The Black Death, a severe epidemic that ravaged fourteenth century Eur

Question

The Black Death, a severe epidemic that ravaged fourteenth century Europe, has intrigued scholars ever since Francis Gasquet's 1893 study contending that this epidemic greatly intensified the political and religious upheaval that ended the Middle Ages. Thirty-six years later, historian George Coulton agreed but, paradoxically, attributed a  silver lining to the Black Death : prosperity engendered by diminished competition for food, shelter, and work led survivors of the epidemic into the Renaissance and subsequent rise of modern Europe.

In the 1930s, however, Evgeny Kosminsky and other Marxist historians claimed the epidemic was merely an ancillary factor contributing to a general agrarian crisis stemming primarily from the inevitable decay of European feudalism. In arguing that this decline of feudalism was economically determined, the Marxist asserted that the Black Death was a relatively insignificant factor. This became the prevailing view until after the Second World War, when studies of specific regions and towns revealed astonishing mortality rates ascribed to the epidemic, thus restoring the central role of the Black Death in history.

This central role of the Black Death (traditionally attributed to bubonic plague brought from Asia) has been recently challenged from another direction. Building on bacteriologist John Shrewsbury's speculations about mislabeled epidemics, zoologist Graham Twigg employs urban case studies suggesting that the rat population in Europe was both too sparse and insufficiently migratory to have spread plague. Moreover, Twigg disputes the traditional trade-ship explanation for plague transmissions by extrapolating from data on the number of dead rats aboard Nile sailing vessels in 1912. The Black Death, which he conjectures was anthrax instead of bubonic plague, therefore caused far less havoc and fewer deaths than historians typically claim.

Although correctly citing the exacting conditions needed to start or spread bubonic plague, Twigg ignores virtually a century of scholarship contradictory to his findings and employs faulty logic in his single-minded approach to the Black Death. His speculative generalizations about the numbers of rats in medieval Europe are based on isolated studies unrepresentative of medieval conditions, while his unconvincing trade-ship argument overlooks land-based caravans, the overland migration of infected rodents, and the many other animals that carry plague.   1 
 1. According to the passage, the post-Second World War studies that altered the prevailing view of the Black Death involved which of the following?

(A) Determining the death rates caused by the Black Death in specific regions and towns
(B) Demonstrating how the Black Death intensified the political and religious upheaval that ended the Middle Ages
(C) Presenting evidence to prove that many medieval epidemics were mislabeled
(D) Arguing that the consequences of the Black Death led to the Renaissance and the rise of modern Europe
(E) Employing urban case studies to determine the number of rats in medieval Europe

2 
 2. The "silver lining to the Black Death" (the  highlighted  text) refers to which of the following?

(A) The decay of European feudalism precipitated by the Black Death
(B) Greater availability of employment, sustenance, and housing for survivors of the epidemic
(C) Strengthening of the human species through natural selection
(D) Better understanding of how to limit the spread of contagious diseases
(E) Immunities and resistance to the Black Death gained by later generations

3 
 3. The passage suggests that Twigg believes that rats could not have spread the Black Death unless which of the following were true?

(A) The rats escaped from ships that had been in Asia.
(B) The rats were immune to the diseases that they carried.
(C) The rat population was larger in medieval Europe than Twigg believes it actually was.
(D) The rat population primarily infested densely populated areas.
(E) The rats interacted with other animals that Twigg believes could have carried plague.

4 
 4. The author's attitude toward Twigg's work is best characterized as which of the following?

(A) Dismissive
(B) Indifferent
(C) Vindictive
(D) Cautious
(E) Ambivalent

5 
 5. The passage is primarily concerned with

(A) demonstrating the relationship between bubonic plague and the Black Death
(B) interpreting historical and scientific works on the origins of the Black Death
(C) employing the Black Death as a case study of disease transmission in medieval Europe
(D) presenting aspects of past and current debate on the historical importance of the Black Death
(E) analyzing the differences between capitalist and Marxist interpretations of the historical significance of the Black

6 
 6. Which of the following statements is most compatible with Kosminsky's approach to history, as it is presented in the passage?

