The animal bones [found in a region of Africa by the anthropologists]

Question

The animal bones   exhibit numerous cutmarks, and they were often broken for the extraction of marrow. The implication is that the Klasies people consumed a wide range of game, from small, greyhound-size antelope like the Cape grysbok to more imposing quarry like buffalo and eland, as well as seals and penguins. The number and location of stone tool cutmarks and the rarity of carnivore tooth marks indicate that the people were not restricted to scavenging from lions or hyenas, and they often gained first access to the intact carcasses of even large mammals like buffalo and eland.

But the bones also show that the people tended to avoid confrontations with the more common—and more dangerous—buffalo to pursue a more docile but less common antelope, the eland. Both buffalo and eland are very large animals, but buffalo stand and resist potential predators, while eland panic and flee at signs of danger. The Klasies people did hunt buffalo, and a broken tip from a stone point is still imbedded in a neck vertebra of an extinct “giant” long-horned buffalo. The people focused, however, on the less threatening young or old members in buffalo herds.

The stone points found at Klasies could have been used to arm thrusting spears, but there is nothing to suggest that the people had projectiles that could be launched from a distance, and they may thus have limited their personal risk by concentrating on eland herds that could be chased to exhaustion or driven into traps. The numerous eland bones in the Klasies layers represent roughly the same proportion of prime-age adults that would occur in a living herd. This pattern suggests the animals were not victims of accidents or endemic diseases, which tend to selectively remove the very young and the old, but rather that they suffered a catastrophe that affected individuals of all ages equally. The deposits preserve no evidence of a great flood, volcanic eruption, or epidemic disease, and from an eland perspective, the catastrophe was probably the human ability to drive whole herds over nearby cliffs.   1 
 1. The main argument advanced by the author of this passage is

(A) It was easier for the Klasies people to hunt eland than buffalo.
(B) The Klasies were unique among prehistoric people in that they consumed large land animals, such as buffalo, as well as smaller mammals from the sea.
(C) The Klasies people were at least partially responsible for the catastrophic extinction of the prehistoric antelope called the eland.
(D) Because the Klasies people lacked the use of projectile weapons and were therefore unable to hunt buffalo successfully, they diversified their diet to include smaller prey.
(E) The prehistoric Klasies people had a diverse diet and advanced hunting skills and were probably not restricted to scavenging.

2 
 2. What signs indicate to the anthropologists that Klasies people were not restricted to scavenging?

(A) The number and location of stone tool cutmarks and the absence of carnivore teeth marks in the animal bones.
(B) The fact that the animals consumed were not the victims of accidents or disease as would be expected from natural deaths.
(C) The presence of a stone spear tip in the neck of a giant long-horned buffalo.
(D) The variety of different species whose bones were found in the Klasies camp, such as penguins, seals, and antelope.
(E) The lack of any evidence of a catastrophic event such as a flood, volcanic eruption, or epidemic disease.

3 
 3. According to the author’s theory, why did the Klasies people focus on eland instead of buffalo?

(A) The eland were more numerous than the buffalo.
(B) The eland would stand and fight while the buffalo would usually panic and flee.
(C) The buffalo would stand and fight while the eland would usually panic and flee.
(D) The eland were more easily obtained from other animals through scavenging.
(E) The eland were easily killed using the projectiles that the Klasies favored when hunting.

4 
 4. Which of the following game animals is NOT listed in the passage as a probable part of the Klasies diet?

(A) penguins
(B) hyenas
(C) seals
(D) giant long-horned buffalo
(E) small, greyhound-sized antelope

5 
 5. Which of the following evidence does the author present to support the assertion that the catastrophe the eland suffered was caused by human beings?

