While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:The Azores is a group of islands about 870 miles...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The Azores is a group of islands about 870 miles off the coast of Portugal.
- Historians have long believed that in the fifteenth century Portuguese mariners were the first humans to populate the Azores.
- A 2015 study coauthored by Sofia Gabriel and Maria da Luz Mathias found that Vikings from Scandinavia may have populated the Azores as early as the ninth century.
- The researchers found a genetic connection between house mice in the Azores and house mice in Scandinavia.
- House mice may have traveled from Scandinavia to the Azores on Viking ships.
The student wants to specify who may have first populated the Azores, according to the 2015 study. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Historians have long believed that the first humans to populate the Azores, a group of islands about 870 miles off the coast of Portugal, arrived in the fifteenth century.
Portuguese mariners may not have been the first humans to populate the Azores.
In their 2015 study, the researchers found a genetic connection between house mice in the Azores and those in Scandinavia.
According to a 2015 study, the first humans to populate the Azores may have been Vikings from Scandinavia, not mariners from Portugal as previously believed.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| The Azores is a group of islands about 870 miles off the coast of Portugal. |
|
| Historians have long believed that in the fifteenth century Portuguese mariners were the first humans to populate the Azores. |
|
| A 2015 study coauthored by Sofia Gabriel and Maria da Luz Mathias found that Vikings from Scandinavia may have populated the Azores as early as the ninth century. |
|
| The researchers found a genetic connection between house mice in the Azores and house mice in Scandinavia. |
|
| House mice may have traveled from Scandinavia to the Azores on Viking ships. |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: A 2015 study suggests that Vikings from Scandinavia, not Portuguese mariners, may have been the first humans to populate the Azores.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The student's goal is to specify who may have first populated the Azores, according to the 2015 study.
What type of answer do we need? This asks us to identify which choice best presents the specific findings of the 2015 research regarding the first human inhabitants.
Any limiting keywords? None specified.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The right answer should clearly state that according to the 2015 study, Vikings from Scandinavia may have been the first to populate the Azores, contrasting with the previous belief about Portuguese mariners.
Historians have long believed that the first humans to populate the Azores, a group of islands about 870 miles off the coast of Portugal, arrived in the fifteenth century.
- Focuses entirely on what historians have long believed (Portuguese mariners, fifteenth century)
- Makes no reference to the 2015 study or its findings
Portuguese mariners may not have been the first humans to populate the Azores.
- Only states that Portuguese mariners may not have been first
- Doesn't specify who the 2015 study suggests were actually first
In their 2015 study, the researchers found a genetic connection between house mice in the Azores and those in Scandinavia.
- Mentions the 2015 study and the genetic connection finding but fails to connect this evidence to the main conclusion about who first populated the islands
According to a 2015 study, the first humans to populate the Azores may have been Vikings from Scandinavia, not mariners from Portugal as previously believed.
- Clearly attributes the finding to the 2015 study
- Specifically identifies Vikings from Scandinavia as who may have been first
- Contrasts this new finding with the previous belief about Portuguese mariners