Later Maya occupations of the Yucatan Peninsula site called Colha have

I did not understand the passage one bit. Can someone please highlight the main points of the passage and map them to make the passage easier to understand.

Later Maya occupations of the Yucatan Peninsula site called Colha have undergone excavation since 1979. In 1993, researchers made the first systematic effort to document a pre-ceramic presence at the tropical, forested location. Early Colha farmers inhabited the area in two phases. There are stone tools in deeper soil layers dating from 2500 B.C. to 1700 B.C., based on radiocarbon age estimates of accompanying charcoal bits. Comparable dates come from an adjacent swamp, where pollen analysis documents forest clearance by 2500 B.C.

Writing : New research is done on a site. This research is first of its kind for some reasons. findings
(please read the "first systematic effort" part carefully because there may be a question on this)

The pollen provides evidence for the existence of several cultivated crops soon thereafter, mainly corn and manioc, a starchy plant. From about 1400 B.C. to 1000 B.C., Colha residents made foot-shaped stone tools that were chipped and sharpened on one side. Preliminary scanning electron microscope analysis of polish on these tools suggests that inhabitants used them to cut away vegetation after controlled burning of trees, and, perhaps, also to dig.

Writing : findings and implications (no need to write the details)

An example of the same tool, known as a constricted uniface, also emerged last year at Pulltrouser Swamp, a Maya site 20 miles northwest of Colha with a preliminary radiocarbon date of 1300 B.C. to 1000 B.C. for the artefact. Its unusual design led researchers to suspect that Colha might have harboured an extremely early Maya population. Another sharpened stone point retrieved at Pulltrouser Swamp dates to between 2500 B.C. and 2000 B.C. Several other sites in Belize have yielded constricted unifaces, but archaeologists have been unsure of their ages and origins.

Writing : In earlier paragrapgh some finding were providied.. an example of this finding is presneted and what are its implications in archeological world.)

Techniques used to manufacture constricted unifaces show gradual refinement and modification in stone tools of Colha residents living after 1000 B.C. Continuity in stone tool design and manufacture suggests that pre-ceramic Maya inhabited Colha, rather than non-Maya peoples who migrated to the area and later left or were incorporated into Maya villages. ―None of us had any reason to suppose that Colha would produce a pre-ceramic Maya occupation,‖ remarks the director of excavations at Cuello, a Maya site that dates to about 1000 B.C. ―This is a bit of archaeological serendipity.‖ This is evidence of the earliest known Maya, who cleared and farmed land bordering swamps by 2,500 B.C. The earliest Central American farmers probably settled at the edges of
swampland that they had cleared and cultivated. Excavations of preceramic Colha so far have focused on quarry and field areas. However, some pottery may still show up in early residential structures.

writing: what are the possible implications of the techniques used to maunfacture such tools are presneted. These findings actually are UNEXPECTED and GIVE a NEW INSIGHT .

Para summary : recent research on an excavation site is discussed. The possible implications of the research are presented
Purpose : To discuss the implications of a novel research
Type: Detailed and Implicative
Questions expected : details , why implcatiuons are important, what is so special about this research, modifier detailed questions (look tricky but all you have to do is pick the right word and look for its synonym in ans choice)

This is type 4 of most common passages found on GMAT. Such passages are provided to test your timing skills and how much importance you give to the text. If you go on and try to understand each word in a detail passage ,youre commiting suicide.
suggestion : start learning patterns on GMAT RC becasue a GMAT purposely throws a detailed passage at the end of the test so that you will be forced to spend more time on the passage but be smart and just read for key sentences.

VeritasKarishma , MartyTargetTestPrep ,and others

Looking for some expert to share the strategy on how to deal with this passage. I tried to read it all and spent a 5 mins 22 secs for 3 questions. The first question along with reading the passage took me 4mins 19 secs. The reason i am asking because while reading i realise that even though the i read it all, i was not confident that i got the passage as a whole. I was able to answer the first two questions correctly in a confident way, but then last question , i got it wrong as i was unsure to refer back to passage.

Can experts tell , which part to at-least if not skip but to read it fast and which part to focus. I know , we need to look for opinions and transition words and claims etc., but could not apply it in here.

Please share some insights as How experts will try to read this kind of passage

HI ,

In the question 3 , I get correct answer , but I can not see where it is mentioned that tools used by the Mayans were not only restricted to ceramic material (I suppose stone and ceramics are same) (to reject option E.)

Please explain question 3!

Here is how I came to know that E can be inferred.

From the third paragraph:

An example of the same tool, known as a constricted uniface, also emerged last year at Pulltrouser Swamp, a Maya site 20 miles northwest of Colha with a preliminary radiocarbon date of 1300 B.C. to 1000 B.C. for the artefact. Its unusual design led researchers to suspect that Colha might have harboured an extremely early Maya population. Another sharpened stone point retrieved at Pulltrouser Swamp dates to between 2500 B.C. and 2000 B.C. Several other sites in Belize have yielded constricted unifaces, but archaeologists have been unsure of their ages and origins.

From the fourth Paragraph:

Techniques used to manufacture constricted unifaces show gradual refinement and modification in stone tools of Colha residents living after 1000 B.C.

Yes i saw this , but "In archeology, a uniface is a specific type of stone tool that has been flaked on one surface only/" source -wikipedia .
Still all are stones (which is also ceramic .) .
I think i should leave this question now

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