In archaeology, as in the physical sciences, new discoveries

Question

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 
 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

2 
 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

3 
 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

4 
 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

5 
 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

SMP · Accepted Answer

Completed in 09:05 with 100% accuracy! (For the very first time ever in GMAT RCs

) 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 - No controversy is mentioned! (B) Contrasting previous theories of development with current findings - theories? Plural? No such theories are mentioned (C) Illustrating a contention with a specific example - CORRECT: Contention = "new discoveries frequently undermine accepted findings and give rise to new theories." and specific example = "The fossilized child was estimated to be about 3 years old at death, female, and a member of the Australopithecus afarensis species." (D) Arguing for the importance of a particular field of study - discoveries are focued in the passage and not the field of study (E) Refuting a popular misconception - No misconception is mentioned 2. The passage quotes Zeresenay Alemseged in order to (A) provide evidence to qualify the main idea of the first paragraph - the main idea of the first passage is that new discoveries frequently undermine accepted findings and give rise to new theories; Zeresenay is talking about just the fossilized girl and not the discoveries. (B) question the claims of other scientists - no claims are presented (C) provide evidence to support the linguistic abilities of afarensis species - linguistics are discussed in the second paragraph. GMAT TRAP (D) provide evidence that supports the significance of the find - CORRECT: Zeresenay was talking about the finding only! (E) provide a subjective opinion that is refuted in the second paragraph - nothing is refuted. 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 - "Her completeness, antiquity and age at death make this find of unprecedented importance..." (B) the age of the fossils - same as A (C) the location of the discovery - CORRECT: Ethopia is mentioned, but that is not mentioned in the IMPORTANCE PART of the premise. (D) the species of the fossils - " The fossilized child was estimated to be about 3 years old at death, female, and a member of the Australopithecus afarensis species " (E) the intact nature of the fossils - "Her completeness , antiquity and..." 4. It can be inferred from the passage's description of the discovered fossil hyoid bone that (A) Australopithecus afarensis were capable of speech - nothing about speech is mentioned. (B) the discovered hyoid bone is less primitive than the hyoid bone of apes - No such comparision is presented (C) the hyoid bone is necessary for speech - necessity is not mentioned (D) the discovery of the hyoid bone necessitated the reexamination of prior theories - CORRECT: "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." . Underlined portion means that the existing theories were impacted, meaning reexamined! This is a very subtle inference. (E) The hyoid bone was the most important fossil found at the site - no comparision of importance is mentioned 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 - gorilla like arms and hyoid bone undermines existing theories and does not strengthens. (B) The original manuscript of deceased 19th century author confirms ideas of the development of an important work of literature - undermining existing theories is the essense of the passage and not strengthening. (C) The continued prosperity of a state-run economy stirs debate in the discipline of macroeconomics - Close but continued prosperity does not agree with newly discovered . (D) Newly revealed journal entries by a prominent Civil War-era politician lead to a questioning of certain accepted historical interpretations about the conflict - CORRECT: Newly revealed is close to "the first hyoid bone found in such...", and questioning of certain accepted historical... is close to "has had a tremendous impact on the theories about the origins of speech" (E) Research into the mapping of the human genome gives rise to nascent applications to individually tailored medicines - correction of existing theories is mentioned rather than rising new theories!

PUNEETSCHDV · Answer

I marked CDCCE some reasoning :

1. there are so many Bs out here but i eliminated because there is no previous theory mentioned

(C) Illustrating a contention with a specific example , the contention is the first line and remaining is the example

2. " 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. therefore D

3. (C) the location of the discovery , all others are mentioned

4. most diff of all

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

(A) Australopithecus afarensis were capable of speech

not much evidence to infer that 
(B) the discovered hyoid bone is less primitive than the hyoid bone of apes

its mentioned that its similar to apes how can be more primitive 
(C) the hyoid bone is necessary for speech
sure , otherwise why we discuss speech and hyoid bone together

(D) the discovery of the hyoid bone necessitated the reexamination of prior theories
re examination because of arms not because of hyoid bone

(E) The hyoid bone was the most important fossil found at the site 
nothing to infer this

5. has had a tremendous impact on the theories about the origins of speech.

discovery in one field has good impacts on other field

(E) Research into the mapping of the human genome gives rise to nascent applications o individually tailored medicines provides a similar reasoning

waiting for OAs

Transcendentalist · Answer

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

ConnectTheDots · Answer

We need to answer Q4 and Q5, only for last two sentences.