(A) The presence of bones from prime-age animals found in the Klasies site.
(B) The broken tip of a stone point embedded in the neck of an eland skeleton.
(C) The lack of any carnivore tooth marks on the eland bones at the Klasies site.
(D) The number and location of tool marks found on the bones of a variety of animals at the Klasies site.
(E) The lack of any signs of a flood, volcanic eruption, or epidemic disease.

soumya170293 · Answer

For the last ( no 5 ) question , How can I eliminate option A ? 
 " The numerous
eland bones in the Klasies layers represent
roughly the same proportion of prime-age adults
that would occur in a living herd. " ( too obvious )

If it is not A then must be E . 
Thanks in advance .

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa · Answer

because that is not talking about human , it basically shows that ( The numerous
eland bones in the Klasies layers represent
roughly the same proportion of prime-age adults
that would occur in a living herd. This pattern
suggests the animals were not victims of accidents
or endemic diseases, which tend to selectively
remove the very young and the old, but
rather that they suffered a catastrophe that
affected individuals of all ages equally  so it talks about ( individual of all ages , not about any relation with human )

ArjunJag1328 · Answer

2-What signs indicate to the anthropologists that Klasies people were not restricted to scavenging?

(A) The number and location of stone tool cutmarks and the absence of carnivore teeth marks in the animal bones.
(B) The fact that the animals consumed were not the victims of accidents or disease as would be expected from natural deaths.
(C) The presence of a stone spear tip in the neck of a giant long-horned buffalo.
(D) The variety of different species whose bones were found in the Klasies camp, such as penguins, seals, and antelope.
(E) The lack of any evidence of a catastrophic event such as a flood, volcanic eruption, or epidemic disease.

Option (A) says The number and location of stone tool cutmarks and the "absence" of carnivore teeth marks in the animal bones but according to the passage it's "rarity" of carnivore tooth marks. So how is option A correct?

MahmoudFawzy · Answer

for the first question:
1- there is no clue that Klasies people are prehistoric. (prehistoric: the period before written records)
2- eating meat from more than animal source doesn't mean diverse diet.
3- there is nothing about ADVANCED hunting SKILLS in the passage. On the contrary, the passage my suggest limited skills as the Klasies people only used only stone points, avoid aggressive animals such as lions and buffaloes, and didn't use ranged hunting tools.
4- from the passage, the Klasies people were not restricted to scavenging (NOT Probably)

mallya12 · Answer

Question 1 option C vs E .Someone please explain.

gmat1393 · Answer

mallya12  Please see the above, according to this humans were fully responsible for the extinction as opposed to choice C.hence, choice C is wrong.

On the other hand, option E encapsulates the whole main point of the passage.

Hope this helps!

Thanks

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

1. The main argument advanced by the author of this passage is

On first reading, the passage seems to be talking about the diet and hunting habits of the Klasies people and more specifically, their preference to hunt eland rather than buffalo.

(A) It was easier for the Klasies people to hunt eland than buffalo.  This is a possibility. The passage does spend large parts talking about how hunting eland was the preferred option and why. However, the passage also talks about other animals that were hunted such as Cape grysbok, seals etc. However, my discomfort is with the option stating that it was "easier to hunt eland than buffalo". While this is definitely stated in the passage, it doesn't appear to be the major argument being extended but only one of the details of a larger point being made. For instance, this point is completely missing from the first paragraph, which typically introduces the topic being discussed in the passage.

At this stage, we can hold on to this option.

(B) The Klasies were unique among prehistoric people in that they consumed large land animals, such as buffalo, as well as smaller mammals from the sea.  Incorrect. Nowhere does the passage talk about the "uniqueness" of the Kalsies.

(C) The Klasies people were at least partially responsible for the catastrophic extinction of the prehistoric antelope called the eland.  Incorrect. Nowhere does the passage talk about the "extinction" of eland.

(D) Because the Klasies people lacked the use of projectile weapons and were therefore unable to hunt buffalo successfully, they diversified their diet to include smaller prey.  Incorrect. The passage clearly states that the Klasies were able to hunt buffalo, although they appear to prefer eland.

