Critical Reasoning

The Nile Delta of Egypt was invaded and ruled from 1650 to 1550 B.C. by a people called Hyksos. Their origin is uncertain, but archaeologists hypothesize that they were Canaanites. In support of this hypothesis, the archaeologists point out that excavations of Avaris, the Hyksos capital in Egypt, have uncovered large numbers of artifacts virtually identical to artifacts produced in Ashkelon, a major city of Canaan at the time of the Hyksos invasion.

In order to evaluate the force of the archaeologists' evidence, it would be most useful to determine which of the following?

(A) Whether there were some artifacts found at Avaris that were unlike those produced in Ashkelon but that date to before 1700 B.C.

(B) Whether the Hyksos ruled any other part of Egypt besides the Nile Delta in the period from 1650 to 1550 B.C.

(C) Whether Avaris was the nearest Hyksos city in Egypt to Canaan

(D) Whether Ashkelon after 1550 B.C. continued to produce artifacts similar to those found at Avaris

(E) Whether many of the artifacts found at Avaris that are similar to artifacts produced in Ashkelon date to well before the Hyksos invasion


OA E

Source: GMAT Prep