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An assumption - written in 1165 ~ 1167

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An assumption - written in 1165 ~ 1167

by zoe » Tue Apr 19, 2016 3:31 am
Dear All,
Here is an assumption question:

Which of the following most logically completes the argument?

Sviatovin is a medieval Moringian text whose author and exact date of composition are unknown. However, the events in the life of Prince Sviatov that the text describes occurred in 1165, and in the diagram of Sviatov's family that accompanies the text his father, who died in 1167, is identified as still living. Thus Sviatovin must have been written between 1165 and 1167, assuming that .______________

(A) the life of Prince Sviatov is not the subject of any other medieval Moringian texts
(B) the author of Sviatovin intended it to provide as accurate a report about Prince Sviatov's exploits as possible
(C) the diagram accurately represents the composition of Sviatov's family at the time Sviatovin was written
(D) Sviatovin is the earliest Moringian text whose composition can be dated to within a few years
(E) Sviatovin was not written by Sviatov's father himself

The OA is C, because it is emphasize the accuracy of the premise - "the diagram accurately represents", honestly speaking, it confused me a lot. cuz, whatever we preform the question, we won't consider whether the premise is truth or not,
I have no idea about it, why it is correct answer that repeat the premise - "the accuracy of the premise". Anyone can clarify?

if I add a option (F)Sbiatovin was written by Sviatov's father himself, then it is correct, do you agree with me?

BTW, for GMAT CR, do I need to make it clear what is sufficient condition/assumption and necessary condition / assumption?

thanks a lot
have a nice day
>_~
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by fabiocafarelli » Tue Apr 19, 2016 10:29 am
1. An assumption is a missing premise: one on which the validity of the conclusion depends. Thus, option C will not be the correct answer if does not validate the conclusion of the passage.

2. The conclusion here is that Sviatovin must have been written between 1165 and 1167. The main premises supplied in support of this conclusion are that the events in the life of Prince Sviatov that the text describes occurred in 1165 and, above all, that in the diagram of Sviatov's family that accompanies the text, his father, who died in 1167, is identified as still living.

3. Thus, according to the passage, Sviatovin was written in the space of two years (1165-1167): the years that correspond to the events that occurred (1165), and the death of the father (1167). In other words, the text was composed in or after 1165, but no later than 1167, when the father died. Why? Because the father is in the diagram of the family that accompanies the text.

4. The passage establishes the date of the death of the father as a FACT. It is therefore not in question. But this fact does not establish the accuracy of the diagram. Nor does it establish the date of the composition of the text. The argument bases its conclusion on something that is actually quite flimsy. If the diagram is found to be inaccurate, the conclusion that depends on what the diagram portrays will therefore not follow. For example, how do we know that the diagram that includes the father in the family was not made AFTER the father's death? This would leave open the possibility that the text itself was written after his death.

5. The argument therefore depends on our taking for granted that the diagram does indeed represent the composition of the family AT THE TIME THAT SVIATOVIN WAS WRITTEN, as option C says - in other words, that the father was ALIVE WHEN HE WAS PORTRAYED in the diagram. Only in this case is the conclusion of the argument validated. Option C is therefore correct.

6. Concerning your hypothetical option F: this would validate the conclusion, because the text could not have been written before the occurrence of the events it describes, and likewise it could not have been written by the father after the father's death. If the father wrote the text, it must therefore have been written between 1165 and 1167.

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