(E) The prehistoric Klasies people had a diverse diet and advanced hunting skills and were probably not restricted to scavenging.  This appears to be the best answer option. The passage does talk about the diet and hunting skills. Additionally, all the details about hunting buffalo and eland can be considered to be an elaboration of the point being made about the hunting skills of the Klasies. Hence this option best summarises the larger message being put out by the passage.

2. What signs indicate to the anthropologists that Klasies people were not restricted to scavenging?

On this topic, the passage states (about the animal bones) - "The number and location of stone tool cutmarks and the rarity of carnivore tooth marks indicate that the people were not restricted to scavenging from lions or hyenas, and they often gained first access to the intact carcasses of even large mammals like buffalo and eland."

(A) The number and location of stone tool cutmarks and the absence of carnivore teeth marks in the animal bones.  Correct. Consistent with above.

(B) The fact that the animals consumed were not the victims of accidents or disease as would be expected from natural deaths.  Incorrect. Inconsistent with above.

(C) The presence of a stone spear tip in the neck of a giant long-horned buffalo.  Incorrect. While this is mentioned in the passage, it is not as a reason for concluding that the Klasies were not merely scavengers.

(D) The variety of different species whose bones were found in the Klasies camp, such as penguins, seals, and antelope.  Incorrect. While this is mentioned in the passage, it is not as a reason for concluding that the Klasies were not merely scavengers.

(E) The lack of any evidence of a catastrophic event such as a flood, volcanic eruption, or epidemic disease.  Incorrect. While this is mentioned in the passage, it is not as a reason for concluding that the Klasies were not merely scavengers.

3. According to the author’s theory, why did the Klasies people focus on eland instead of buffalo?

On this topic, the passage states - "But the bones also show that the people tended to avoid confrontations with the more common—and more dangerous—buffalo to pursue a more docile but less common antelope, the eland. Both buffalo and eland are very large animals, but buffalo stand and resist potential predators, while eland panic and flee at signs of danger."

(A) The eland were more numerous than the buffalo.  Incorrect. Inconsistent with above..

(B) The eland would stand and fight while the buffalo would usually panic and flee.  Incorrect. Inconsistent with above.

(C) The buffalo would stand and fight while the eland would usually panic and flee.  Correct. Consistent with above.

(D) The eland were more easily obtained from other animals through scavenging.  Incorrect. The passage does not state this.

(E) The eland were easily killed using the projectiles that the Klasies favored when hunting.  Incorrect. The passage does not state this.

4. Which of the following game animals is NOT listed in the passage as a probable part of the Klasies diet?

(A) penguins Incorrect.  The passage mentions penguins as part of the Klasies diet in line 6.

(B) hyenas  Correct. Hyenas are not mentioned as a probable part of the Klasies diet.

(C) seals  The passage mentions penguins as part of the Klasies diet in line 6.

(D) giant long-horned buffalo  The passage mentions giant long-horned buffaloes as being hunted in the last but one line of the second paragraph.

(E) small, greyhound-sized antelope  The passage mentions Cape grysbok as part of the Klasies diet in line 6.

5. Which of the following evidence does the author present to support the assertion that the catastrophe the eland suffered was caused by human beings?

On this topic, the passage states - "The numerous eland bones in the Klasies layers represent roughly the same proportion of prime-age adults that would occur in a living herd. This pattern suggests the animals were not victims of accidents or endemic diseases, which tend to selectively remove the very young and the old, but rather that they suffered a catastrophe that affected individuals of all ages equally. The deposits preserve no evidence of a great flood, volcanic eruption, or epidemic disease, and from an eland perspective, the catastrophe was probably the human ability to drive whole herds over nearby cliffs."

(A) The presence of bones from prime-age animals found in the Klasies site.  Incorrect. It is not the mere  presence  of bones from prime-age animals, but their proportion which indicates human involvement.

(B) The broken tip of a stone point embedded in the neck of an eland skeleton.  Incorrect. The broken tip of the stone point was found in the neck of a buffalo and not an eland.

