbull

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02 Dec 2012, 05:24

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59% (02:08) correct

41% (02:25) wrong

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Divers have discovered the wreckage of an unidentified ship about thirty miles from the shore near Boston. Scholars believe that the ship sank during a devastating hurricane that swept through the northeastern United States and down the coast in 1872, but there are no records of the ship available to confirm this hypothesis

The scholars’ hypothesis is most strongly supported by which of the following, if true?

A. Among the cargo found on board the wreckage of the ship were several trunks of woodworking tools of a kind that were popular from about 1850 to 1890

B. Among the munitions discovered on board the wreckage were several trunks of guns of varieties that were popular in the late 1860s; no munitions manufactured subsequent to 1870 were discovered.

C. It is widely accepted that Hurricane Bridie caused significant damage in the northeastern United States in 1872.

D. Ceramics and pottery glazed in a style that was popular during the latter half of the 19th century were found among the wreckage of the ship, along with assorted items of cutlery

E. Divers found clay pipes in the cargo hold that were of a kind sold in tobacco shops in the early 1900s

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Marcab

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02 Dec 2012, 05:45

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gmatbull

Divers have discovered the wreckage of an unidentified ship about thirty miles from the shore near Boston. Scholars
believe that the ship sank during a devastating hurricane that swept through the northeastern United States and
down the coast in 1872, but there are no records of the ship available to confirm this hypothesis

The scholars’ hypothesis is most strongly supported by which of the following, if true?

A: Among the cargo found on board the wreckage of the ship were several trunks of woodworking tools of a kind that
were popular from about 1850 to 1890
B: Among the munitions discovered on board the wreckage were several trunks of guns of varieties that were popular
in the late 1860s; no munitions manufactured subsequent to 1870 were discovered.
C: It is widely accepted that Hurricane Bridie caused significant damage in the northeastern United States in 1872.
D: Ceramics and pottery glazed in a style that was popular during the latter half of the 19th century were found among
the wreckage of the ship, along with assorted items of cutlery
E: Divers found clay pipes in the cargo hold that were of a kind sold in tobacco shops in the early 1900s

Since A and B are closest, my explanations are for these 2 only.

Let me point out the weak link in A.
Suppose a scholar finds a wooden tool in the cargo that was actually manufatured in 1882, a tool was famous during the period 1850-1890. So does it confirms that ship was capsized in 1872, absolutely not. A is eliminated.

What is good in B?
It mentions that the guns that were MANUFACTURED in late 1860s and were not subsequent to 1870. This ensures that nothing of the sort such as MADE IN 1880 or 1890 are found. So among the options present, Its the best.
But still B is not the ideal because, ship could have been drowned in 1869 too, and this is more close to the argument.

+1B.

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08 Mar 2015, 04:41

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Marcab

gmatbull

Divers have discovered the wreckage of an unidentified ship about thirty miles from the shore near Boston. Scholars
believe that the ship sank during a devastating hurricane that swept through the northeastern United States and
down the coast in 1872, but there are no records of the ship available to confirm this hypothesis

The scholars’ hypothesis is most strongly supported by which of the following, if true?

A: Among the cargo found on board the wreckage of the ship were several trunks of woodworking tools of a kind that
were popular from about 1850 to 1890
B: Among the munitions discovered on board the wreckage were several trunks of guns of varieties that were popular
in the late 1860s; no munitions manufactured subsequent to 1870 were discovered.
C: It is widely accepted that Hurricane Bridie caused significant damage in the northeastern United States in 1872.
D: Ceramics and pottery glazed in a style that was popular during the latter half of the 19th century were found among
the wreckage of the ship, along with assorted items of cutlery
E: Divers found clay pipes in the cargo hold that were of a kind sold in tobacco shops in the early 1900s

Since A and B are closest, my explanations are for these 2 only.

Let me point out the weak link in A.
Suppose a scholar finds a wooden tool in the cargo that was actually manufactured in 1882, a tool was famous during the period 1850-1890. So does it confirms that ship was capsized in 1872, absolutely not. A is eliminated.

What is good in B?
It mentions that the guns that were MANUFACTURED in late 1860s and were not subsequent to 1870. This ensures that nothing of the sort such as MADE IN 1880 or 1890 are found. So among the options present, Its the best.
But still B is not the ideal because, ship could have been drowned in 1869 too, and this is more close to the argument.

+1B.

could not understand that how a tool that was manufactured in 1882 would have been popular starting 1850 ?
however, option A is easy to kick out for the reason that it covers a 1850 - 1890 and we need something concerete to support the hypothesis about 1872.

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19 Sep 2016, 00:24

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I did not get the answer. The hypothesis is that the ship sank during a devastating hurricane that swept through the northeastern United States and
down the coast in 1872.
But no option talks about the hurricane except for option C.
Why it is not the correct answer ?
I did not understand the explanation. Can someone help me out ?

