GMAT CR

abhi75 · Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 8:56 am Post subject: GMAT CR

The spacing of the four holes on a fragment of a bone flute excavated at a Neanderthal campsite is just what is required to play the third through sixth notes of the diatonic scale—the seven-note musical scale used in much of Western music since the Renaissance. Musicologists therefore hypothesize that the diatonic musical scale was developed and used thousands of years before it was adopted by Western musicians.

Which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the hypothesis?

A. Bone flutes were probably the only musical instrument made by Neanderthals.
B. No musical instrument that is known to have used a diatomic scale is of an earlier date than the flute found at the Neanderthal campsite.
C. The flute was made from a cave-bear bone and the campsite at which the flute fragment was excavated was in a cave that also contained skeletal remains of cave bears.
D. Flutes are the simplest wind instrument that can be constructed to allow playing a diatonic scale.
E. The cave-bear leg bone used to make the Neanderthal flute would have been long enough to make a flute capable of playing a complete diatonic scale.

Can someone please explain this. Stuart, I would really appreciate your help in explaining this one.

Thanks.
Abhi

arorag · Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 6:34 pm Post subject:

only B is supporting the argument

Stuart Kovinsky · Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 7:47 pm Post subject: Re: GMAT CR

abhi75 · Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 8:06 pm Post subject:

Hi Stuart,

Thanks for your great explanation. The OA is definitely E. I am always off on these kind of questions. Need to practice more!

-abhi

chidcguy · Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 9:50 am Post subject:

I went with C as I needed to link the N's and the cave bone used in the flute. C says that the cave bone was used to make the flute and the campsite at which flute was excavated also contained skeletal remains of cave bears.

C linked them, How ever E is a better answer as it not only says that the flute is made of cave bear leg bone, but also long enough which supports the used and developed part in the original stimulus.