(C) The lack of any carnivore tooth marks on the eland bones at the Klasies site. Incorrect.  This is presented as evidence for humans not being only scavengers and not for the catastrophe suffered by the eland herd being caused by humans.

(D) The number and location of tool marks found on the bones of a variety of animals at the Klasies site.  This is presented as evidence for humans consuming a wide variety of animals and not for the catastrophe suffered by the eland herd being caused by humans.

(E) The lack of any signs of a flood, volcanic eruption, or epidemic disease.  Correct. Consistent with above.

Hope this helps.

KavyaGanta · Answer

Question 4

Last sentence in 1 st paragraph suggests that Hyneas were part of their food.
Second sentence in second paragraph suggests that Elands and buffaloes are huge animals.

I think answer should be 'E' - Small, greyhound-sized antelope

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

Hi Kavya

The last sentence in the first paragraph states:

The number and location of stone tool cutmarks and the rarity of carnivore tooth marks indicate that the people were not restricted to  scavenging from lions or hyenas , and they often gained first access to the intact carcasses of even large mammals like buffalo and eland.

Scavenging is defined as "search for and collect (anything usable) from discarded waste". So, when the passage talks about people "scavenging from" hyenas, it does not mean that hyenas were a part of their diet but that they searched for and collected from waste discarded by hyenas. In this context, it means that people were not restricted to eating meat left over from hyena kills, but that they (the people) could hunt on their own.

Hope this clarifies.

KavyaGanta · Answer

Thanks for the explanation!
But the ambiguity still exists with Option E.
Is there something I'm missing?

svasan05 · Answer

Hi Kavya

There is no ambiguity with option (E). The questions asks us, "Which of the following game animals is NOT listed in the passage as a probable part of the Klasies diet?".

The second sentence of the passage states:  The implication is that the Klasies people consumed a wide range of game, from  small, greyhound-size antelope like the Cape grysbok  to more imposing quarry like buffalo and eland, as well as seals and penguins.

The underlined portion clearly shows that a "small greyhound-sized antelope", exactly as stated option (E), was indeed a part of the Klasies diet. Hence this cannot be the correct option.

Hope this clarifies.

shanalshekhar · Answer

For Q4 when the para says this
" people were not restricted to scavenging from lions or hyenas, and they often gained first access to the intact carcasses of even large mammals like buffalo and eland."
Thus how can answer be "HYENAS"? As this above line says people were not restricted to hyenas which means that they ate hyenas. Right ?

guddo · Answer

4. Which of the following game animals is NOT listed in the passage as a probable part of the Klasies diet?

The passage argues that the Klasies people hunted and processed many animals (shown by cutmarks and broken bones), often got first access to carcasses, and tended to reduce risk by focusing more on eland than buffalo, possibly driving eland herds into traps or off cliffs.

(A) penguins

Penguins are explicitly listed as part of their diet. Not the answer.

(B) hyenas

Hyenas are mentioned only as animals the Klasies people were not restricted to scavenging from. They are not listed as food.  This is the answer.

(C) seals

Seals are explicitly listed as part of their diet. Not the answer.

(D) giant long-horned buffalo

A “giant” long-horned buffalo is mentioned with a stone point embedded, supporting that buffalo were hunted and consumed. It is part of the game discussed as eaten. Not the answer.

(E) small, greyhound-sized antelope

Small, greyhound-sized antelope (Cape grysbok) are explicitly listed as part of their diet. Not the answer.

Answer: (B)

guddo · Answer

No. “Not restricted to scavenging from lions or hyenas” means they were not limited to taking leftovers that lions or hyenas had killed. It’s about the source of the carcasses (scavenged vs first access), not about eating lions or hyenas.

So hyenas are mentioned only as  other predators , not as food. That’s why  hyenas are the one not listed as diet .

The animal bones [found in a region of Africa by the anthropologists]

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

The animal bones [found in a region of Africa by the anthropologists]

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