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Which of the following most logically completes the passage?
The earliest characteristically Mayan pottery found at Colha, a site in Belize, is about 3,000 years old. This fact has led many archaeologists to conclude that the Maya first settled Colha about 3,000 years ago. However, 4,500-year-old stone agricultural implements recently found at Colha apparently undermine that conclusion, since the implements resemble Maya stone implements of a much later period that were also found at Colha, and since ___________.
(A) other cultures known to have inhabited the area in prehistoric times produced stone implements that were strikingly different in design
(B) there is no evidence for agricultural activity by the Maya in other locations until about 3,000 years ago
(C) decorations on Mayan pottery became increasingly more elaborate as Mayan culture grew in complexity
(D) ceramic ware is not known to have been used by the Maya to make agriculture implements
(E) many religious and social institutions of the Mayan people who inhabited Colha 3,000 years ago were based on a highly developed system of agriculture symbols
Similar context question:
https://gmatclub.com/forum/the-earliest ... 94297.html
The earliest characteristically Mayan pottery found at Colha, a site in Belize, is about 3,000 years old. This fact has led many archaeologists to conclude that the Maya first settled Colha about 3,000 years ago. However, 4,500-year-old stone agricultural implements recently found at Colha apparently undermine that conclusion, since the implements resemble Maya stone implements of a much later period that were also found at Colha, and since ___________.
(A) other cultures known to have inhabited the area in prehistoric times produced stone implements that were strikingly different in design
(B) there is no evidence for agricultural activity by the Maya in other locations until about 3,000 years ago
(C) decorations on Mayan pottery became increasingly more elaborate as Mayan culture grew in complexity
(D) ceramic ware is not known to have been used by the Maya to make agriculture implements
(E) many religious and social institutions of the Mayan people who inhabited Colha 3,000 years ago were based on a highly developed system of agriculture symbols
Similar context question:
https://gmatclub.com/forum/the-earliest ... 94297.html
04 Sep 2024, 08:55
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Argument Breakdown:
(A) Other cultures known to have inhabited the area in prehistoric times produced stone implements that were strikingly different in design.
This choice supports the argument by eliminating the possibility that the tools belonged to a non-Mayan culture. If the tools are different from other cultures' implements, it strengthens the idea that the Maya were present earlier than previously thought. Correct
(B) There is no evidence for agricultural activity by the Maya in other locations until about 3,000 years ago.
This suggests that the Maya were not practicing agriculture 4,500 years ago, weakening the argument that the tools found at Colha belonged to the Maya. Incorrect. This weakens the argument.
(C) Decorations on Mayan pottery became increasingly more elaborate as Mayan culture grew in complexity.
This is irrelevant to the argument, as it does not address the relationship between the stone implements and the timing of Mayan settlement.
Incorrect. This does not strengthen or clarify the point about the implements.
(D) Ceramic ware is not known to have been used by the Maya to make agriculture implements.
This fact about pottery does not directly relate to the question of the stone implements and their significance.
Incorrect. This choice is irrelevant.
(E) Many religious and social institutions of the Mayan people who inhabited Colha 3,000 years ago were based on a highly developed system of agriculture symbols.
This talks about religious and social institutions but doesn't address the key issue regarding the implements and the timing of Mayan settlement.
Incorrect. This is unrelated to the argument.
Correct Answer: (A)
- Premise 1: The earliest Mayan pottery found at Colha is about 3,000 years old, leading many archaeologists to believe the Maya settled Colha around that time.
- Premise 2: However, 4,500-year-old stone agricultural implements have been found at Colha, and these resemble Mayan stone tools from a later period.
- Conclusion: The discovery of these older stone implements challenges the assumption that the Maya only settled Colha 3,000 years ago.
(A) Other cultures known to have inhabited the area in prehistoric times produced stone implements that were strikingly different in design.
This choice supports the argument by eliminating the possibility that the tools belonged to a non-Mayan culture. If the tools are different from other cultures' implements, it strengthens the idea that the Maya were present earlier than previously thought. Correct
(B) There is no evidence for agricultural activity by the Maya in other locations until about 3,000 years ago.
This suggests that the Maya were not practicing agriculture 4,500 years ago, weakening the argument that the tools found at Colha belonged to the Maya. Incorrect. This weakens the argument.
(C) Decorations on Mayan pottery became increasingly more elaborate as Mayan culture grew in complexity.
This is irrelevant to the argument, as it does not address the relationship between the stone implements and the timing of Mayan settlement.
Incorrect. This does not strengthen or clarify the point about the implements.
(D) Ceramic ware is not known to have been used by the Maya to make agriculture implements.
This fact about pottery does not directly relate to the question of the stone implements and their significance.
Incorrect. This choice is irrelevant.