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.

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

(A) Australopithecus afarensis were capable of speech -  the passage only says hyoid bone in the fossil has had tremendous impact on the theories about the origins of speech. Not that, the species were capable of speech 
(B) the discovered hyoid bone is less primitive than the hyoid bone of apes -  Paragraph says primitive to the apes. means more primitive apes. 
(C) the hyoid bone is necessary for speech -  the paragraph never mentions that this bone is necessary for speech. The paragraph says this bone is in larynx and larynx sypports throat muscles. May be from this bone helps out to find shape of the latynx in earlier stage and, hence, throes some light on theories about origin of speech. 
(D) the discovery of the hyoid bone necessitated the reexamination of prior theories -  Correct. Mark the wording "has had a tremendous impact on the theories". Also the passage as a whole emphasizes on how new discoveries challenge existing theory.  
(E) The hyoid bone was the most important fossil found at the site  - the passage never says that this bone is important.

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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?

in short : new discovery -> questions existing theories

(A) The discovery and analysis of cosmic rays lend support to a widely accepted theory of the origin of the universe -  new discovery -> supports existing theories 
(B) The original manuscript of deceased 19th century author confirms ideas of the development of an important work of literature  new discovery -> supports existing theories 
(C) The continued prosperity of a state-run economy stirs debate in the discipline of macroeconomics  This is no discovery. 
(D) Newly revealed journal entries by a prominent Civil War-era politician lead to a questioning of certain accepted historical interpretations about the conflict -  new discovery -> questions existing theories 
(E) Research into the mapping of the human genome gives rise to nascent applications o individually tailored medicines  new discovery -> helps further application

SVaidyaraman · Answer

Looks like a substandard passage.

Consider question 1:

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

The OA is C. But choice C doesn't say, "A contention followed by an illustration" but instead "illustrating a contention with a specific example". One can indeed understand what the sentence means but a quality question needs to have greater clarity.

Also, except for choice C, the other choices sound more like asking the main idea of the passage rather than the organization of the passage

Choice B in fact sounds a better choice because, in the passage, the new findings are contrasted with existing theories. In both the paragraphs, the author indeed does say that the current findings are totally different from all the existing theories.

Now consider question 4:

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

This is an inference question. So we expect some reasoning to be done. But the OA is D which is more of a paraphrase of ,"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."

Choice B in my opinion is better because the passage says that the hyoid bone is more similar to that of apes than that of humans. This means the hyoid bone of the species is less primitive than that of the apes.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

2. The passage quotes Zeresenay Alemseged in order to

Explanation

In the passage, Zeresenay Alemseged, a noted paleo-anthropologist, states that the discovery of the 3.3-million-year-old fossilized child is of unprecedented importance in the history of paleo-anthropology. By quoting Alemseged, the passage highlights the significance and impact of the find, emphasizing its historical and scientific importance. This quote supports the idea that the discovery of the fossilized child is a significant development in the field of archaeology and paleo-anthropology.

The passage goes on to mention that the discovery could reconfigure conceptions about the life and capacities of these early humans, further underscoring the significance of the find. The quote from Alemseged aligns with this idea and reinforces the notion that the discovery has the potential to challenge or reshape existing theories and understanding of early human development.

Therefore, the purpose of quoting Zeresenay Alemseged is to provide evidence that supports the significance and importance of the find, as expressed by a respected expert in the field.

Answer: D

Sajjad1994 · Answer

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

The passage says the importance of the discovery is based on:

Completeness: Which E says: "intact nature of the fossils"

Antiquity: Which B syas: "age of the fossils"

Age at death: which A say "fact that remains were those of a child"

Species: Which D says "member of Australopithecus afarensis"

The location (Ethiopia) is mentioned as where it was found, but the passage does not cite the location itself as a reason for its importance, it’s just contextual.

So the one not cited as a reason for importance is:  C

Answer: C

In archaeology, as in the physical sciences, new discoveries

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In archaeology, as in the physical sciences, new discoveries

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