Archaeologists excavating an ancient Chi-Xua site found a small statue along with white-and-red striped pottery fragments and small bits of...

GMAT Two Part Analysis : (TPA) Questions

Source: Mock

Two Part Analysis

Verbal - CR

MEDIUM

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Notes

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Archaeologists excavating an ancient Chi-Xua site found a small statue along with white-and-red striped pottery fragments and small bits of cloth in a one-room building approximately 6 meters by 5 meters. The building had a single entrance, opening to a narrow exterior porch. The building's walls were made of local sandstone.

Select the proposition that, if true, would provide the strongest evidence For the hypothesis that the room had a residential function and select the proposition that, if true, would provide the strongest evidence Against the hypothesis. Make only two selections, one in each column.

For

Against

Local sandstone was rarely used for building in ancient Chi-Xua sites.

Nearly all Chi-Xua residential buildings had multiple rooms.

Some Chi-Xua buildings included multiple storage rooms measuring approximately 30 square meters.

The cloth fragments did not contain the pigments commonly used in Chi-Xua ceremonial robes.

Red-and-white striped pottery was used in Chi-Xua almost exclusively for personal food storage.

Solution

Phase 1: Owning the Dataset

Argument Analysis Table

Text from Passage	Analysis
"Archaeologists excavating an ancient Chi-Xua site found a small statue along with white-and-red striped pottery fragments and small bits of cloth"	What it says: Various artifacts were discovered together What it does: Provides evidence of what was in the building Key connections: These items could indicate the building's function Visualization: Multiple artifact types suggest regular use
"in a one-room building approximately 6 meters by 5 meters"	What it says: The structure is small (30 square meters) with no internal divisions What it does: Describes the building's layout Key connections: Size and layout may indicate function Visualization: Single room = simple structure
"The building had a single entrance, opening to a narrow exterior porch"	What it says: One way in/out with a small covered area outside What it does: Describes accessibility features Key connections: Entrance design might suggest use pattern Visualization: Simple entrance with transitional space
"The building's walls were made of local sandstone"	What it says: Construction used readily available materials What it does: Describes building materials Key connections: Material choice might indicate importance/function Visualization: Solid stone construction

Argument Structure

Main hypothesis: The room had a residential function
Supporting evidence: Contains various artifacts (statue, pottery, cloth)
Physical characteristics: One room, single entrance, porch, sandstone walls
What we need to determine: Which facts support or oppose residential use

Phase 2: Question Analysis & Prethinking

Understanding What Each Part Asks

Part 1 (For): What evidence would most strongly suggest this was someone's home?
Part 2 (Against): What evidence would most strongly suggest this was NOT someone's home?
Relationship: We need to find the strongest evidence on both sides of the residential hypothesis

Prethinking for Each Part

For residential function, we'd want evidence showing:

Daily living activities (cooking, eating, sleeping)
Personal belongings
Domestic artifacts
Layout suitable for living

Against residential function, we'd want evidence showing:

The building served another purpose (ceremonial, storage, commercial)
Characteristics inconsistent with Chi-Xua residential patterns
Artifacts suggesting non-residential use

Phase 3: Answer Choice Evaluation

Evaluating Each Choice

Choice 1: "Local sandstone was rarely used for building in ancient Chi-Xua sites."

This makes the building unusual but doesn't specifically indicate residential vs. non-residential
For residential: Weak (doesn't support)
Against residential: Weak (unusual material doesn't mean non-residential)

Choice 2: "Nearly all Chi-Xua residential buildings had multiple rooms."

This building has only ONE room
If residential buildings typically had multiple rooms, this single-room structure likely isn't residential
For residential: Doesn't support
Against residential: VERY STRONG - directly contradicts typical residential pattern

Choice 3: "Some Chi-Xua buildings included multiple storage rooms measuring approximately 30 square meters."

This building is 30 square meters total
Mentions storage rooms, not particularly relevant to residential function
For residential: Weak
Against residential: Weak

Choice 4: "The cloth fragments did not contain the pigments commonly used in Chi-Xua ceremonial robes."

Suggests the cloth was ordinary, not ceremonial
Everyday cloth = more likely residential
For residential: Moderate support (rules out ceremonial use)
Against residential: Doesn't support

Choice 5: "Red-and-white striped pottery was used in Chi-Xua almost exclusively for personal food storage."

Personal food storage = strong indicator of residential use
People store food where they live
For residential: VERY STRONG - directly indicates domestic activity
Against residential: Doesn't support

The Correct Answers

For Part 1 (For residential): Choice 5 - The pottery being used "almost exclusively for personal food storage" provides the strongest evidence that this was a residence. Personal food storage is a quintessential residential activity.

For Part 2 (Against residential): Choice 2 - The fact that "nearly all Chi-Xua residential buildings had multiple rooms" while this building has only one room provides the strongest evidence against residential function. It shows this building doesn't match the typical residential pattern.

Common Traps to Highlight

Choice 4 might seem like good evidence FOR residential function since it rules out ceremonial use. However, it's weaker than Choice 5 because:

It only tells us what the building wasn't (ceremonial)
It doesn't positively indicate residential use
Choice 5 directly points to a residential activity (personal food storage)

Choice 1 might seem like evidence AGAINST any typical function, but:

Unusual building material doesn't specifically oppose residential use
It could make any type of building unusual, not just residential ones
Choice 2 specifically contradicts residential patterns, making it much stronger

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