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medium · GRE Verbal Reasoning

Divers exploring a second-century shipwreck off the coast of Sardinia found hundreds of sealed clay jars of olive oil in the vessel's hold. Marine archaeologists concluded that the ship was a merchant trader rather than a naval vessel. Naval vessels of that era, however, are known to have routinely carried provisions, including olive oil, for their crews.

Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the archaeologists' conclusion?

  1. Olive oil was among the most widely traded commodities in the second-century Mediterranean.
  2. The wreck lies along a sea route that both merchant fleets and naval fleets commonly used.
  3. Some naval vessels of that era had originally been constructed as merchant ships and were later converted.
  4. Clay jars of the type recovered from the wreck have also been found in warehouses on land.
  5. The hold contained far more oil than a full crew could have consumed on the era's longest voyages.

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