In Swartkans territory, archaeologists discovered charred bone fragments dating back 1 million years. Analysis of the fragments, which came from...

GMAT Critical Reasoning : (CR) Questions

Source: Official Guide

Critical Reasoning

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In Swartkans territory, archaeologists discovered charred bone fragments dating back 1 million years. Analysis of the fragments, which came from a variety of animals, showed that they had been heated to temperatures no higher than those produced in experimental campfires made from branches of white stinkwood, the most common tree around Swartkans.

Which of the following, if true, would, together with the information above, provide the best basis for the claim that the charred bone fragments are evidence of the use of fire by early hominids?

The white stinkwood tree is used for building material by the present-day inhabitants of Swartkans.

Forest fires can heat wood to a range of temperatures that occur in campfires.

The bone fragments were fitted together by the archaeologists to form the complete skeletons of several animals.

Apart from the Swartkans discovery, there is reliable evidence that early hominids used fire as many as 500 thousand years ago.

The bone fragments were found in several distinct layers of limestone that contained primitive cutting tools known to have been used by early hominids.

Solution

Passage Analysis:

Text from Passage	Analysis
In Swartkans territory, archaeologists discovered charred bone fragments dating back 1 million years.	What it says: Scientists found burned bone pieces that are 1 million years old in Swartkans What it does: Sets up the basic discovery that the rest of the argument will analyze What it is: Study finding Visualization: Timeline: 1 million years ago → charred bones found in Swartkans territory
Analysis of the fragments, which came from a variety of animals, showed that they had been heated to temperatures no higher than those produced in experimental campfires made from branches of white stinkwood, the most common tree around Swartkans.	What it says: The bones were heated to temps similar to campfires made from local white stinkwood trees What it does: Connects the bone discovery to possible fire-making using available materials What it is: Research analysis result Visualization: \(\mathrm{Bone\ heating\ temps} ≈ \mathrm{White\ stinkwood\ campfire\ temps}\) (most common local tree)

Argument Flow:

The passage presents archaeological evidence and sets up for a conclusion about early hominid fire use. It starts with the discovery of ancient charred bones, then shows these bones were heated to temperatures consistent with campfires made from locally available materials.

Main Conclusion:

There is no explicit conclusion stated in this passage - it's setting up evidence that could support the claim that early hominids used fire.

Logical Structure:

This is an incomplete argument that provides foundational evidence. The passage establishes: (1) ancient charred bones exist, and (2) they were heated consistent with local wood campfires. This creates a foundation that could support the inference that early hominids made fires, but we need additional evidence to strengthen this claim.

Prethinking:

Question type:

Strengthen - We need to find information that would make it more believable that early hominids (not natural causes) created these fires that charred the bones

Precision of Claims

The argument establishes that bones were charred at temperatures consistent with white stinkwood campfires, but doesn't prove hominids made those fires. We need to bridge the gap between 'bones were heated by fire' and 'hominids controlled that fire'

Strategy

Since this is a strengthen question, we need to think about what additional information would make us more confident that early hominids were responsible for the fires. The current evidence shows bones were charred at campfire-level temperatures using local wood, but we need something that points specifically to hominid involvement rather than natural fires or other causes

Answer Choices Explained

The white stinkwood tree is used for building material by the present-day inhabitants of Swartkans.

This tells us about modern usage of white stinkwood but provides no connection to early hominids or evidence that they used fire. Present-day practices don't strengthen claims about what happened 1 million years ago.

Forest fires can heat wood to a range of temperatures that occur in campfires.

This actually weakens the argument by suggesting the bones could have been charred by natural forest fires rather than controlled fires made by hominids. We need evidence pointing toward hominid fire use, not alternative explanations.

The bone fragments were fitted together by the archaeologists to form the complete skeletons of several animals.

While this provides interesting archaeological detail, it doesn't connect the charred bones to early hominid activity. Knowing we have complete skeletons doesn't tell us who or what caused them to be charred.

Apart from the Swartkans discovery, there is reliable evidence that early hominids used fire as many as 500 thousand years ago.

This shows hominids used fire at other times/places, but the Swartkans fragments are 1 million years old - twice as old as this other evidence. This doesn't strengthen the specific claim about the Swartkans bones.

The bone fragments were found in several distinct layers of limestone that contained primitive cutting tools known to have been used by early hominids.

This directly connects early hominid presence to the same location and time period as the charred bones. If hominid tools are found in the same layers as charred bones, this strongly suggests the hominids were present and responsible for the fires that charred the bones. This provides the crucial link between fire evidence and hominid activity.

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