(E) Many religious and social institutions of the Mayan people who inhabited Colha 3,000 years ago were based on a highly developed system of agriculture symbols.
This talks about religious and social institutions but doesn't address the key issue regarding the implements and the timing of Mayan settlement.
Incorrect. This is unrelated to the argument.
Correct Answer: (A)
04 Sep 2024, 15:10
Kudos
Bookmarks
The earliest characteristically Mayan pottery found at Colha, a site in Belize, is about 3,000 years old. This fact has led many archaeologists to conclude that the Maya first settled Colha about 3,000 years ago. However, 4,500-year-old stone agricultural implements recently found at Colha apparently undermine that conclusion, since the implements resemble Maya stone implements of a much later period that were also found at Colha, and since ___________.
The main conclusion of the passage is the following:
However, 4,500-year-old stone agricultural implements recently found at Colha apparently undermine that conclusion (that the Maya first settled Colha about 3,000 years ago)
The evidence marker "since" indicates that some support for the conclusion is provided by the following statement:
the implements resemble Maya stone implements of a much later period that were also found at Colha
Also, seeing that "since" appears before the blank, we can tell that the choice that fills the blank must also provide support for the conclusion.
So, the choice that fills the blank must provide reason to believe that 4,500-year-old stone agricultural implements recently found at Colha undermine the conclusion that the Maya first settled Colha about 3,000 years ago. In other words, the correct answer will show that it's likely that the existence of the 4500-year-old implements indicates that ti's likely that the Maya first settled Colha 4,500 or more years ago rather than 3,000 years ago.
(A) other cultures known to have inhabited the area in prehistoric times produced stone implements that were strikingly different in design
This choice is the best of the five.
After all, if "other cultures known to have inhabited the area in prehistoric times produced stone implements that were strikingly different in design," then there's reason to believe that the stone implements found were not created by other cultures.
In that case, we have at least some reason to believe that the implements found were produced by the Maya because it appears that nobody else made them.
So, this choice provides more reason to believe that the fact that the implements are 4,500 years old and were found in Colha means that the Maya first settled Colha long before 3,000 years ago since, if nobody else made the implements, then we have at least some reason to believe that they are connected to the Maya.
Keep.
(B) there is no evidence for agricultural activity by the Maya in other locations until about 3,000 years ago
If anything, this choice weakens, rather than strengthens, the case for the idea that the existence of the 4500-year-old implements indicates that it's likely that the Maya first settled Colha 4,500 or more years ago rather than 3,000 years ago.
After all, if "there is no evidence for agricultural activity by the Maya in other locations until about 3,000 years ago," then the Maya having used agricultural implements in Colha 4,500 would not have fit the usual pattern. So, we'd have a reason to wonder whether the implements were in fact Mayan implements.
Eliminate.
(C) decorations on Mayan pottery became increasingly more elaborate as Mayan culture grew in complexity
Some Critical Reasoning answer choices are pretty clearly irrelevant, and this choice is such a choice.
This fact about Mayan pottery has basically nothing to do with the evidence involving agricultural implements or the conclusion stated in the passage.
Eliminate.
(D) ceramic ware is not known to have been used by the Maya to make agriculture implements
We're looking for a choice that supports the conclusion that 4,500-year-old stone agricultural implements recently found at Colha undermine the conclusion that the Maya first settled Colha about 3,000 years ago.
So, this choice could provide a tiny bit of support for that conclusion by indicating that, since the implements found were stone, rather than ceramic, there is some chance that Mayan people made them.
At the same time, the support provided by this choice is so weak and so indirect that this choice is unlikely to be the correct answer.
Keep for now, but expect to eliminate.
(E) many religious and social institutions of the Mayan people who inhabited Colha 3,000 years ago were based on a highly developed system of agriculture symbols.
This choice is interesting.
After all, if "many religious and social institutions of the Mayan people who inhabited Colha 3,000 years ago were based on a highly developed system of agriculture symbols," then it appears that the Maya developed agriculture before 3,000 years ago. After all, it would have taken time for their agricultural symbols to become "highly developed," and it makes sense that Maya would have developed agriculture before developing agriculture symbols. So, given that they had highly developed agriculture symbols 3,000 years ago, they likely developed agriculture more than 3,000 years ago.
So, we might get the impression that this choice indicates that the Maya inhabited Colha long before 3,000 years ago, and may very well have been there 4,500 years ago.
There are two issues with this choice, however.
One is that it wouldn't take 1,500 years to develop agriculture symbols. A people could develop agriculture symbols in 100 years or even less time. So, the fact that the Mayan people had highly developed agriculture symbols 3,000 years ago doesn't mean that they were engaging in agriculture 4,500 years ago, rather than "around 3,000 years ago."