(A) The Middle Ages were ended primarily by the religious and political upheaval in fourteenth-century Europe.
(B) The economic consequences of the Black Death included increased competition for food, shelter, and work.
(C) European history cannot be studied in isolation from that of the rest of the world.
(D) The number of deaths in fourteenth-century Europe has been greatly exaggerated by other historians.
(E) The significance of the Black Death is best explained within the context of evolving economic systems.

AmoyV · Accepted Answer

Time Taken: 10:46 mins. Is it too long?

1. According to the passage, the post-Second World War studies that altered the prevailing view of the Black Death involved which of the following?
A. Determining the death rates caused by the Black Death in specific regions and towns  Correct. As is stated in the passage 
B. Demonstrating how the Black Death intensified the political and religious upheaval that ended the Middle Ages  Goes against the passage 
C. Presenting evidence to prove that many medieval epidemics were mislabeled  Goes against the passage 
D. Arguing that the consequences of the Black Death led to the Renaissance and the rise of modern Europe  Goes against the passage 
E. Employing urban case studies to determine the number of rats in medieval Europe Goes against the passage

2. The "silver lining to the Black Death" (the highlighted text) refers to which of the following?
A. The decay of European feudalism precipitated by the Black Death Goes against the passage 
B. Greater availability of employment, sustenance, and housing for survivors of the epidemic Correct 
C. Strengthening of the human species through natural selection Goes against the passage 
D. Better understanding of how to limit the spread of contagious diseases Goes against the passage 
E. Immunities and resistance to the Black Death gained by later generations Goes against the passage

3. The passage suggests that Twigg believes that rats could not have spread the Black Death unless which of the following were true?
A. The rats escaped from ships that had been in Asia. He agreed rats escaped from ships. He disagreed with the version that the number of such plague infested escaping rats was huge 
B. The rats were immune to the diseases that they carried. Nothing like this mentioned in the passage 
C. The rats population was larger in medieval Europe than Twigg believes it actually was.  His conclusion will fall apart if it is proven that the number of plague infested rats that escaped from Nile ships was large. Twigg believed that such rats were too few to create the large scale deaths within Europe that the Black Death is believed to have caused 
D. The rats population primarily infested densely populated areas. No mention of this within the passage 
E. The rats interacted with other animals that Twigg believes could have carried plague. Twigg never said this. The author brought this point up in order to give credance to his disagreement with Twigg

4. The author's attitude toward Twigg's work is best characterized as which of the following?
A. Dismissive Yes. Author brings to light some of facts which he believes Twigg had overlooked. 
B. Indifferent Nope 
C. Vindictive He criticised Twigg but based on logic and not plain vandetta 
D. Cautious Author had more points to disagree with with Twigg and hence he couldnot be cautious. 
E. Ambivalent Totally the opposite of ambivalent

5. The passage is primarily concerned with
A. demonstrating the relationship between bubonic plague and the Black Death  We are looking for a reference to the importance of Black Death in history 
B. interpreting historical and scientific works on the origins of the Black Death This is done in the passage to establish the historical importance of Black Death 
C. employing the Black Death as a case study of disease transmission in medieval Europe No! 
D. presenting aspects of past and current debate on the historical importance of the Black Death Yes. Exactly the words we were looking for 
E. analyzing the differences between capitalist and Marxist interpretations of the historical significance of the Black Death Marxist interpretation is just taken as a point of evolution of establishing the historical importance of Black Death

6. Which of the following statements is most compatible with Kosminsky's approach to history, as it is presented in the passage?
A. The Middle Ages were ended primarily by the religious and political upheaval in fourteenth-century Europe. K's and Marxist approach said that there was an upheaval attributed to economically determined decline of feudalism 
B. The economic consequences of the Black Death included increased competition for food, shelter, and work. Nope. One version beside K's version said the total opposite of this 
C. European history cannot be studied in isolation from that of the rest of the world. Nothing like this 
D. The number of deaths in fourteenth-century Europe has been greatly exaggerated by other historians.  They never questioned the number of deaths. They only questioned the importance of Black Death. They opined that BD was just an ancillary factor contributing to the decline of agrarian feudalism 
E. The significance of the Black Death is best explained within the context of evolving economic systems.  Bingo. "evolving economic system" aka "decline of "agrarian feudalism"

