Some historians believe that in terms of historical progression, the

Question

Some historians believe that in terms of historical progression, the democratic ideal is the final stage. They argue that democracy has defeated all other competing ideologies and that there will be no further advances. But these historians have not considered that it is impossible to know for certain that progress had ended when one is still part of that progression.

The argument as a whole is structured to lead to which of the following conclusions?

A. The democratic ideal is not the final stage of historical progression.
B. A new ideology will eventually overtake democracy in the progression of historical movements.
C. The idea that democracy is the final stage in a historical progression is not true.
D. No other ideology will arise to challenge democracy.
E. It is impossible to know whether the democratic ideal is the final stage of a historical progression.

winterschool · Answer

A. The democratic ideal is not the final stage of historical progression.  Incorrect

cant be a conclusion, because we cant be sure whether progress has ended or not

B. A new ideology will eventually overtake democracy in the progression of historical movements.  Incorrect

from argument this cant be a conclusion

C. The idea that democracy is the final stage in a historical progression is not true.  Incorrect

not a conclusion, same explanation as A

D. No other ideology will arise to challenge democracy.  Incorrect

not a conclusion

E. It is impossible to know whether the democratic ideal is the final stage of a historical progression.  Correct

yes, it is impossible to know. correct choice

catcun · Answer

KarishmaB  won't impossible be very strong language here?

egmat · Answer

catcun  Your instinct to be cautious about extreme language like "impossible" is excellent GMAT strategy. You're right that the GMAT often includes trap answers with unjustified extreme language. However, this case is different.

B. Key Insight: The Argument Uses "Impossible" First 
Look at the last sentence of the argument:
 "But these historians have not considered that  it is impossible to know for certain  that progress had ended when one is still part of that progression."

Answer choice  E :  " It is impossible to know  whether the democratic ideal is the final stage of a historical progression."

The answer is directly echoing the argument's own language! This is crucial - when the argument itself uses strong language, the correct answer can (and often should) reflect that same strength.

C. Process Diagnosis 
What likely happened: You correctly identified "impossible" as strong language but didn't connect it back to the argument's own wording. This is a common trap - students remember to avoid extreme language but forget to check whether the argument itself justifies such language.

Pattern Recognition:  "Must Be True" conclusion questions often mirror the exact language strength from the passage. Watch for answers that either  weaken  justified strong claims or  strengthen  moderate claims inappropriately.

You can practice similar questions  here  (you'll find a lot of OG questions) - select  Critical Reasoning  under  Verbal  and choose  Medium  level questions focusing on "Draw a Conclusion" types where matching the argument's language strength is key.

Some historians believe that in terms of historical progression, the

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GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Questions

Some historians believe that in terms of historical progression, the

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