Archeologists of the Eastern Mediterranean have noted that Mycenaean civilization GMAT Critical Reasoning

Question: Archeologists of the Eastern Mediterranean have noted that Mycenaean civilization, the Bronze-Age culture that was the leading military and economic power in Greece from approximately 1,600 to 1,100 BCE, went into a sharp decline at around the same time that archeological evidence begins to appear in Greece for another culture, known as the "Sea People." This timing, combined with the evidence of fire damage observed in Mycenaean sites at around 1,100, suggests to many archeologists that the Sea People invaded Greece at this time and conquered the Mycenaeans through force of arms.

Which of the following theories provides the most plausible alternative explanation for the archeological evidence cited above?

1. Powerful earthquakes in the eastern Mediterranean in around 1,100 BCE inflicted severe damage on Mycenaean cities and weakened them to the point that they could not prevent the Sea People from settling in Greece.
2. An epidemic of typhus that struck the eastern Mediterranean in around 1,100 BCE severely depopulated Greece and the surrounding area.
3. The Sea People were not invaders, but rather immigrants who intermarried with the Mycenaeans and became part of their civilization.
4. A severe drought that hit Greece in around 1,100 BCE made the peninsula uninhabitable, forcing the Mycenaeans to leave Greece for Asia Minor.
5. The "Sea People" were actually the Phoenicians, an advanced trading civilization that developed in the region that is now known as Syria.

Explanation:

“Archeologists of the Eastern Mediterranean have noted that Mycenaean civilization” – is a GMAT Critical question. To answer the question, a candidate can either find a piece of evidence that would weaken the argument or have logical flaws in the argument. GMAT critical reasoning tests the logical and analytical skills of the candidates. This topic requires candidates to find the argument's strengths and weaknesses or the logical flaw in the argument. The GMAT CR section contains 10 -13 GMAT critical reasoning questions out of 36 GMAT verbal questions.

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