Another issue with this choice is that, even if the Maya did engage in agriculture 4,500 years ago, that fact would not mean that they inhabited Colha 4,500 years ago. After all, Mayan people in Colha could have used symbols developed somewhere other than Colha after they developed agriculture somewhere other than Colha.
So, the fact presented by this choice does not really help to confirm that the Maya first settled Colha 4,500 or more years ago rather than 3,000 years ago.
Eliminate.
Correct answer: A
The main conclusion of the passage is the following:
However, 4,500-year-old stone agricultural implements recently found at Colha apparently undermine that conclusion (that the Maya first settled Colha about 3,000 years ago)
The evidence marker "since" indicates that some support for the conclusion is provided by the following statement:
the implements resemble Maya stone implements of a much later period that were also found at Colha
Also, seeing that "since" appears before the blank, we can tell that the choice that fills the blank must also provide support for the conclusion.
So, the choice that fills the blank must provide reason to believe that 4,500-year-old stone agricultural implements recently found at Colha undermine the conclusion that the Maya first settled Colha about 3,000 years ago. In other words, the correct answer will show that it's likely that the existence of the 4500-year-old implements indicates that ti's likely that the Maya first settled Colha 4,500 or more years ago rather than 3,000 years ago.
(A) other cultures known to have inhabited the area in prehistoric times produced stone implements that were strikingly different in design
This choice is the best of the five.
After all, if "other cultures known to have inhabited the area in prehistoric times produced stone implements that were strikingly different in design," then there's reason to believe that the stone implements found were not created by other cultures.
In that case, we have at least some reason to believe that the implements found were produced by the Maya because it appears that nobody else made them.
So, this choice provides more reason to believe that the fact that the implements are 4,500 years old and were found in Colha means that the Maya first settled Colha long before 3,000 years ago since, if nobody else made the implements, then we have at least some reason to believe that they are connected to the Maya.
Keep.
(B) there is no evidence for agricultural activity by the Maya in other locations until about 3,000 years ago
If anything, this choice weakens, rather than strengthens, the case for the idea that the existence of the 4500-year-old implements indicates that it's likely that the Maya first settled Colha 4,500 or more years ago rather than 3,000 years ago.
After all, if "there is no evidence for agricultural activity by the Maya in other locations until about 3,000 years ago," then the Maya having used agricultural implements in Colha 4,500 would not have fit the usual pattern. So, we'd have a reason to wonder whether the implements were in fact Mayan implements.
Eliminate.
(C) decorations on Mayan pottery became increasingly more elaborate as Mayan culture grew in complexity
Some Critical Reasoning answer choices are pretty clearly irrelevant, and this choice is such a choice.
This fact about Mayan pottery has basically nothing to do with the evidence involving agricultural implements or the conclusion stated in the passage.
Eliminate.
(D) ceramic ware is not known to have been used by the Maya to make agriculture implements
We're looking for a choice that supports the conclusion that 4,500-year-old stone agricultural implements recently found at Colha undermine the conclusion that the Maya first settled Colha about 3,000 years ago.
So, this choice could provide a tiny bit of support for that conclusion by indicating that, since the implements found were stone, rather than ceramic, there is some chance that Mayan people made them.
At the same time, the support provided by this choice is so weak and so indirect that this choice is unlikely to be the correct answer.
Keep for now, but expect to eliminate.
(E) many religious and social institutions of the Mayan people who inhabited Colha 3,000 years ago were based on a highly developed system of agriculture symbols.
This choice is interesting.
After all, if "many religious and social institutions of the Mayan people who inhabited Colha 3,000 years ago were based on a highly developed system of agriculture symbols," then it appears that the Maya developed agriculture before 3,000 years ago. After all, it would have taken time for their agricultural symbols to become "highly developed," and it makes sense that Maya would have developed agriculture before developing agriculture symbols. So, given that they had highly developed agriculture symbols 3,000 years ago, they likely developed agriculture more than 3,000 years ago.
So, we might get the impression that this choice indicates that the Maya inhabited Colha long before 3,000 years ago, and may very well have been there 4,500 years ago.
There are two issues with this choice, however.
One is that it wouldn't take 1,500 years to develop agriculture symbols. A people could develop agriculture symbols in 100 years or even less time. So, the fact that the Mayan people had highly developed agriculture symbols 3,000 years ago doesn't mean that they were engaging in agriculture 4,500 years ago, rather than "around 3,000 years ago."
Another issue with this choice is that, even if the Maya did engage in agriculture 4,500 years ago, that fact would not mean that they inhabited Colha 4,500 years ago. After all, Mayan people in Colha could have used symbols developed somewhere other than Colha after they developed agriculture somewhere other than Colha.
So, the fact presented by this choice does not really help to confirm that the Maya first settled Colha 4,500 or more years ago rather than 3,000 years ago.
Eliminate.
Correct answer: A