Carcass · Answer

Nice passage . it clearly is from gmatprep because is clear and consistent. of course..

back to the question

1) The passage is primarily concerned with

(A) demonstrating the relationship between bubonic
plague and the Black Death - we already know this or at least there is some connection BUT we are discussing completely another thing in the passage; quite clear

(B) interpreting historical and scientific works on the
origins of the Black Death - no absolutely: is not the origin of black death: such as genetic mutations or something like that

(C) employing the Black Death as a case study of
disease transmission in medieval Europe - no. here we are studying other things

(D) presenting aspects of past and current debate on
the historical importance of the Black Death - correct. infact if you see the first phrases you could notice such statement

Quote:

The Black Death, a severe epidemic that ravaged
fourteenth-century Europe, has intrigued scholars ever
since Francis Gasquet's 1893

OR

Quote:

n the 1930s, however, Evgeny Kosminsky and other
Marxist historians claimed the epidemic was merely

As you can see ther is a historical unfolding of the events. this argument in somehow is circular: something is proposed, then the idea on that is changed, then someone back again into the question

(E) analyzing the differences between capitalist and
Marxist interpretations of the historical significance
of the Black Death - out of scope

2) Which of the following statements is most
compatible with Kosminsky's approach to history,
as it is presented in the passage?

(A) The Middle Ages were ended primarily by the
religious and political upheaval in fourteenthcentury
Europe. - no info about that or insufficient

(B) The economic consequences of the Black Death
included increased competition for food, shelter,
and work. - we already know or we can infer this but is incorrect; is not what we are looking for

(C) European history cannot be studied in isolation
from that of the rest of the world. - out of scope

(D) The number of deaths in fourteenth-century
Europe has been greatly exaggerated by other
historians. - out of scope

(E) The significance of the Black Death is best
explained within the context of evolving economic
systems.

Quote:

In arguing that this decline of
feudalism was economically determined, the Marxist
asserted that the Black Death was a relatively
insignificant factor.

As you can see is quite clear WHY E is correct

Moreover, you can see other signals about an economic framework in which Black death is carved: words such as tradeship, agrarian crisis, decay of feudalism and new economic era such as Renaissance......................

Hope is clear. If you have doubts do not esitate to ask

GMATNinja · Answer

Passage breakdown 
In the first paragraph (P1), the author  discusses two views that hold that the Black Death WAS important :
 
 Traditionally, historians believed that the Black Death "greatly intensified the political and religious upheaval that ended the Middle Ages." 
 Coulton agrees and thinks that the plague also led to the Renaissance.

In the second paragraph, the author  discusses a view that the Black Death was NOT that important, and then undermines this view. 
 
 Kosminsky argues the Black Death was secondary factor to the end of feudalism. 
 Later studies undermined Kosminsky's work.

In the third paragraph (P3), the author  discusses another view that the Black Death was NOT that important. 
 
 Twigg thinks that the Black Death came from a different source and didn't actually cause that many deaths.

In the fourth paragraph, the author  undermines the view discussed in P3.

For more on this process, check out  this article  and  our live RC videos .

Explanations for individual questions 
 
  Question 1  
  Question 2  
  Question 3  
  Question 4  
  Question 5

abhinav11 · Answer

This has to be 700 + difficulty level question. 
Read the Passage two times still could not understand it completely and to complete the perfect day in office "got both the answers wrong"

Frustrated over my limited vocab and liked the explanation given by Carcass,I wish could interpret the things like you.

