akhp
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Archaeologist

by akhp Sat Jun 19, 2010 2:36 am

Source: Power Score GMAT CR Bible

Archaeologist: A skeleton of a North American mastodon that became extinct at the peak of the Ice Age was recently discovered. It contains a human-made projectile dissimilar to any found in that part of Eurasia closest to North America. Thus, since Eurasians did not settle in North America until shortly before the peak of the Ice Age, the first Eurasian settlers in North America probably came from a more distant part of Eurasia.

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the archaeologist’s argument?

(A) The projectile found in the mastodon does not resemble any that were used in Eurasia before or during the Ice Age.
(B) The people who occupied the Eurasian area closest to North America remained nomadic throughout the Ice Age.
(C) The skeleton of a bear from the same place and time as the mastodon skeleton contains a similar projectile.
(D) Other North American artifacts from the peak of the Ice Age are similar to ones from the same time found in more distant parts of Eurasia.
(E) Climatic conditions in North America just before the Ice Age were more conducive to human habitation than were those in the part of Eurasia closest to North America at that time.

OA: A

I confused while going through stimulus. Can you explain that why A is the asnwer?
Varshneya
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Re: Archaeologist

by Varshneya Thu Jul 01, 2010 5:16 am

akhp Wrote:Source: Power Score GMAT CR Bible

Archaeologist: A skeleton of a North American mastodon that became extinct at the peak of the Ice Age was recently discovered. It contains a human-made projectile dissimilar to any found in that part of Eurasia closest to North America. Thus, since Eurasians did not settle in North America until shortly before the peak of the Ice Age, the first Eurasian settlers in North America probably came from a more distant part of Eurasia.


Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the archaeologist’s argument?

(A) The projectile found in the mastodon does not resemble any that were used in Eurasia before or during the Ice Age.
(B) The people who occupied the Eurasian area closest to North America remained nomadic throughout the Ice Age.
(C) The skeleton of a bear from the same place and time as the mastodon skeleton contains a similar projectile.
(D) Other North American artifacts from the peak of the Ice Age are similar to ones from the same time found in more distant parts of Eurasia.
(E) Climatic conditions in North America just before the Ice Age were more conducive to human habitation than were those in the part of Eurasia closest to North America at that time.

OA: A

I confused while going through stimulus. Can you explain that why A is the asnwer?


Argument:
P1: recent discovery with projectile similar to Eurasian near NA.
P2: Eurasian did not settle in NA till the peak of ice age.
C: Eurasians came from distant Eurasia. (basically some other part of Eurasia other than the one nearest to NA)

B. Does not weaken why they can from distant eurasia. Actually strengthens, I think.
C. This tells us projectile is same does not say anything about Eurasia or NA
D. Strengthens the argument
E. Also strengthens the argument by saying people would have rather migrated to NA than stayed in that part of eurasia closest to NA.
A. is a clear cut winner here because it gives us an outside info which eliminates connection between eurasia and NA and the projectile established in the argument.

I think the explanations in CR Bible are very good. You should go through them once.