The Republic of Estonia is Separated from Finland by the Narrow Gulf GMAT Critical Reasoning

Question: The republic of Estonia is separated from Finland by the narrow Gulf of Finland. The Estonian people are genetically similar to the Finnish people. Estonians also speak a language that is very closely related to Finnish. It is likely that, many centuries ago, residents of what is now Estonia migrated to what is now Finland and established settlements there.

Which of the following, if true, does the least to undermine the Author’s explanation for the similarities given?

1. The earliest settlements found in Finland exhibit cultural influences common to Estonians and Finns predate the earliest settlements found in Estonia that exhibit these traits.
2. At the time at which the residents of present-day Estonia are believed to have migrated to present-day Finland, travel by boat across the Gulf of Finland was not possible.
3. Early Estonian artifacts contain drawings of animals that were native not only to Finland at the time the migration was believed to have taken place.
4. The traits common to the people of Finland and Estonia are also shared by the population of present-day Sweden.
5. The Norwegian people are more similar to the Finnish people than the Estonians.

“The Republic of Estonia is Separated from Finland by the Narrow Gulf of Finland” – is a GMAT Critical question. This particular GMAT Critical Reasoning topic has been taken from the book ‘1,037 Practice Questions for the New GMAT, 2nd Edition’ by Princeton review. In this particular topic, candidates need to choose the option that best suits the passage. GMAT critical reasoning tests the logical and analytical skills of the candidates. Critical reasoning in GMAT 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: This is a GMAT critical reasoning question. We have to select the option that does the least to undermine what the author has said for the similarities given in the passage.

Let’s go through each option individually and find the one that fits the best.

Option A: The earliest settlements found in Finland exhibit cultural influences common to Estonians and Finns predate the earliest settlements found in Estonia that exhibit these traits.
-Option A states that the earliest settlements that were found in Finland had some influences that are common to Estonians and Finns predate that the settlements found in Estonia had these traits. If the settlements predate the Estonian settlements, this would undermine the author’s explanation to a large extent. Because what the author is saying is completely opposite of the statement. So, Option A is incorrect.

Option B: At the time at which the residents of present-day Estonia are believed to have migrated to present-day Finland, travel by boat across the Gulf of Finland was not possible.
-According to option B, when the residents of present-day Estonia are said to have migrated to present-day Finland, travelling by boat across the Gulf of Finland could not be possible. This statement largely undermines the author’s explanation as it suggests that migration was not possible between Estonia and Finland. The statement is in total contrast to the explanation given by the author. So, Option B is incorrect.

Option C: Early Estonian artefacts contain drawings of animals that were native not only to Finland at the time the migration was believed to have taken place.
-Option C states that the old Estonian art pieces contain drawings of animals that were native only to Finland when the migration was said to have taken place. This statement suggests that the attributes shared by the people of Estonia and Finland are not a result of migration and even that, Finnish people might have migrated to Estonia. This statement suggests the exact opposite of what the author has explained in the given passage. Since the statement is in contrast to the explanation of the author, Option C is incorrect.

Option D: The traits common to the people of Finland and Estonia are also shared by the population of present-day Sweden.
-As per Option D, the traits that are common to the public of Finland and Estonia are also shared by the people of present-day Sweden. This statement does the least to undermine the explanation given by the author as it says that the traits are common at present and it is possible that they were similar earlier. It may be the case that people of Sweden migrated from Finland or from Estonia, or it may be some other conclusion. But one thing is for sure, it does not weaken the conclusion given by the author. So, Option D is correct.

Option E: The Norwegian people are more similar to the Finnish people than the Estonians.
-Option E states that the Norwegian people are more similar to the people of Finland as compared to the Estonians. It could be possible that the people of Finland and Estonia were derived from Norwegian. There are too many doubts that question the author’s explanation. So, Option E is incorrect.

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