Critical Reasoning

A newly discovered painting on wooden panel by Michelangelo must have been completed after 1507 but before 1509. It cannot have been painted earlier than 1507 because one of its central figures carries a coin that was not minted until that year. It cannot have been painted after 1509 because it contains a pigment that Michelangelo is known to have abandoned when a cheaper alternative became available in that year.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

A) No stocks of the abandoned pigment existed after 1509.

B) Michelangelo did not work on the painting over the course of several years.

C) The coin depicted in the painting was known to general public in 1507.

D) The wooden panel on which the painting was executed cannot be tested accurately for age.

E) Michelangelo's painting style did not change between 1507 and 1509.

According to me this question isn't difficult.But the answer choices are unclear,more specifically,the correct answer bugs me.

Assumption is,according to me : The coin was not illegally in circulation prior to 1507 and the paint was not avaliable after 1509.

If this were to happen,you can't conclude that the painting was completed "after 1507 but before 1509"

Now I leave it upto you guys to select the answers.Please explain why you chose that answer.Experts,please hop in.

rishab1988 wrote:A newly discovered painting on wooden panel by Michelangelo must have been completed after 1507 but before 1509. It cannot have been painted earlier than 1507 because one of its central figures carries a coin that was not minted until that year. It cannot have been painted after 1509 because it contains a pigment that Michelangelo is known to have abandoned when a cheaper alternative became available in that year.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

A) No stocks of the abandoned pigment existed after 1509.

B) Michelangelo did not work on the painting over the course of several years.

C) The coin depicted in the painting was known to general public in 1507.

D) The wooden panel on which the painting was executed cannot be tested accurately for age.

E) Michelangelo's painting style did not change between 1507 and 1509.

According to me this question isn't difficult.But the answer choices are unclear,more specifically,the correct answer bugs me.

Assumption is,according to me : The coin was not illegally in circulation prior to 1507 and the paint was not avaliable after 1509.

If this were to happen,you can't conclude that the painting was completed "after 1507 but before 1509"

Now I leave it upto you guys to select the answers.Please explain why you chose that answer.Experts,please hop in.

You may well have noticed that this argument uses the verbs completed and painted, which have different meanings. I find the last sentence of the argument objectionable, since the completion date may be many years after the starting date. Thus I was able to identify B as my answer.
However, simply by going through the choices, one realizes that B must be true for the conclusion to be valid, for if the painting took several years to complete, the last sentence of the argument is false.

I commend you for looking for assumptions before examining the answer choices. However, note that arguments often depend on several assumptions: do not close your mind to ones that do not match the one you identified!

Please explain why A is incorrect. I was able to eliminate C,D,and E.

I thought if pigment was still available after 1509,the painter could still have completed his painting after 1509.

rishab1988 wrote:Please explain why A is incorrect. I was able to eliminate C,D,and E.

I thought if pigment was still available after 1509,the painter could still have completed his painting after 1509.

a pigment that Michelangelo is known to have abandoned

Jeez.I think late hours hurt me.I didn't even read that part.I thought that the pigment was abandoned in general,but not specifically by this painter.Thanks for pointing that out.Now it is completely clear to me.

this problem can be addressed if one focus on Conclusion and go for Negation method

important point is Conclusion

I picked B as my answer but was stuck between B and D for a bit and, after a little deliberation, chose B simply for the reason that it sounded more like an assumption than D did.

Can someone explain why D is incorrect?

SmarpanGamt wrote:this problem can be addressed if one focus on Conclusion and go for Negation method

important point is Conclusion

i spotted the answer correctly, but can you help me how to cross check the answer with negation ... that will be a great help... thanks very much

if someone else can also contribute in explaining and contributing for negation in general ..that would be great

thanks

About the negation test check this

kevincanspain wrote:However, simply by going through the choices, one realizes that B must be true for the conclusion to be valid, for if the painting took several years to complete, the last sentence of the argument is false.

But I would like know why D is wrong?

D is wrong coz the "age" of the wooden panel can't be linked to when the painting is "completed" (which is the essence of the conclusion) -- just by testing the wooden panel you can't test the completion date as the wooden panel may have just been added later ---> it is not a "must be true" link

however, i think if D had read: the pigment in the paining cannot be tested accurately for age ---> then that I think would be an assumption -- but that would make this easy to spot

RadiumBall wrote:About the negation test check this

kevincanspain wrote:However, simply by going through the choices, one realizes that B must be true for the conclusion to be valid, for if the painting took several years to complete, the last sentence of the argument is false.

But I would like know why D is wrong?

D is wrong because it is out of the scope of the passage. The assumptions are concerned with using paints and coins to determine when it was painted, not with alternate ways to test the age. Maybe the person just did not think of testing the wood for an age.

hmm.. actually the wooden panel was used at the time of "execution" of the painting... so the "age" vs "completion" argument may not work..

I think if D had said: "The wooden panel on which the painting was executed cannot be tested accurately for age TO ESTABLISH THAT IT WAS CREATED IN 1500." --- then it would be a assumption! haha that would be too easy - wishful thinking

Because of the "executed" bit --- I am actually not sure about D now... in exam conditions would have been tough to pick b/w B and D