Regards,
Abhinav

"3 RCs a day keeps the fear of RCs away"

Skywalker18 · Answer

Took 11 mins , including almost 4 mins to read

and got the last one incorrect -The author does not provide an opinion but merely talks about the various debates on black death through the ages 1. "he Marxist asserted that the Black Death was a relatively insignificant factor. This became the prevailing view until after the Second World War, when studies of specific regions and towns revealed astonishing mortality rates ascribed to the epidemic, thus restoring the central role of the Black Death in history." Answer A 2. "silver lining to the Black Death: prosperity engendered by diminished competition for food, shelter, and work led survivors of the epidemic into the Renaissance and subsequent rise of modern Europe." Answer B 3. "zoologist Graham Twigg employs urban case studies suggesting that the rat population in Europe was both too sparse and insufficiently migratory to have spread plague." Answer C 4. "Although correctly citing the exacting conditions needed to start or spread bubonic plague, Twigg ignores virtually a century of scholarship contradictory to his findings and employs faulty logic in his single-minded approach to the Black Death." Answer A 5.Since the author talks about multiple views and debates around the impact and historical significance of the Black Death, option (D) is the best answer choice. 6. "In arguing that this decline of feudalism was economically determined, the Marxist asserted that the Black Death was a relatively insignificant factor." The above suggests that Kosminsky’s approach to History is directly connected to economic circumstances and causes. Hence Option (E)

arvind910619 · Answer

6. Which of the following statements is most compatible with Kosminsky's approach to history, as it is presented in the passage?

A. The Middle Ages were ended primarily by the religious and political upheaval in fourteenth-century Europe.
B. The economic consequences of the Black Death included increased competition for food, shelter, and work.
C. European history cannot be studied in isolation from that of the rest of the world.
D. The number of deaths in fourteenth-century Europe has been greatly exaggerated by other historians.
E. The significance of the Black Death is best explained within the context of evolving economic systems.

If one were to solve the last question without careful attention then one would definitely get it wrong .A is a trap laid very beautifully and just at the top so we need not need to check all the options .
The correct answer however is E 
A just repeats the information from the passage and A is just a result of using Marxist's approach .
E is the correct answer if read the following excerpt from the passage the answer becomes clear

"In the 1930s, however, Evgeny Kosminsky and other Marxist historians claimed the epidemic was merely an ancillary factor contributing to a general agrarian crisis stemming primarily from the inevitable decay of European feudalism. In arguing that this decline of feudalism was economically determined, the Marxist asserted that the Black Death was a relatively insignificant factor."

jayarora · Answer

Hi,

In Question 3, why is option A incorrect? As per the passage, Twigg suggests that the rat 'population was insufficiently migratory to have spread plague'. So, if they could have escaped ships, indicating they are more migratory than Twigg believed them to be, they would have probably caused the plague.

Thanks in advance

GMATNinja · Answer

Question 3

First, pay close attention to the wording of the question: "The passage suggests that Twigg believes that rats could not have spread the Black Death    unless    which of the following were true?" In other words, Twigg believes that the ONLY way rats could have spread the Black Death is if one of the answer choices is true.

Sure, (A)  might  explain a spread of the black death by rats... but to conclude that the rats were more  migratory  just because they escaped from Asian ships is making a huge logical leap. Also, so what if they escaped ships in Asia? Did those rats ever make it to Europe? Who knows?

Second, we are specifically told that, according to Twigg, the rat population in Europe was both too sparse and insufficiently migratory to have spread plague. So Twigg believes that the rat population needed to be 1) larger and 2) more migratory. Thus, according to Twigg, rats could not have spread the plague unless 1) their population was larger than he believed it actually was and 2) the rats were more migratory.

Choice (C) fits with the first of these two requirements and is our best answer.

I hope this helps!

jawele · Answer

Summary:
1) The significance of the Black Death in explaining the upheaval in XIV century is debatable, e.g. FC (for) and GC (against)
2) Marxists claimed that the BD played an ancillary role in the upheaval, but a study after WW II put the BD in central position in history
3) GT argues against the BD's significance, using a study results on dead rats and rat population at the time
4) The author disagrees with GT's study, citing some weakening arguments such as other animals carrying the plague and scholarship

1. According to the passage, the post-Second World War  studies  that altered the prevailing view of the Black Death  involved which of the following ?  Relevant text: This became the prevailing view until after the Second World War, when studies of specific regions and towns revealed astonishing mortality rates ascribed to the epidemic, thus restoring the central role of the Black Death in history. 
(A) Determining the death rates caused by the Black Death in specific regions and towns  correct 
(B) Demonstrating how the Black Death intensified the political and religious upheaval that ended the Middle Ages  that's FC's argument 
(C) Presenting evidence to prove that many medieval epidemics were mislabeled  that seems to refer to GT's argument, which build its findings on this sort of theory 
(D) Arguing that the consequences of the Black Death led to the Renaissance and the rise of modern Europe  that seemingly refers to GC' argument 
(E) Employing urban case studies  to determine the number of rats  in medieval Europe

