MGMAT ASSUMPTION PROBLEM

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nandy1984: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 105; Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2010 8:29 pm; Thanked: 4 times

by nandy1984 » Sun Apr 08, 2012 4:05 am

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.

Source: Beat The GMAT — Critical Reasoning | Sun Apr 08, 2012 4:05 am

ranjeet75: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 242; Joined: Fri Aug 01, 2008 8:49 am; Location: Delhi; Thanked: 6 times

by ranjeet75 » Sun Apr 08, 2012 7:09 am

IMO B

Because if Michelangelo worked on any painting for 3 - years then it is possible that it started in 1506 with the earlier paint and ended with new paint in 1511

ice_rush: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 341; Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:59 pmFollowed by: 4 members; Thanked: 17 times; GMAT Score:720

by ice_rush » Sun Apr 08, 2012 7:11 am

IMO B.

Bill@VeritasPrep: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1248; Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2012 2:57 pmFollowed by: 192 members; Location: Everywhere; Thanked: 503 times; GMAT Score:780

by Bill@VeritasPrep » Sun Apr 08, 2012 7:18 am

A--irrelevant to whether Michelangelo would have used them
B--works. If he DID work on it over several years, then both premises are still true, but the conclusion about when the painting was completed is no longer supported.
C--fits the timeline, but not required for the argument to be true
D--the age of the panel is irrelevant
E--painting style is irrelevant

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nandy1984: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 105; Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2010 8:29 pm; Thanked: 4 times

by nandy1984 » Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:43 am

Bill@VeritasPrep wrote:A--irrelevant to whether Michelangelo would have used them
B--works. If he DID work on it over several years, then both premises are still true, but the conclusion about when the painting was completed is no longer supported.
C--fits the timeline, but not required for the argument to be true
D--the age of the panel is irrelevant
E--painting style is irrelevant

How can we say this "but the conclusion about when the painting was completed is no longer supported"

From the argument we say painting started at Jan2nd 1507 and ended on Dec 31 1508... here we say more than 1.5yrs so we can use several years....

patanjali.purpose: Legendary Member; Posts: 784; Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2011 3:51 amFollowed by: 12 members; Thanked: 114 times

by patanjali.purpose » Sun Apr 08, 2012 1:36 pm

nandy1984 wrote:
Bill@VeritasPrep wrote:A--irrelevant to whether Michelangelo would have used them
B--works. If he DID work on it over several years, then both premises are still true, but the conclusion about when the painting was completed is no longer supported.
C--fits the timeline, but not required for the argument to be true
D--the age of the panel is irrelevant
E--painting style is irrelevant
How can we say this "but the conclusion about when the painting was completed is no longer supported"

From the argument we say painting started at Jan2nd 1507 and ended on Dec 31 1508... here we say more than 1.5yrs so we can use several years....

Answer lies in the first sentence:

A newly discovered painting on wooden panel by Michelangelo must have been completed after 1507 but before 1509.

AFTER 1507 BUT BEFORE 1509. This means 1507 < PAINTING < 1509. This means, painting painted in 1508

Furthermore,

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

- I do not think we say that since the stocks were available, painters would have used the stocks!

GmatKiss: Legendary Member; Posts: 2789; Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 12:19 amFollowed by: 43 members; Location: Chennai, India; Thanked: 206 times; GMAT Score:640

by GmatKiss » Tue Apr 10, 2012 12:07 pm

Comes down to A/B

IMO: B

agarwalva: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 152; Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2012 12:56 pm; Location: New york; Thanked: 9 times

by agarwalva » Tue Apr 10, 2012 5:42 pm

should look at https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/cr- ... t2495.html...

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