Exactly when in the early modern era Native Americans began exchanging animal furs with Europeans for European-made goods is uncertain. What is fairly certain, even though they left no written evidence of having done so, is that the first Europeans to conduct such trade during the modern period were fishing crews working the waters around Newfoundland. Archaeologists had noticed that sixteenth-century Native American sites were strewn with iron bolts and metal pins. Only later, upon reading Nicolas Denys's 1672 account of seventeenth-century European settlements in North America, did archaeologists realize that sixteenth-century European fishing crews had dismantled and exchanged parts of their ships for furs. By the time Europeans sailing the Atlantic coast of North America first documented the fur trade, it was apparently well underway. The first to record such trade—the captain of a Portuguese vessel sailing from Newfoundland in 1501—observed that a Native American aboard the ship wore Venetian silver earrings. Another early chronicler noted in 1524 that Native Americans living along the coast of what is now New England had become selective about European trade goods : they accepted only knives, fishhooks, and sharp metal. By the time Cartier sailed the Saint Lawrence River ten years later, Native Americans had traded with Europeans for more than thirty years, perhaps half a century. 1 The author of the passage draws conclusions about the fur trade in North America from all of the following sources EXCEPT A. Cartier’s accounts of trading with Native Americans B. a seventeenth-century account of European settlements C. a sixteenth-century account written by a sailing vessel captain D. archaeological observations of sixteenth-century Native American sites E. a sixteenth-century account of Native Americans in what is now New England 2 The passage suggests that which of the following is partially responsible for the difficulty in establishing the precise date when the fur trade in North America began? A. A lack of written accounts before that of Nicolas Denys in 1672 B. A lack of written documentation before 1501 C. Ambiguities in the evidence from Native American sources D. Uncertainty about Native American trade networks E. Uncertainty about the origin of artifacts supposedly traded by European fishing crews for furs 3 Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the author’s assertion in the first sentence of the second paragraph? A. When Europeans retraced Cartier’s voyage in the first years of the seventeenth century, they frequently traded with Native Americans. B. Furs from beavers, which were plentiful in North America but nearly extinct in Europe, became extremely fashionable in Europe in the final decades of the sixteenth century. C. Firing arms were rarely found on sixteenth-century Native American sites or on European lists of trading goods since such arms required frequent maintenance and repair. D. Europeans and Native Americans had established trade protocols, such as body language assuring one another of their peaceful intentions, that antedate the earliest records of trade. E. During the first quarter of the sixteenth century, an Italian explorer recorded seeing many Native Americans with what appeared to be copper beads, though they may have been made of indigenous copper. 4 Which of the following best describes the primary function of lines 11–16 ? A. It offers a reconsideration of a claim made in the preceding sentence. B. It reveals how archaeologists arrived at an interpretation of the evidence mentioned in the preceding sentence. C. It shows how scholars misinterpreted the significance of certain evidence mentioned in the preceding sentence. D. It identifies one of the first significant accounts of seventeenth-century European settlements in North America. E. It explains why Denys’s account of seventeenth-century European settlements is thought to be significant. 5 It can be inferred from the passage that the author would agree with which of the following statements about the fur trade between Native Americans and Europeans in the early modern era? A. This trade may have begun as early as the 1480s. B. This trade probably did not continue much beyond the 1530s. C. This trade was most likely at its peak in the mid-1520s. D. This trade probably did not begin prior to 1500. E. There is no written evidence of this trade prior to the seventeenth century. 6 Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about the Native Americans mentioned in line 25 ? A. They had little use for decorative objects such as earrings. B. They became increasingly dependent on fishing between 1501 and 1524. C. By 1524, only certain groups of Europeans were willing to trade with them. D. The selectivity of their trading choices made it difficult for them to engage in widespread trade with Europeans. E. The selectivity of their trading choices indicates that they had been trading with Europeans for a significant period of time prior to 1524. 7 The passage supports which of the following statements about sixteenth-century European fishing crews working the waters off Newfoundland? A. They wrote no accounts of their fishing voyages. B. They primarily sailed under the flag of Portugal. C. They exchanged ship parts with Native Americans for furs. D. They commonly traded jewelry with Native Americans for furs. E. They carried surplus metal implements to trade with Native Americans for furs. 8 Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about evidence pertaining to the fur trade between Native Americans and Europeans in the early modern era? A. A lack of written evidence has made it difficult to establish which Europeans first participated in this trade. B. In general, the physical evidence pertaining to this trade has been more useful than the written evidence has been. C. There is more written evidence pertaining to this trade from the early part of the sixteenth century than from later in that century. D. The earliest written evidence pertaining to this trade dates from a time when the trade was already well established. E. Some important pieces of evidence pertaining to this trade, such as Denys’s 1672 account, were long overlooked by archaeologists. 9 The passage suggests which of the following about the sixteenth-century Native Americans who traded with Europeans on the coast of what is now called New England? A. By 1524 they had become accustomed to exchanging goods with Europeans. B. They were unfamiliar with metals before encountering Europeans. C. They had no practical uses for European goods other than metals and metal implements. D. By 1524 they had become disdainful of European traders because such traders had treated them unfairly in the past. E. By 1524 they demanded only the most prized European goods because they had come to realize how valuable furs were on European markets.