2. The "silver lining to the Black Death" (the highlighted text) refers to which of the following?  Relevant text: George Coulton agreed but, paradoxically, attributed a silver lining to the Black Death: prosperity engendered by  diminished competition for food, shelter, and work  led survivors of the epidemic into the Renaissance and subsequent rise of modern Europe. 
(A) The decay of European feudalism precipitated by the Black Death  that can be found in another argument - EK and Marx - and so not related 
(B) Greater availability of employment, sustenance, and housing for survivors of the epidemic  correct 
(C) Strengthening of the human species through natural selection  perhaps but not given 
(D)  Better understanding of how to limit the spread  of contagious diseases 
(E)  Immunities and resistance  to the Black Death gained by later generations

3. The passage suggests that Twigg believes that rats could not have spread the Black Death unless which of the following were true?  Relevant text: Graham Twigg employs urban case studies suggesting that the rat population in Europe was both  too sparse and insufficiently migratory  to have spread plague. Moreover, Twigg disputes the traditional trade-ship explanation for plague transmissions by extrapolating from data on the number of dead rats aboard Nile sailing vessels in 1912. 
(A) The rats escaped from  ships that had been in Asia .
(B) The rats were  immune to the diseases  that they carried. 
(C) The rats population was  larger  in medieval Europe than Twigg believes it actually was.  the opposite of sparse 
(D) The rats population primarily  infested densely populated areas .
(E) The rats interacted with other animals that Twigg believes could have carried plague.  that's what the author thinks

4. The author's attitude toward Twigg's work is best characterized as which of the following?
(A) Dismissive  correct 
(B) Indifferent  in that case they author wouldn't have probably said anything 
(C) Vindictive  too strong 
(D) Cautious  the author seems to be entirely against GT's views 
(E) Ambivalent  the author takes a strong stance against GT's views

5. The passage is primarily concerned with
(A) demonstrating the relationship between  bubonic plague and the Black Death 
(B) interpreting historical and scientific works on the  origins  of the Black Death
(C) employing the Black Death  as a case study of disease transmission  in medieval Europe
(D) presenting aspects of past and current debate on the historical importance of the Black Death  correct 
(E) analyzing the differences between  capitalist and Marxist interpretations  of the historical significance of the Black Death

6. Which of the following statements is most compatible with Kosminsky's approach to history, as it is presented in the passage?  Relevant text: Evgeny Kosminsky and other Marxist historians claimed the epidemic was merely an ancillary factor contributing to a general agrarian crisis stemming primarily from the inevitable decay of European feudalism. In arguing that this decline of feudalism was economically determined, the Marxist asserted that the Black Death was a relatively insignificant factor. 
(A) The Middle Ages were ended  primarily by the religious and political upheaval  in fourteenth-century Europe.  a mix-up 
(B) The economic consequences of the Black Death included  increased  competition for food, shelter, and work.  opposite of GC's views 
(C)  European history  cannot be studied in isolation from that of the rest of the world.  too broad 
(D) The  number of deaths  in fourteenth-century Europe has been greatly  exaggerated  by other historians.  not given 
(E) The significance of the Black Death is best explained within the context of evolving economic systems.  correct

VeritasPrepErika · Answer

I see this question a lot from my students! People really don't like answer choice A, even though it's the only answer that can be correct.

Question 4 asks how the author feels about Twigg's work, so we're likely looking for something that appears 1) after we introduce Twigg's work and 2) around some emotionally charged language. Twigg's work is first mentioned in Paragraph 3. This paragraph recounts his views pretty objectively, so this isn't where we're going to find how the author feels. This leads us to Paragraph 4 — this makes sense, as the last paragraph is often where authors share their own thoughts. This paragraph is still talking about Twigg, but it is extremely charged, "Twigg ignores", "His speculative generalizations", "isolated", "unrepresentative", "unconvincing", "overlooks", etc.

