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Sorted circles are patterned geological formations 02 Jul 2024, 12:08
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65% (hard)

Question Stats:

54% (01:46) correct 46% (01:58) wrong based on 101 sessions

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Geographer: “Sorted circles” are patterned geological formations consisting of a circular border of stones around a center of finer material. They are found mainly in or near the Arctic and Antarctic. In attempts to explain how they were formed, two hypotheses are currently most commonly debated: one proposed frost, the other heat. But frost cannot be the complete explanation for the uniformity in size of the circles on Marion Island, located in the maritime Subantarctic. Therefore, heat, either in water or in saturated soil, was likely involved in the formation of the circles.

Which of the following would, if true, most weaken the geographer’s argument?

A. Field experiments show there is currently frost at all sorted-circle sites on Marion Island.
B. The two hypotheses do not exhaust the possibilities regarding formation processes for sorted circles.
C. The definition given for sorted circles excludes many land features that may be caused by frost or heat.
D. The sorted circles on Marion Island were probably not all formed at the same time.
E. Neither of the two hypotheses explains how stones and finer materials came to be on Marion Island in the first place. 

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Sorted circles are patterned geological formations 02 Jul 2024, 12:24
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Geographer: “Sorted circles” are patterned geological formations consisting of a circular border of stones around a center of finer material. They are found mainly in or near the Arctic and Antarctic. In attempts to explain how they were formed, two hypotheses are currently most commonly debated: one proposed frost, the other heat. But frost cannot be the complete explanation for the uniformity in size of the circles on Marion Island, located in the maritime Subantarctic. Therefore, heat, either in water or in saturated soil, was likely involved in the formation of the circles.

Which of the following would, if true, most weaken the geographer’s argument?

A. Field experiments show there is currently frost at all sorted-circle sites on Marion Island.
B. The two hypotheses do not exhaust the possibilities regarding formation processes for sorted circles.
C. The definition given for sorted circles excludes many land features that may be caused by frost or heat.
D. The sorted circles on Marion Island were probably not all formed at the same time.
E. Neither of the two hypotheses explains how stones and finer materials came to be on Marion Island in the first place. 
Show more

­Discussed here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/geographer-s ... 14653.html

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Sorted circles are patterned geological formations 02 Oct 2025, 00:34
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