Linguist: Three of the four subfamilies of the so-called "Austronesian

Question

Linguist: Three of the four subfamilies of the so-called "Austronesian" languages are found only among indigenous peoples in Taiwan, whereas the fourth is found on islands over a huge area stretching from Madagascar to the eastern Pacific Ocean. Since these subfamilies all originated in the same language, which must have been originally spoken in a single geographic location, these facts suggest that Taiwan is the homeland where Austronesian languages have been spoken longest and, hence, that Austronesian-speaking peoples originated in Taiwan and later migrated to other islands.

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the overall conclusion drawn in the linguist's argument?

(A) The Austronesian family of languages has four subfamilies, three of which are found only among indigenous peoples in Taiwan.

(B) Wherever most subfamilies of the Austronesian family of languages have been spoken longest is probably the homeland where Austronesian languages originated.

(C) Taiwan is probably the homeland where Austronesian languages have been spoken longest.

(D) Austronesian-speaking peoples originated in the homeland where Austronesian languages have been spoken longest.

(E) Austronesian-speaking peoples probably originated in Taiwan and later migrated to other islands.

Vaishbab · Answer

Hi, I don't understand what this question is asking and hence, not sure how to approach it.

shinghen · Answer

option c and e are almost same?? and i got confused with it and chose c

APram · Answer

"Therefore" test can be used here to show us the correct answers in any question where we are told to bring out the conclusion.

Therefore test proves right in both c and e

C. Therefore, Taiwan is the homeland where Austronesian is spoken the longest

But this option does not say anything why other island or country says the same language.

E very well does this 
It says that the language most probably originated in Taiwan and then migrated to other places
So E is correct conclusion

Other options fail Therefore test

ronakpujari94 · Answer

Hi,

I understand why option E is right but I don't understand why option D is incorrect. Can you explain the passage and why option D is incorrect

egmat · Answer

Understanding Critical Reasoning "Conclusion" Questions
 
I completely understand your confusion - Critical Reasoning questions can seem overwhelming when you're not sure what they're asking for! Let me break this down for you.

What This Question Is Really Asking:

When you see "Which one of the following most accurately expresses the  overall conclusion ," the question is asking you to identify the  main point  the author is trying to prove. Think of it as: "What is the author's main claim that they want you to believe?"

How to Approach Conclusion Questions - A Simple 3-Step Method:
 
 Step 1: Look for Conclusion Indicators

Words/phrases that signal a conclusion:
 
  "Therefore," "Hence," "Thus," "So"  
 "Suggests that," "Indicates that"  
 
 "Must be," "Probably," "It follows that" 
  In this passage, notice:  "these facts suggest that"  - this is your golden signal! What comes after this phrase is the conclusion.

Step 2: Distinguish Facts from Conclusions

Facts/Premises  (given information):

3 of 4 language subfamilies found only in Taiwan 
 4th subfamily spread across huge area 
 All originated from same language

Conclusion  (what the author argues based on these facts): Taiwan is the homeland → Austronesian peoples originated there and migrated

Step 3: Match the Conclusion to Answer Choices

The passage concludes:  "these facts suggest that Taiwan is the homeland where Austronesian languages have been spoken longest and,  hence , that Austronesian-speaking peoples originated in Taiwan and later migrated to other islands."
 
This matches perfectly with  Choice E : "Austronesian-speaking peoples probably originated in Taiwan and later migrated to other islands."

Why Other Choices Are Wrong:

Option A: Just restates a fact/premise - not the conclusion  
 Option B: Too general - doesn't mention Taiwan specifically  
 Option C: Only partial - misses the "peoples originated and migrated" part 
 Option D: Too general - doesn't mention Taiwan

Key Takeaway:

For ANY conclusion question, always:
 
 Find conclusion indicator words 
 Identify what the author is trying to prove (not just stating as fact) 
 Pick the answer that captures the  complete  main point

The conclusion is always what the author  argues  or  infers , not what they simply  state as given .

Hope this clarifies the approach! With practice, you'll start spotting conclusions quickly.

GMATNinja · Answer

Question 7 
 
Adding on to the  thorough explanation  by  egmat , (E) has one other advantage over (D): it's less definitive.

The linguist states: "... these facts  suggest ...". That's subtly different than saying something like, "...therefore, Taiwan  is  the homeland where Austronesian languages have been spoken longest and, hence, Austronesian-speaking peoples  originated  in Taiwan and later migrated to other islands."

The use of the word "suggests" indicates that, according to the linguist, the evidence is not definitive. That fits with (E), which uses the word "probably" to, appropriately, indicate a lack of certainty.

(D) on the other sounds more certain, and that doesn't fit with what's stated in the passage. And since (D) also fails to mention Taiwan specifically, we have two good reasons to pick (E) over (D).

Linguist: Three of the four subfamilies of the so-called "Austronesian

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GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) Questions

Linguist: Three of the four subfamilies of the so-called "Austronesian

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