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Question: In mountainous regions, the timberline is the highest altitude at which trees grow. In the Rocky Mountains, the current timberline is at the altitude above which growing season temperatures remain cooler than 10 degrees centigrade. Fossilized remains of trees that grew 10,000 years ago have been found 100 meters above the current Rocky Mountain timberline. Clearly, therefore, the climate of the Rocky Mountains is cooler now than it was 10,000 years ago.
Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument relies?
- In the past 10,000 years, the only trees to have grown above today's timberline are the trees whose fossilized remains been found.
- No trees grew 10,000 years ago at altitudes higher than the ones at which fossilized tree remains have been found.
- The fossils are not of species of trees that were able to tolerate cooler growing temperatures than are the species that currently grow near the timberline.
- The Rocky Mountains have not eroded significantly over the past 10,000 years.
- The climate of the Rocky Mountains has never been significantly warmer than during the lifetime of the trees whose fossilized remains have been found.
Answer: C
Explanation:
Given that, The timberline is the highest tree-growing altitude in mountains. The Rocky Mountain timberline is above the altitude where growing season temperatures are below 10°C. Fossilised 10,000-year-old trees were found 100 metres above the Rocky Mountain timberline. Thus, the Rocky Mountains are cooler than 10,000 years ago.
Let's approach the answer choices.
A: Incorrect
This choice doesn't directly impact the argument's reasoning. Even if the trees found in the fossilized remains were the only ones to have grown above today's timberline, it doesn't necessarily mean that the climate was cooler. The argument's conclusion is about the climate being cooler based on the fossilized remains found, not just the presence of those specific trees.
B: Incorrect
This choice, if true, would weaken the argument. If no trees grew higher than the ones whose remains were found, then the argument's conclusion about the climate being cooler based on the higher altitude remains is undermined.
C:Correct
This assumption is necessary for the argument's logic. The argument is based on the premise that fossilized remains of trees from 10,000 years ago have been found 100 meters above the current timberline. The conclusion drawn is that the climate must have been cooler 10,000 years ago. For this conclusion to hold, it's necessary to assume that the trees that grew at higher altitudes 10,000 years ago were not capable of growing in cooler conditions like the species that currently grow near the timberline. If those trees were actually adapted to cooler temperatures, then the argument's conclusion about the climate being cooler might not be valid.
D: Incorrect
The erosion of the Rocky Mountains doesn't directly relate to the argument's reasoning about the climate being cooler. The argument is about the comparison of tree remains at different altitudes and the conclusion drawn from that comparison.
E: Incorrect
This choice doesn't have a direct impact on the argument's logic. The argument is about the comparison between the present climate and the climate 10,000 years ago based on the fossilized tree remains found, not about the lifetime of the trees in relation to the climate.
“In mountainous regions, the timberline is the highest altitudel”– 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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