Dr. Robert Chen, a historian, has recently released findings contending that a recently uncovered document offers conclusive evidence that Christopher...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Dr. Robert Chen, a historian, has recently released findings contending that a recently uncovered document offers conclusive evidence that Christopher Columbus undertook a clandestine fifth expedition to the New World in 1508. According to Chen, this would represent the initial documentation of such an expedition. Over the last ten years, two manuscripts located in archives across Spain and Portugal have included passages that certain academics believe reference further Columbus journeys. These academics cite particular nautical information and geographical accounts as supporting evidence. Nevertheless, Chen maintains that these presumed voyage descriptions actually chronicle the expeditions of other Spanish navigators who retraced Columbus's paths, and that subsequent archivists incorrectly credited these travels to Columbus.
Which statement, if true, would most directly undermine Chen's assertion regarding the manuscripts located in Spanish and Portuguese archives?
Spanish and Portuguese archives from subsequent eras have produced manuscripts that have been definitively identified as documentation of other Spanish navigators' expeditions.
Manuscripts chronicling the expeditions of Spanish navigators other than Columbus have been located in Spanish and Portuguese archives, though never in the repository where Chen found his document.
The manuscripts located in Spanish and Portuguese archives exhibit handwriting and linguistic characteristics so unclear that they cannot be definitively attributed to documentation of Columbus's expeditions or to documentation of other navigators' journeys.
The document uncovered by Chen exhibited superior preservation compared to the manuscripts located in Spanish and Portuguese archives.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Dr. Robert Chen, a historian, has recently released findings contending that a recently uncovered document offers conclusive evidence that Christopher Columbus undertook a clandestine fifth expedition to the New World in 1508." |
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| "According to Chen, this would represent the initial documentation of such an expedition." |
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| "Over the last ten years, two manuscripts located in archives across Spain and Portugal have included passages that certain academics believe reference further Columbus journeys." |
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| "These academics cite particular nautical information and geographical accounts as supporting evidence." |
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| "Nevertheless, Chen maintains that these presumed voyage descriptions actually chronicle the expeditions of other Spanish navigators who retraced Columbus's paths, and that subsequent archivists incorrectly credited these travels to Columbus." |
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Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Dr. Chen claims his newly discovered document provides the first evidence of Columbus's fifth voyage, while disputing other academics' interpretations of existing manuscripts as evidence of additional Columbus expeditions.
Argument Flow: The passage presents Chen's claim about discovering evidence for Columbus's fifth voyage, then introduces competing interpretations of other manuscripts by academics who see them as evidence of more Columbus journeys, before concluding with Chen's counter-argument that these manuscripts actually document other navigators' expeditions that were misattributed to Columbus.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
This is a fill-in-the-blank question asking us to choose the best logical connector. The answer must create the right relationship between what comes before and after the blank.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- Chen's assertion about the manuscripts is very specific: he "maintains that these presumed voyage descriptions actually chronicle the expeditions of other Spanish navigators who retraced Columbus's paths, and that subsequent archivists incorrectly credited these travels to Columbus."
- To undermine this assertion, we'd need evidence that:
- Makes Chen's confident interpretation questionable or impossible to support
- Shows the manuscripts can't definitively be attributed to other navigators as Chen claims
- Challenges his ability to make such a definitive determination about what the manuscripts describe
- So the right answer should present information that makes Chen's specific, confident assertion about the manuscripts' content untenable or at least highly questionable.
Spanish and Portuguese archives from subsequent eras have produced manuscripts that have been definitively identified as documentation of other Spanish navigators' expeditions.
- This tells us about other manuscripts that have been definitively identified as other navigators' expeditions
- This doesn't address or undermine Chen's claims about the specific manuscripts in Spanish and Portuguese archives
- If anything, this might support the idea that other navigators' expeditions were documented, which could support Chen's interpretation
Manuscripts chronicling the expeditions of Spanish navigators other than Columbus have been located in Spanish and Portuguese archives, though never in the repository where Chen found his document.
- This discusses manuscripts found in different locations than where Chen found his document
- This doesn't challenge Chen's interpretation of the specific Spanish and Portuguese archive manuscripts
- The location difference is irrelevant to whether Chen's assessment of the archive manuscripts is correct
The manuscripts located in Spanish and Portuguese archives exhibit handwriting and linguistic characteristics so unclear that they cannot be definitively attributed to documentation of Columbus's expeditions or to documentation of other navigators' journeys.
- This directly challenges Chen's confident assertion by stating the manuscripts are too unclear to make definitive attributions
- If the manuscripts exhibit such unclear characteristics that they "cannot be definitively attributed" to either Columbus OR other navigators, then Chen's confident claim that they "actually chronicle the expeditions of other Spanish navigators" becomes untenable
- This undermines the foundation of Chen's argument - his ability to definitively determine what these manuscripts describe
The document uncovered by Chen exhibited superior preservation compared to the manuscripts located in Spanish and Portuguese archives.
- This compares the preservation quality between Chen's document and the archive manuscripts
- Better or worse preservation of Chen's document doesn't affect the validity of his interpretation of the separate archive manuscripts
- This is irrelevant to whether Chen's claims about the archive manuscripts' content are accurate