One of the best sources modern scholars have for learning about Hellen

Question

One of the best sources modern scholars have for learning about Hellenistic Egypt is the large supply of papyrus fragments that have turned up in the Egyptian desert over the last century. Papyrus is a thick type of paper made from a reedy plant found in Egypt. Papyrus is much tougher than the wood-pulp paper used in modern society; whereas a book produced today will most likely fall apart within a century, there are papyrus fragments that are still legible over 2,000 years after scribes wrote on them. This is primarily by accident that any of these fragments have survived. Most of the surviving fragments have been found in ancient garbage dumps that were covered over by the desert and preserved in the dry heat. The benefit of this type of archeological find is that these discarded scraps often give us a more accurate picture of the daily lives of ancient Egyptians—their business affairs, personal correspondence, and religious pleas—than the stone engravings and recorded texts that were intended to be passed down to later generations.

One of the most important papyrus discoveries of recent years was the revelation in 2001 that a scrap of papyrus that had been discarded and used to wrap a mummy contained 110 previously unknown epigrams (short, witty poems) by the Hellenistic poet Posidippus (ca. 280–240 B.C.). Posidippus lived in Alexandria and benefited from the support of King Ptolemy II Philadelphus (ruled 284–246 B.C.). These new epigrams. have yielded fascinating insight into the court culture and literary sensibilities of early Hellenistic Egypt. King Ptolemy, of course, was also a sponsor of the famous library of Alexandria, the greatest depository of knowledge in the ancient world. According to the twelfth-century Byzantine writer John Tzetzes, the ancient library contained nearly half a million papyrus scrolls. If that library had not burned down, maybe archeologists today would not have to spend so much of their time sorting through ancient trash!   1 
 1. The author’s primary intention in this passage appears to be which of the following?

A. To shed light on the underappreciated work of the Hellenistic poet Posidippus
B. To compare the relative merits of papyrus and wood-pulp paper as media for recording information
C. To discuss the ways in which papyrus fragments help scholars learn about Hellenistic Egypt
D. To answer the questions regarding the burning of the library of Alexandria, one of the great mysteries of the ancient world
E. To suggest possibly fruitful paths for future archeological research into Hellenistic Egypt
 2 
 2. Which of the following would best illustrate how a discarded fragment of papyrus might give us a more accurate picture of the daily lives of ancient Egyptians than a record intended to be permanent?

A. A poet such as Posidippus may have composed rough drafts of his epigrams on papyrus fragments prior to writing them in their final form.
B. Grocery lists, which give insights into the diets of ancient people, would never be included in stone inscriptions but could be scribbled on scraps of papyrus.
C. The Hellenistic monarchs employed some of the finest historians of the Greek world to provide chronicles of their reigns.
D. Some papyrus fragments may have been used for purposes other than writing, such as binding wounds or wrapping small packages.
E. Stone inscriptions describing military events often embellish the truth to favor whoever is paying for the inscription.
 3 
 3. The mention of the discovery of 110 previously unknown epigrams by the poet Posidippus serves what purpose in the passage?

A. Revealing insights into the nuances of court culture in Hellenistic Egypt
B. Demonstrating how durable a material papyrus can be
C. Arguing for a greater appreciation of this little-known Hellenistic poet
D. Highlighting the importance of royal patronage in the development of arts and literature in the Hellenistic world
E. Illustrating the kind of discovery that can be made from researching papyrus fragments
 4 
 4. According to information given in the passage, which of the following locations would probably yield the highest probability of finding a previously undiscovered papyrus fragment?

A. The ship of a royal messenger that sank off the Egyptian coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the third century B.C.
B. The charred remnants of an ancient Egyptian palace that was burned by Roman troops in the first century B.C.
C. The refuse heap of an ancient Egyptian town that was buried in the desert in the fifth century A.D.
D. The private collections of French and British explorers from the nineteenth century who first uncovered many of the principal sites of Egyptian archaeology
E. The library of a Hellenistic fishing village that sank into the marshes of the Nile Delta in the third century A.D.
 5 
 5. What does the author imply by the final statement: “If that library had not burned down, maybe archeologists today would not have to spend so much of their time sorting through ancient trash!”?