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19 Sep 2016, 11:40

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somtsat99

Let's try

gmatbull

The highlighted parts of the sentence states that the Scholars do not have any record to confirm the Hypothesis that the ship sank in a Hurricane that swept through US in 1872

Our objective is to bridge the gap that the wreckage of the ship found is the one which sunk in the Hurricane that struck US in 1872.

Option (C) States -

Quote:

It is widely accepted that Hurricane Bridie caused significant damage in the northeastern United States in 1872.

We know that a hurricane struck US in 1872 , but we can not confirm that the wreckage of the ship is the one that was destroyed in 1872. It can be such that the wreckage of the ship is on a diff ship ( Probably of an earlier/later time period)..

So (C) can not be the answer.

DAVEexamPAL

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08 Jan 2018, 03:55

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gmatFalcon

Divers have discovered the wreckage of an unidentified ship about thirty miles from the shore near Boston. Scholars believe that the ship sank during a devastating hurricane that swept through the northeastern United States and down the coast in 1872, but there are no records of the ship available to confirm this hypothesis.

The scholars’ hypothesis is most strongly supported by which of the following, if true?

A. Among the cargo found on board the wreckage of the ship were several trunks of woodworking tools of a kind that were popular from about 1850 to 1890.
B. Among the munitions discovered on board the wreckage were several trunks of guns of varieties that were popular in the late 1860s; no munitions manufactured subsequent to 1870 were discovered.
C. It is widely accepted that Hurricane Bridie caused significant damage in the northeastern United States in 1872.
D. Ceramics and pottery glazed in a style that was popular during the latter half of the 19th century were found among the wreckage of the ship, along with assorted items of cutlery.
E. Divers found clay pipes in the cargo hold that were of a kind sold in tobacco shops in the early 1900s.

The answer is B.
Logically, what will most significantly strengthen the hypothesis that the ship sank due to the 1872 hurricane is something tying it to that storm or that year. Tying it to that year could mean proving that it definitely wasn't active after the hurricane - which is exactly what (B) does.

Another way to solve is USING THE ANSWERS and weighing the affect of each one on the hypothesis:

A. Among the cargo found on board the wreckage of the ship were several trunks of woodworking tools of a kind that were popular from about 1850 to 1890. This means it's possible that it sank in 1872, but doesn't strengthen it much - it could still have sunk after
B. Among the munitions discovered on board the wreckage were several trunks of guns of varieties that were popular in the late 1860s; no munitions manufactured subsequent to 1870 were discovered. This narrows it down, making more likely the possibility that the ship did not sail after 1872 - strengthens!
C. It is widely accepted that Hurricane Bridie caused significant damage in the northeastern United States in 1872. WE already knew that
D. Ceramics and pottery glazed in a style that was popular during the latter half of the 19th century were found among the wreckage of the ship, along with assorted items of cutlery. This is just like A - this means sinking in 1872 is possible, but still only one option out of many
E. Divers found clay pipes in the cargo hold that were of a kind sold in tobacco shops in the early 1900s. This means it's impossible it sank in 1872 -
greatly weakens

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09 Aug 2023, 11:55

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Official Explanation

Identify the Question Type:

The wording "most strongly supported by" identifies this as a Strengthen question. The correct answer will make the argument's conclusion more likely to follow from the evidence.

Untangle the Stimulus:

Divers found the wreckage of a ship, and scholars hypothesize that it was sunk by a hurricane in 1872, despite the absence of records, so this hypothesis is unconfirmed.

Predict the Answer:

This question requires you to identify evidence to support the scholars’ conclusion about when the ship was sunk. The correct answer will provide evidence that the ship sailed prior to the hurricane in 1872, but not after that date.

Evaluate the Choices:

(B) is correct; munitions from prior to the hurricane, but not after it, support the theory that the ship was sunk in the hurricane.

(A) is incorrect. Woodworking tools that were used both before and after the date of the hurricane do not support the scholars’ theory, since they could be from any time within that period.

(C) is incorrect. This confirms the existence of the hurricane, but does nothing to support a ship sailing at the time when there was no record of such.

(D) is incorrect. The period during which the ceramics and pottery could have been produced ranges through both before and after the time of the hurricane; therefore, this does not strengthen the argument.

(E) is incorrect because it is opposite to what is needed. Pipes that were sold in tobacco shops some thirty years or more after the date of the hurricane cannot be used as evidence that the ship sank in that storm; they weaken the scholars’ theory instead of strengthening it.

TAKEAWAY: Remember to pay attention whenever a passage mentions specific dates. Note how many of the incorrect choices get the dates wrong, while the correct one gets the years right.

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