BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

Target Test Prep · GMAT

Choose how you want to prepare

Learn live with an expert or move at your own pace. Every option includes the complete TTP study system.

★★★★★5.0559 reviews
GMATLiveTeach Starts Oct 17
Chris Peckover, Target Test Prep GMAT expert
LIVE ONLINE CLASSES

Get Ready for GMAT Test Day Faster with Live Online Classes

with Chris Peckover, 100th-Percentile GMAT Scorer

Oct 17 · Chris Peckover
Sat · 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM ET
Oct 20 · Chris Peckover
Tue, Thu · 8:00 to 10:00 PM ET
Oct 25 · Josh Braslow
Sun · 1:00 to 4:00 PM ET
Included
40 hours of live online classes + 6 months of TTP OnDemand
  • Attend the first class for free
  • Every class is recorded, so you never fall behind
View classes & enroll
Limited seats availableTarget Test Prep
EALiveTeachOnDemand 5 seats left Start anytime
EXECUTIVE ASSESSMENT

Target Test Prep EA OnDemand

Self-paced EA prep. Study on your schedule.

Logan Thompson
EXECUTIVE ASSESSMENT

Sep 6 to Dec 6, 2026

with Logan Thompson

165+ EA score guarantee
$05-day trial no automatic billing
Schedule
Sun · 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM ET
Included
40 hours of live online classes plus six months of access to the complete TTP EA OnDemand course.
  • 165+ EA Score Guarantee
  • 4,100+ Quant, Verbal, and Integrated Reasoning practice questions
  • 400+ hours of in-depth video lessons
  • 3,000+ step-by-step video solutions
View EA class & enroll Start free 5-day trial
Limited cohort · enrollment openTrial includes full course accessTarget Test Prep
GMATOnDemand Start anytime
SELF-PACED MASTERCLASS

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Complete access from day one. Study on your schedule.

715+ score guarantee
$0to start then $127/mo
  • Personalized study plan and analytics
  • Thousands of lessons and practice questions

Compare the format, schedule, and included access before enrolling. Prices and seat counts shown reflect the supplied offer details.

mammals, guitars...

Expert replies
by yangliu0401 » Mon Mar 30, 2009 2:39 pm
1. Although most species of nondomestic mammals in Australia are marsupials, over 100 species- including seals, bats, and mice-are not marsupials but placentals. It is clear, however, that these placentals are not native to this island continent: all nonhuman placentals except the dingo, a dog introduced by the first humans that settled Australia, are animals whose ancestors could swim tong distances, fly, or float on driftwood.

The conclusion above is properly drawn if which one of the following is assumed?

(A) Some marsupials now found in Australia might not be native to that continent, but rather might have been introduced to Australia by some other means.

(B) Humans who settled Australia probably introduced many of the placental mammal species now present on that Continent.

(C) The only Australian placentals that could be native to Australia would be animals whose ancestors could not have reached Australia from elsewhere.

(D) No marsupials now found in Australia can swim long distances. fly. or float on driftwood.

(E) Seals, bats, and mice are typically found only in areas where there are no native marsupials.

OA is C, while I choose D

2. Jane: Professor Harper's ideas for modifying the design of guitars are of no value because there is no general agreement among musicians as to what a guitar should sound like and. Consequently, no widely accepted basis for evaluating the merits of a guitar's sound.

Mark: What's more, Harper's ideas have had enough time to be adopted if they really resulted in superior sound. It took only ten years for the Torres design for guitars to be almost universally adopted because of the improvement it makes in tonal quality.

Which one of the following most accurately describes the relationship between Jane's argument and Mark's argument?

(A) Mark's argument shows how a weakness in Jane's argument can be overcome.

(B) Mark's argument has a premise in common with Jane's argument

(C) Mark and Jane use similar techniques to argue for different conclusions.

(D) Mark's argument restates Jane's argument in other terms.

(E) Mark's argument and Jane's argument are based on conflicting suppositions.

OA is E, while I choose D

So confused!!!Pls help me out!
Join the discussion
Source: — Reading Comprehension |

Critical Reasoning Help

by Jose Ferreira » Wed Apr 01, 2009 1:07 pm
Hi Yangliu,

Let's tackle that first problem by using what we know about most logical GMAT arguments: Valid conclusions must be supported by explicit premises (evidence) and implicit premises (assumptions).

Reading the question stem first (a technique employed by quite a few test takers) we should correctly identify this as an assumption question. Assumption questions ask us to identify information that's necessary to the argument but is not stated. One of the easier ways of finding assumptions is to single out the conclusion and the evidence and look for holes in the reasoning connecting them.

The conclusion: It is clear, however, that these placentals are not native to this island continent.

A quick note about this conclusion: Whenever an author concludes that something is obvious or clear, it should raise an immediate red flag. In such cases, the author is almost always overlooking something. In this case, since it's an assumption question, we expect the author to be overlooking something that must be true... the assumption. So, if we can discover what the author is taking for granted here, we should have our answer.

The evidence should tell us why the author believes the conclusion to be true. In this case, the author points to the fact that ancestors of all nonhuman placentals (except the dingo, which was brought to Australia by humans) were capable of swimming long distances, flying, or floating on driftwood.

Let's ignore the first sentence about the types of species found in Australia, as it is simply background detail used to define placentals and has little bearing on the argument.

The author's argument is as follows:

Since all of the placentals found in Australia are descendants of animals that could swim, fly, or float long distances, they must not be native to Australia.

Does this logic seem complete to you?

The author is relying on the idea that in order for something to be native to Australia its ancestors must not have had the ability to travel long distances (i.e. the ability to have reached the continent from somewhere else).

This is what answer choice "C" says.

Answer choice "D" addresses marsupials, which I concede can be confusing. However, if we agree marsupials are simply mentioned in the first sentence in order to define placentals, then they are outside the scope of the author's argument. It's irrelevant that there aren't marsupials now found in Australia that can swim long distances. The author's conclusion is about placentals, and does not rely on how marsupials got to the continent. In fact, the author does not address whether marsupials are native to Australia at all.
Jose Ferreira
Founder and CEO, Knewton, Inc.
https://www.knewton.com/gmat
Join the discussion

by anshulseth » Sat Apr 04, 2009 10:32 pm
Regarding Q2:
The premise on which the conclusion is based is diff for Jane than Mark.
Jane bases it on no value of Harper's ideas based on the supposition that there is no consensus on "how the guitar should sound like".

Mark has the same conclusion but actually talks about the quality of sound.
So he supposes if the music is good. it should have evolved a better sound all this while, which is diff than that of Jane.

Thus E.
Asset
Join the discussion

by cramya » Sat Apr 04, 2009 10:47 pm
Thanks for a good explanation Jose!

Yangliu,
Ques (1)

In addition before u pick a choice for assumption question try negating that choice and see if it weakens the argument.

If u negate C then the conclusion that Jose had explained as being present in the argument falls apart.

An assumption is something that must be true (author has believed in but not stated) for the conclsuion to stand.

Hope this helps too.

Regards,
CR
Join the discussion