So ignoring the answer choices, how does the author feel about Twigg in our own words?  Definitely negative. Definitely doesn't agree. Thinks his work is flawed, even bad.

Now look at the answer choices. B indicates that the author doesn't care about Twigg's work. E indicates that the author has both strong negative and strong positive feelings about Twigg's work (fun fact: most people use the word "ambivalent" to mean the same thing as "indifferent", but it has a totally different meaning). D indicates that the author is nervous about but isn't necessarily against Twigg's work. Eliminate all three.

C is where most of my students get caught: the author is strongly against Twigg's work, and this is a strong answer. But what does "vindictive" actually mean? Wanting revenge.  Does the author want to get revenge on Twigg? Does he want Twigg to lose his job? Does he want Twigg to contract the Black Plague himself?  No. He just doesn't like his work. This answer choice is actually too strong. In fact, it's probably safe to assume that anything quite this strong won't appear on the GMAT.

So the answer must be A. A lot of students think that "dismissive" isn't strong enough based on how they've seen it used. But again, what does it actually mean? Thinking something not worthy of consideration.  Does the author think Twigg's work is worthy of consideration?  No! The author thinks it sucks! So this actually matches up fine with what we saw in the passage.

Moral of the story: predict before looking at the answer choices, and make sure you consider the meaning/extremity of the answers carefully before you choose one.

zoezhuyan · Answer

Dear experts, @GMATNinja,@ GMATNinjaTwo,  workout ,  SajjadAhmad ,  u1983 ,  Gnpth 
I have no idea how E is the correct answer

I n the 1930s, however, Evgeny Kosminsky and other Marxist historians claimed the epidemic was merely an ancillary factor contributing to a general agrarian crisis stemming primarily from the inevitable decay of European feudalism. In arguing that this decline of feudalism was economically determined, the Marxist asserted that the Black Death was a relatively insignificant factor."

I can get Black Death is no so significant factor, but it does not mean  The significance of the Black Death is  BEST  explained within the context of evolving economic systems.

please help, what I missed.

thanks in advance.

GMATNinja · Answer

Question 2 
 
Question #2 asks about Kominsky's "approach to history," and here is what the passage tells us about that approach:

Kominsky believed that 
   the decline of feudalism was inevitable and "economically determined" 
 This inevitable decay of of feudalism led to an agrarian crisis 
 The Black Death was an "ancillary factor" contributing to this crisis 
 Furthermore, the Black Death was "relatively insignificant."

From this analysis, we can see that, for Keminsky, the "big picture" is the economically-determined decay of feudalism, while the Black Death is just a minor piece of that big picture.

To answer the question, we need to see which answer choice is "most compatible" with this approach to history. 
 
Nope, this most closely aligns with Gasquet's study mentioned at the beginning of the first paragraph. Keminsky didn't discuss "religious and political upheaval," so eliminate (A).

This one is way off. A different scholar (Coulton) argued that the Black Death resulted in " diminished  competition for food, shelter, and work." Keminsky didn't discuss such competition one way or the other, so (B) is out.

Keminsky doesn't mention any non-European history, so (C) is out.

While Keminsky believed that the Black Death was "relatively insignificant," did the author discuss Keminsky's views on the " number of deaths  in fourteenth-century Europe?"

Nope -- Keminsky determined that the Black Plague was not a big deal because of how it fit in with other events at the time,  not  because he believed that other historians exaggerated the number of deaths in 14th century Europe.

Keminsky's views fell out of favor when subsequent studies found "astonishing" death rates, but the passage does not imply in any way that Kominsky believed that these reports were exaggerated. Eliminate (D).

This looks a lot like our analysis! Keminsky viewed the Black Death as one factor in the "economically determined" decay of feudalism.

We are looking for the statement that is "most compatible" with Keminsky's approach, and with four solid "no's" (E) is the clear winner. While the word "best" does stand out a bit, (E) is certainly aligns better with Keminsky's views than do the other options. (E) is the correct answer.

I hope that helps!

heidy333 · Answer

hello  GMATNinja 
for the question：
According to the passage, the post-Second World War studies that altered the prevailing view of the Black Death involved which of the following?

