Paleontologists Hypothesize that Modern Birds Evolved from the Family of Dinosaurs that included Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Question: Paleontologists hypothesize that modern birds evolved from the family of dinosaurs that included Tyrannosaurus rex. This hypothesis would be strongly supported if evidence that dinosaurs from this family had a body covering resembling feathers could be found, but so far no such evidence has been found.

Which of the following, if true, would most help the paleontologists explain why no evidence of feathered dinosaurs has yet been found?

1. Fossilized dinosaurs have shown many birdlike characteristics, such as bone structure and winglike arms.
2. If birds are in fact the descendants of dinosaurs, then it can be argued that the dinosaurs never really died out.
3. Flying dinosaurs such as the Pteranodon,which is not thought to have been related to modern birds, do not appear to have had feathers.
4. Soft tissues such as skin and feathers do not fossilize like bones, and therefore are far less likely to have left permanent evidence in the fossil record.
5. The thousands of dinosaur fossils excavated by paleontologists represent only a tiny fraction of the billions of dinosaurs that once lived.

“Paleontologists hypothesize that modern birds evolved from the family of dinosaurs that included Tyrannosaurus rex.” – is a GMAT Critical question. This particular GMAT Critical Reasoning topic has been taken from the book ‘McGraw-Hill's GMAT, 2011 Edition’. This is a Paradox type GMAT CR question. A paradox, in GMAT CR, means the presence of two contradictory pieces of information in an argument. GMAT critical reasoning tests the logical and analytical skills of the candidates. This topic requires candidates to find the strengths and weaknesses of the argument, or find the logical flaw in the argument. The GMAT CR section contains 10 -13 GMAT critical reasoning questions out of 36 GMAT verbal questions.

Answer: D
Explanation:

Question Type: This is a Paradox type GMAT CR question. A paradox, in GMAT CR, means the presence of two contradictory pieces of information in an argument.

Hypothesis: Paleontologists hypothesize that modern birds evolved from the family of dinosaurs, but so far no such evidence has been found.

Conclusion: This argument can be supported if we find any statement that states that the fossil evidence of dinosaurs with feather-like body covering have been discovered.

Option A. Out of Scope.
The first answer choice is incorrect as there is no evidence stating that feather-like body covering has been discovered. The conclusion does not require any data regarding other bird-like characteristics.

Option B. Incorrect.
Here the second statement is not clear whether they want to claim dinosaurs have "died out" or that no evident fossils have been found. This answer choice is philosophically rather than a comparison.

Option C. Incorrect.
Here option C can be considered a trap. Rather than finding the conclusion to support the argument, it states about other bird characteristics.

Option D. Correct.
This statement is correct as it supports the conclusion. It states that feathers do not fossilize. So feathers are unlikely to leave permanent fossil records. This statement explains that the hypothesis could be correct even though these fossils have not been found. Hence option D is correct.

Option E: Incorrect
Option E states that only thousands of fossils have been excavated, so it might not be possible that every type of dinosaur that existed has been found. The statement is not strong enough to support the argument.

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