Question 8 Here's the beginning of the second paragraph: Let's break that down: The fur trade was well underway by the time European sailors first documented it. When did European sailors first document the fur trade? In 1501 (the Portuguese captain). Putting those two pieces together, we can deduce that the fur trade was well underway by 1501. So choice (D) works: the earliest written evidence pertaining to this trade (the Portuguese captain's records) dates from a time (1501) when the trade was already well established. I hope that helps!

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Exactly when in the early modern era Native Americans began exchanging

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24 Jul 2022, 13:03

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Question 1

TheGraceful

I too don't understand why E is incorrect. What does a sixteenth-century account of Native Americans mean in option E?

The author tells us that in 1501, a captain (European) noticed that a Native American wore Venetian silver earrings (so trade was happening since before 1501). And in 1524, a chronicler noted that Native Americans accepted only sharp metal so trade had been happening.

Are NOT the captain and the chronicler, both Europeans...? How can one say that these (observations about natives by Europeans) are (records of) native Americans...?

GMATNinja
Sire, your guidance and sorted views are desperately needed here.

Saying that there is an account OF certain people doesn't necessarily imply that this account was created BY those people.

For example, I could read an account OF the new players signing with the Golden State Warriors. That doesn't mean that the new players wrote the account -- it means that the account is ABOUT the new players.

Here, the European chronicler created an account OF (or about) the trade preferences of Native Americans. That fits with (E) for question 1, so we can eliminate (E).

I hope that helps!

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For Book Question: 53, "Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about evidence pertaining to the fur trade between Native Americans and Europeans in the early modern era?"

I realize that Choice D is the best answer out of the options, but I found Choice D's wording to be extreme with the use of "was already well established" whereas the passage says, "it was APPARENTLY underway". I would be so appreciative for an expert's thoughts on this wording. From my understanding, RC GMAT inference questions are basically supposed to regurgitate the info in the passage.

For Book Question: 54, "The passage suggests which of the following about the sixteenth-century Native Americans who traded with Europeans on the coast of what is now called New England?"
I struggled with Choice A because on the contrary what if they only accepted certain items because they were not comfortable exchanging goods with Europeans/expanding their horizons? I ended up choosing Choice E because I would think that the items mentioned are more valuable thus = more equitable exchange for the furs.

Thank you for your time and help in advance.

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06 Sep 2022, 00:32

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woohoo921

Two things here:

• The passage text says "well underway", not just "underway". The distinction is important here because the expression "well underway" is what's used to support "well established" in the correct answer choice.

Without that "well" in front of "underway", there would be too much uncertainty about how long the trade had been, in fact, "underway"—and thus the problem wouldn't be good enough for the GMAT.

• In casual conversation, people sometimes use the word "apparently" to mean "supposedly" or "ostensibly" or "according to what somebody told me"—meanings that imply a degree of doubt/uncertainty.

This is NOT the correct meaning (in formal written English) of "apparently"!

Do you know the adjective form, "apparent"? If something is "apparent", it can be SEEN (or heard or smelled or perceived in whatever other way) BY AN OBSERVER—so its truth/accuracy is certain.

The adverb "apparently" applies to the same situations, so it actually erases uncertainty or doubt.

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06 Sep 2022, 00:50

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woohoo921

For Book Question: 54, "The passage suggests which of the following about the sixteenth-century Native Americans who traded with Europeans on the coast of what is now called New England?"
I struggled with Choice A because on the contrary what if they only accepted certain items because they were not comfortable exchanging goods with Europeans/expanding their horizons?

"Accepting certain items" IS an exchange of goods!

As a result, your last sentence ends up saying "What if they exchanged goods because they didn't want to exchange goods?" which is self-contradictory.

Note, in addition, that the evidence supporting choice A extends all the way to specific numbers of years!
The last statement in the passage says that 10 years AFTER 1524, those Native Americans had been trading with Europeans for 30 to 50 years already. So, at the time indicated in this question, those two groups had already been trading with each other for 20-40 years.

Quote:

I ended up choosing Choice E because I would think that the items mentioned are more valuable thus = more equitable exchange for the furs.

You can't just make stuff up and treat it as factual. Not a single word in the passage supports any of the specific details in choice E.