I know the answer is shown inthe sentence：This became the prevailing view until after the Second World War, when studies of specific regions and towns revealed astonishing mortality rates ascribed to the epidemic, thus restoring the central role of the Black Death in history.

But I think that what this sentence talked about is things after the second world War.

Could you please help me explain the sentence?

Thank you

Posted from my mobile device

GMATNinja · Answer

Question 1 
 
I'm not sure I fully understand your question, but here are some thoughts on question 1: Both the question  and  the sentence that you've quoted discuss studies from  after  the Second World War (WWII).

Before  WWII, the prevailing view was the Marxist claim that the black plague wasn't really a big deal. Then,  after  WWII, some studies showed that the black plague WAS a big deal, because of the high mortality rates in specific places.

The question asks us about  post-WWII  studies -- which is another way of saying  after -WWII studies. So, we can say that these studies determined "the death rates caused by the Black Death in specific regions and towns," and therefore altered the previous view on the epidemic.

I hope that helps!

mysteriouswoman · Answer

4. The author's attitude toward Twigg's work is best characterized as which of the following?

(A) Dismissive
(B) Indifferent
(C) Vindictive
(D) Cautious
(E) Ambivalent

I chose Option E- ambivalent. I don't understand how the correct answer is option a- dismissive?

GMATNinja · Answer

Question 4 
 
To understand the author's attitude toward Twigg's work, look for clues in the passage.

In the third paragraph, the author says one positive thing about Twigg: he "correctly   the exacting conditions needed to start or spread bubonic plague."

Then, the author goes on a long rant about all of the stuff that Twigg got wrong:

"Twigg  ignores virtually a century of scholarship  contradictory to his findings" 
 Twigg also " employs faulty logic  in his single-minded approach to the Black Death." 
 Twigg's "speculative generalizations about the numbers of rats in medieval Europe are  based on isolated studies unrepresentative of medieval conditions ," and finally, 
 "his  unconvincing  trade-ship argument overlooks land-based caravans, the overland migration of infected rodents, and the many other animals that carry plague."

Yikes! The author really doesn't think that Twigg's research deserves much respect. So, in looking for an answer choice for question 4, we want a word that captured the author's disdain for Twigg's work.

(A) fits the bill. The author dismisses Twigg's work, calling it faulty, speculative, and unconvincing. So, we can say that the author's attitude is dismissive.

(B), on the other hand, is a bit off: "ambivalent" means that you have mixed feelings about something. While the author throws in a few words about something that Twigg got right, he/she then goes on to thoroughly bash Twigg's work. The author thinks that Twigg's work is not worthy of respect, so we can't say that the author was ambivalent toward that work.

(A) is the correct answer to question 4.

I hope that helps!

Hoozan · Answer

EducationAisle  please could you explain Q5. (D)?

what justifies the usage of  current  debate? whatever is mentioned is with respect to the past. Isn't it?

EducationAisle · Answer

Hi Hoozan, based on the studies/opinions/views (that have been conducted/expressed in the "past" from time to time) of various stakeholders, there has been a debate on the historical importance of the Black Death.

Following sentence also confirms this:

The Black Death, a severe epidemic that ravaged fourteenth century Europe, has intrigued scholars ever since Francis Gasquet's 1893 study.

"has intrigued scholars ever since Francis Gasquet's 1893 study" implies that this intrigued scholars in the past and continues to do so, in the present as well.

jabhatta2 · Answer

Hi  AndrewN  - on question 3 - not sure how to eliminate (b) unfortunately. This line is really making me believe perhaps (b) is an answer. Curious on how one can eliminate (B)

I made the following 3 inferences with the above line in red 
  there were dead rats on ships (ships, that sailed the river : Nile) 
 Based on the number of dead rats on these ships specifically, the plague could not have originated from these trade-ships  
  If the rats survived instead on these trade ships -- the traditional explanation ( that the plague originated from trade-ships ) would be more a **bit more likely** to be true.

So i selected (B)

The Black Death, a severe epidemic that ravaged fourteenth century Eur

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

The Black Death, a severe epidemic that ravaged fourteenth century Eur

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