In archaeology, as in the physical sciences, new discoveries frequently undermine accepted findings and give rise to new theories. This trend can be seen in the reaction to the recent discovery of a set of 3.3-million-year-old fossils in Ethiopia, the remains of the earliest well-preserved child ever found. The fossilized child was estimated to be about 3 years old at death, female, and a member of the Australopithecus afarensis species. The afarensis species, a major human ancestor, lived in Africa from earlier than 3.7 million to 3 million years ago. " Her completeness, antiquity and age at death make this find of unprecedented importance in the history of paleo-anthropology" said Zeresenay Alemseged, a noted paleo-anthropologist. Other scientists said that the discovery could reconfigure conceptions about the live and capacities of these early humans.

Prior to this discovery, it had been thought that the afarensis species had abandoned the arboreal habitat of their ape cousins. However, while the lower linbs of this fossil supported findings that afarensis walked upright, its gorilla-like arms and shoulders suggested that it retained the ability to swing through trees. This had initiated a reexamination of many accepted theories of early human development. Also, the presence of a hyoid bone, a rarely preserved bone in the larynx that supports muscles of the throat, has had a tremendous impact on the theories about the origins of speech. The fossil bone is primitive and more similar to that of the apes than to that of humans, but it is the first hyoid bone found in such an early human-related species.

1. The Organization of the passage could best be described as :

(A) Discussing a controversial scientific discovery
(B) Contrasting previous theories of development with current findings
(C) Illustrating a contention with a specific example
(D) Arguing for the importance of a particular field of study
(E) Refuting a popular misconception

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2. The passage quotes Zeresenay Alemseged in order to

(A) provide evidence to qualify the main idea of the first paragraph
(B) question the claims of other scientists
(C) provide evidence to support the linguistic abilities of afarensis species
(D) provide evidence that supports the significance of the find
(E) provide a subjective opinion that is refuted in the second paragraph

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3. Each of the following is cited as a fact in the importance of the discovery of the fossils EXCEPT

(A) the fact that remains were those of a child
(B) the age of the fossils
(C) the location of the discovery
(D) the species of the fossils
(E) the intact nature of the fossils

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4. It can be inferred from the passage's description of the discovered fossil hyoid bone that

(A) Australopithecus afarensis were capable of speech
(B) the discovered hyoid bone is less primitive than the hyoid bone of apes
(C) the hyoid bone is necessary for speech
(D) the discovery of the hyoid bone necessitated the reexamination of prior theories
(E) The hyoid bone was the most important fossil found at the site

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5. According to the passage, the impact of the discovery of the hyoid bone in the field of archaeology could best be compared to which of the following examples in another field?

(A) The discovery and analysis of cosmic rays lend support to a widely accepted theory of the origin of the universe
(B) The original manuscript of deceased 19th century author confirms ideas of the development of an important work of literature
(C) The continued prosperity of a state-run economy stirs debate in the discipline of macroeconomics
(D) Newly revealed journal entries by a prominent Civil War-era politician lead to a questioning of certain accepted historical interpretations about the conflict
(E) Research into the mapping of the human genome gives rise to nascent applications o individually tailored medicines

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Will provide OA's soon ..
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"When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful.” - Eric Thomas

I believe the answers are - BDEDD

My answers
B
D
E
C
D

Third question is the only one where I have my doubts. It cannot be c) for this question as the location (Ethiopia) was stated in paragraph 1. Can anyone post the correct answers?

1 - b
2 - d
3 - a
4 - d
5- d
OA pleeease!

Was patient till Q4 only.

B
D
E
A

OA and OE plz
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Hi,

My answers:
1. B
2. E
3. E
4. D
5. C

Waiting for OA.

Regards,
Pritish

OA --> C D C D D

I will put the OE up in a while..
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Good observation thangvietnam, yes it is really rare to see a short and easy RC passage on GMAT. So, if you see a short passage on GMAT, make sure to understand it thoroughly and answer carefully.

Vercules.
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Nailed it.. Under 5 mins..

Samvit - Trying to answer your question

3. Each of the following is cited as a fact in the importance of the discovery of the fossils EXCEPT

(A) the fact that remains were those of a child
(B) the age of the fossils
(C) the location of the discovery
(D) the species of the fossils
(E) the intact nature of the fossils

All options are mentioned in the article as a fact related to the discovery. But what makes it important is that it tests the prevalent hypotheses that speech originated much earlier than thought before. Changing any of the options would make an impact on the importance except for the location. The same discovery made in Greenland would have been just as important. hope this helps
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