Inference Question

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seema19: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 23; Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2011 12:34 am

by seema19 » Thu Oct 06, 2011 9:56 am

According to McNeill, a Brahmin priest was expected to be able to recite at least one of the Vedas. The practice was essential for several centuries when the Vedas had not yet been written down. It must have had a selective effect, since priests would have been recruited from those able or willing to memorize long passages. It must have helped in the dissemination of the work, since a memorized passage can be duplicated many times.

Which of the following can be inferred from the above passage?

(A) Reciting the Vedas was a Brahmin's obligation.
(B) The Vedic priest was like a recorded audio cassette.
(C) McNeill studied the behaviour of Brahmin priests.
(D) Vedic hymns had not been scripted

Answer : B

Can someone explain why D is not the correct answer.

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Critical Reasoning | Thu Oct 06, 2011 9:56 am

hoji: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 114; Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:35 amFollowed by: 2 members; Location: TASHKENT; Thanked: 8 times; GMAT Score:640

by hoji » Thu Oct 06, 2011 8:22 pm

seema19 wrote:According to McNeill, a Brahmin priest was expected to be able to recite at least one of the Vedas. The practice was essential for several centuries when the Vedas had not yet been written down. It must have had a selective effect, since priests would have been recruited from those able or willing to memorize long passages. It must have helped in the dissemination of the work, since a memorized passage can be duplicated many times.

Which of the following can be inferred from the above passage?

(A) Reciting the Vedas was a Brahmin's obligation.
(B) The Vedic priest was like a recorded audio cassette.
(C) McNeill studied the behaviour of Brahmin priests.
(D) Vedic hymns had not been scripted

Answer : B

Can someone explain why D is not the correct answer.

IMO D is not correct answer(though very tempting), because in the passage says "the Vedas had not yet been written down" the assumption: the vedas may have been written thereafter, but answer D states quite opposite

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seema19: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 23; Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2011 12:34 am

by seema19 » Fri Oct 07, 2011 2:51 am

hoji wrote:
seema19 wrote:According to McNeill, a Brahmin priest was expected to be able to recite at least one of the Vedas. The practice was essential for several centuries when the Vedas had not yet been written down. It must have had a selective effect, since priests would have been recruited from those able or willing to memorize long passages. It must have helped in the dissemination of the work, since a memorized passage can be duplicated many times.

Which of the following can be inferred from the above passage?

(A) Reciting the Vedas was a Brahmin's obligation.
(B) The Vedic priest was like a recorded audio cassette.
(C) McNeill studied the behaviour of Brahmin priests.
(D) Vedic hymns had not been scripted

Answer : B

Can someone explain why D is not the correct answer.
IMO D is not correct answer(though very tempting), because in the passage says "the Vedas had not yet been written down" the assumption: the vedas may have been written thereafter, but answer D states quite opposite

Option D states that Vedic hymns had not been scripted and the passage also suggests that vedic hymns weren't scripted. Whether they were scripted later on or not, is out of the scope, as this is an inference(Must be true) question.

OA is B. But, in the passage it is not suggested that the Vedic priest was like a recorded audio cassette. Can someone please explain why B is the correct answer.

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navami: Legendary Member; Posts: 540; Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 7:24 pmFollowed by: 6 members; Thanked: 37 times

by navami » Fri Oct 07, 2011 4:01 am

Don't think this is a GMAT type question.
But B is the closest option available - The passage says " t must have helped in the dissemination of the work, since a memorized passage can be duplicated many times. "

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sl750: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 496; Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 5:34 amFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 38 times

by sl750 » Sat Oct 08, 2011 12:25 am

seema19 wrote:According to McNeill, a Brahmin priest was expected to be able to recite at least one of the Vedas. The practice was essential for several centuries when the Vedas had not yet been written down. It must have had a selective effect, since priests would have been recruited from those able or willing to memorize long passages. It must have helped in the dissemination of the work, since a memorized passage can be duplicated many times.

Which of the following can be inferred from the above passage?

(A) Reciting the Vedas was a Brahmin's obligation.
(B) The Vedic priest was like a recorded audio cassette.
(C) McNeill studied the behaviour of Brahmin priests.
(D) Vedic hymns had not been scripted

Answer : B

Can someone explain why D is not the correct answer.

We are supposed to infer a reason. This means that it won't be explicitly stated in the passage
Answer D is already mentioned in the passage, there is nothing to infer. Here the ability to memorize and duplicate is being paralleled to an audio cassette

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by [email protected] » Mon Dec 26, 2011 3:36 am

The answer is B.

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