A. The author implies that if the library had not burned down, archeologists would be able to appreciate the full cultural legacy of King Ptolemy II Philadelphos.
B. The author implies that if the library had not burned down, scholars today would have not only the full works of Posidippus, but also those of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.
C. The author implies that if the library had not burned down, the scrolls contained within the library would have decomposed before modern times in any event, because they would not have been preserved in the dry heat of the desert. 
D. The author implies that if the library had not burned down, it might have contained more complete details about the life and culture of Hellenistic Egypt than can be found in the papyrus fragments from ancient refuse dumps.
E. The author implies that if the library had not burned down, the cultural awakening of the Renaissance might have occurred centuries earlier.

Source:   McGraw Hills GMAT 2013  
Difficulty Level:   600

Cinematiccuisine · Answer

Easy passage. Got all correct.
Please tag me if anyone wants to understand options/answers to these 5 questions.

Kanir12 · Answer

Can anyone explain why C is the correct answer in question 4 ?

Salsanousi · Answer

Most of the surviving fragments have been found in ancient garbage dumps that were covered over by the desert and preserved in the dry heat.

Read the above sentence. This may help you understand why it is the answer choice.

Posted from my mobile device

ShankSouljaBoi · Answer

Cinematiccuisine  Question 2.

Cinematiccuisine · Answer

ShankSouljaBoi

2. Which of the following would best illustrate how a discarded fragment of papyrus might give us a more accurate picture of the daily lives of ancient Egyptians than a record intended to be permanent?

Q2 is asking explicitly for an activity that gives us more accurate picture of 'daily lives'. For this, please look at para 1:

Para 1: 
Most of the surviving fragments have been found in ancient garbage dumps that were covered over by the desert and preserved in the dry heat. The benefit of this type of archeological find is that   these discarded scraps often give us a more accurate picture of the daily lives of ancient Egyptians—their business affairs, personal correspondence, and religious pleas—than the stone engravings   and recorded texts that were intended to be passed down to later generations.

If you read the highlighted part, the author suggests that the fragments found in the garbage dumps gave more accurate picture of business affairs, etc..

Now let's go through each choices:

A. A poet such as Posidippus may have composed rough drafts of his epigrams on papyrus fragments prior to writing them in their final form.
 Outcome :  Incorrect 
 Explanation:  This option refers to para 2 in which we can find references of poet Posidippus. While the inscriptions provided more view about court culture and literary sensibilities , those inscriptions didn't suggest anything about 'daily lives'. Hence this is NOT an option.

B. Grocery lists, which give insights into the diets of ancient people, would never be included in stone inscriptions but could be scribbled on scraps of papyrus.
 Outcome :  Correct 
 Explanation:  This is inference type question/option. Grocery list definitely refers to daily activity. Hence this option sounds more closure to the answer we are looking for. HOLD ON TO IT.

C. The Hellenistic monarchs employed some of the finest historians of the Greek world to provide chronicles of their reigns.
 Outcome :  Incorrect 
 Explanation:  Again, Historians were employed to talk about reigns and not necessarily 'daily activities'; incorrect

D. Some papyrus fragments may have been used for purposes other than writing, such as binding wounds or wrapping small packages.
 Outcome :  Incorrect 
 Explanation:  This option talks about 'use of fragments other than writing' --> Not a daily activity, incorrect.

E. Stone inscriptions describing military events often embellish the truth to favor whoever is paying for the inscription.
 Outcome :  Incorrect 
 Explanation:  Again, military events are NOT daily, hence incorrect option.

B seems to be very clear answer. I hope this is clear. Please give Kudos.

Cheers
-----
Please give kudos even if you disagree.

khgoel · Answer

@Cinematiccuisine , Could you please explain Q4? should the answer not be B?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

4. According to information given in the passage, which of the following locations would probably yield the highest probability of finding a previously undiscovered papyrus fragment?

Difficulty Level:   600

Explanation

The passage states:  “Most of the surviving fragments have been found in ancient garbage dumps that were covered over by the desert and preserved in the dry heat.”  The location described in answer C conforms closely with the type of place mentioned in the passage as where  “most”  of the fragments have been found, so this type of location will probably be the most fruitful place to look for more fragments.

ANSWER: C

Jannat1 · Answer

Can someone give explanation for 3 question

Vitthal12 · Answer

Can someone please explain question no 4.

One of the best sources modern scholars have for learning about Hellen

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One of the best sources modern scholars have for learning about Hellen

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