(Moreover, the very last detail in choice E is just absurd. Random indigenous people who lived on an entirely different continent could not possibly know specific data about markets that not only were several thousand miles away, but also operated on mercantile principles that would have been completely unknown to indigenous tribes of the Americas!
The correct answer to a GMAT problem will NEVER be a statement that would be totally ridiculous in the real world.)

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Thank you for your time and help in advance.

I appreciate the consistent politeness and professionalism of your posts. (:

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In this video I go through the whole passage in detail, and discuss the various questions and the answer choices.

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19 Sep 2023, 12:53

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Explanation

9. The passage suggests which of the following about the sixteenth-century Native Americans who traded with Europeans on the coast of what is now called New England?

Difficulty Level: 600

Explanation

In the passage, it is mentioned in lines 23-26: "Another early chronicler noted in 1524 that Native Americans living along the coast of what is now New England had become selective about European trade goods: they accepted only knives, fishhooks, and sharp metal."

This statement implies that by 1524, the Native Americans living in what is now New England were already engaged in trade with Europeans. They had become selective about the European trade goods they accepted, indicating that they were accustomed to exchanging goods with Europeans. This supports option A.

The other options are not supported by the passage:

B. There is no information in the passage to suggest that Native Americans were unfamiliar with metals before encountering Europeans.

C. The passage mentions specific items like knives, fishhooks, and sharp metal that Native Americans accepted, but it doesn't imply that these were the only practical European goods they had use for.

D. The passage does not provide any information about Native Americans' feelings toward European traders or whether they were treated unfairly.

E. While the passage mentions that Native Americans became selective about European trade goods, it doesn't explicitly state that they demanded only the most prized European goods.

Answer: A

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horrible passage text here, can someone kindly fix it so its more pleasant to the eye and gmat-like?

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horrible passage text here, can someone kindly fix it so its more pleasant to the eye and gmat-like?

Formatted properly. Thank you!

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Hey experts,
I have a small doubt regarding the 8th question. The correct answer says, " The earliest written evidence pertaining to this trade dates from a time when the trade was already well established".
First if it is talking about Cartier's record by saying the earliest written evidence. Although the written document (Cartier's) talks about selectivity of the native americans suggesting established trade, the fact it is not the earliest written evidence (This doc mentioned as another early record) makes the answer choice incorrect.
Second, If the answer choice is talking about the record of a Portuguese captain from 1501 (which is the earliest doc mentioned in the passage), we do not know that time the trade was established or not. Since we know from Cartiers record that it was well established in 1534 when Cartier sailed st.L and we know that it started around 1474 but we do not know whether it was well established in 1501.
Please let me know where I am faltering.
Since I rejected the correct answer choice on the basis of the aforesaid discrepancy I end up marking another answer choice which seemed fine, although I could find flaw in them. If you have any suggestion how to tackle these kind of situation to increase accuracy, it will be extremely helpful.
Thank you.
Regards,
Disha

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09 May 2025, 08:32

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Question 8

DishaSaha

Hey experts,

I have a small doubt regarding the 8th question. The correct answer says, " The earliest written evidence pertaining to this trade dates from a time when the trade was already well established".

First if it is talking about Cartier's record by saying the earliest written evidence. Although the written document (Cartier's) talks about selectivity of the native americans suggesting established trade, the fact it is not the earliest written evidence (This doc mentioned as another early record) makes the answer choice incorrect.

Second, If the answer choice is talking about the record of a Portuguese captain from 1501 (which is the earliest doc mentioned in the passage), we do not know that time the trade was established or not. Since we know from Cartiers record that it was well established in 1534 when Cartier sailed st.L and we know that it started around 1474 but we do not know whether it was well established in 1501.

Please let me know where I am faltering.

Since I rejected the correct answer choice on the basis of the aforesaid discrepancy I end up marking another answer choice which seemed fine, although I could find flaw in them. If you have any suggestion how to tackle these kind of situation to increase accuracy, it will be extremely helpful.

Here's the beginning of the second paragraph:

Quote:

By the time Europeans sailing the Atlantic coast of North America first documented the fur trade, it was apparently well underway. The first to record such trade—the captain of a Portuguese vessel sailing from Newfoundland in 1501—observed that a Native American aboard the ship wore Venetian silver earrings.

Let's break that down:

The fur trade was well underway by the time European sailors first documented it.
When did European sailors first document the fur trade? In 1501 (the Portuguese captain).
Putting those two pieces together, we can deduce that the fur trade was well underway by 1501.

So choice (D) works: the earliest written evidence pertaining to this trade (the Portuguese captain's records) dates from a time (1501) when the trade was already well established.

I hope that helps!