Archaeological discoveries frequently undermine accepted ideas, giving

Question

Archaeological discoveries frequently undermine accepted ideas, giving rise to new theories. Recently, a set of 3.3-millionyear-old fossils, the remains of the earliest well preserved child ever found, were discovered in Ethiopia. Estimated to be 3 years old at death, the female child was of the Australopithecus afarensis species, a human ancestor that lived in Africa over 3 million years ago. “Her completeness, antiquity, and age at death make this find of unprecedented importance in the history of paleoanthropology,” said Zeresenay Alemseged, a noted paleo-anthropologist, opining that the discovery could reconfigure conceptions about early humans’ capacities.

Previously, afarensis was believed to have abandoned arboreal habitats. However, while the new fossil's lower limbs support the view of an upright stance, its gorilla-like arms suggest that afarensis was still able to swing through trees, initiating a reexamination of long-held theories of early human development. Also, the presence of a hyoid bone, a rarely preserved larynx bone that supports throat muscles, has dramatically affected concepts of the origin of speech. Although primitive and more apelike than human-like, this fossil hyoid is the first 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 the afarensis species
(D) provide corroboration for 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 factor in the importance of the discovery of the fossils EXCEPT

(A) the fact that the 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 was 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. The impact of the discovery of the hyoid bone in the field of archaeology could best be compared to which one 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 a 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 ofindividually tailored medicines.

Skywalker18 · Accepted Answer

All correct in 7 mins 40 seconds, including 2 mins 30 seconds to read.
Para 1- 3.3-million year-old fossils undermines accepted ideas
Para 2- gorilla-like arms suggest that afarensis was still able to swing through trees; presence of a hyoid bone

1. The organization of the passage could best be described as 
(C) illustrating a contention with a specific example- Correct, the contention is 'Archaeological discoveries frequently undermine accepted ideas, giving rise to new theories' and example of Australopithecus afarensis fossil is given

2. The passage quotes Zeresenay Alemseged in order to 
(D) provide corroboration for the significance of the find
“Her completeness, antiquity, and age at death make this find of unprecedented importance in the history of paleoanthropology,” said Zeresenay Alemseged, a noted paleo-anthropologist, opining that the discovery could reconfigure conceptions about early humans’ capacities.

3. Each of the following is cited as a factor in the importance of the discovery of the fossils EXCEPT 
(A) the fact that the remains were those of a child- incorrect, “Her completeness, antiquity, and age at death make this find of unprecedented importance in the history of paleoanthropology,
(B) the age of the fossils- incorrect, “Her completeness, antiquity, and age at death make this find of unprecedented importance in the history of paleoanthropology, 3.3 million-year-old fossil
(C) the location of the discovery- Correct
(D) the species of the fossils- incorrect, the female child was of the Australopithecus afarensis species, a human ancestor that lived in Africa over 3 million years ago.
(E) the intact nature of the fossils- incorrect, “Her completeness, antiquity, and age at death make this find of unprecedented importance in the history of paleoanthropology,

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

(D) the discovery of the hyoid bone necessitated the reexamination of prior theories
 the presence of a hyoid bone, a rarely preserved larynx bone that supports throat muscles, has dramatically affected concepts of the origin of speech.

5. The impact of the discovery of the hyoid bone in the field of archaeology could best be compared to which one of the following examples in another field? 
(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, this scenario is analogous to the discovery of hyoid bone in a Australopithecus afarensis fossil

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

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

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

On Except questions, it is often easier to eliminate incorrect answer choices until only one is left.

(A)  The fourth sentence of the first paragraph cites a quotation from a noted paleo-anthropologist that the find of the child fossils was of unprecedented importance due to the child's age at death. Therefore, the fact that the remains were those of a child was of substantial significance.

(B)  The antiquity (a synonym for age) of the fossils is mentioned in the fourth sentence of the first paragraph as a reason why the fossils were an important discovery.

(C) CORRECT.  The location of the fossil discovery is mentioned in the first paragraph of the passage. However, the location is not provided as a reason why the fossils are significant.

(D)  This choice is tricky. The second paragraph describes what was previously believed about afarensis and that this evidence dramatically affected certain theories about the development of speech in humans. The fossils were of a human-related species, so the species itself was significant in influencing the theories about human speech.

(E)  The fourth sentence of the first paragraph notes that the find was important due its completeness. The intact nature of the fossils is another way of saying that the fossils are complete.

Answer: C

Hope it helps

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. The organization of the passage could best be described as

Difficulty Level:   700

Explanation

When assessing a passage's organization, consider the main idea of each paragraph. This passage begins by noting that archaeological discoveries frequently undermine accepted ideas, giving rise to new theories. It supports this statement by relating the impact of one discovery in the field. Thus, the best answer will reference both the overall contention and the use of the example.

(A)  This choice omits the phenomenon that the discovery is meant to illustrate: discoveries often give rise to new theories. Also, there is nothing controversial about the described discovery.

(B)  The passage does not focus on the contrast between previous theorie   s    of human development and current theories. Rather, it discusses a   singular discovery   that affects previous theories. The passage would need to outline both previous and current theories of development and then contrast them. Instead, the passage focuses on how one example illustrates a way in which the field of archaeology evolves.

(C) CORRECT.  The passage makes a general claim and uses a specific example to support that claim, just as this choice states.

(D)  One might feel that the evolution of theories of human development is a worthwhile object of contemplation, but the passage does not argue for the importance of archaeology as a field of study. This answer choice misstates the organization of the passage.

(E)  The passage does not indicate how popular the earlier theories of human development were. Also, the passage provides only one example of a single discovery and its importance. The language employed in the passage does not warrant describing the passage as a refutation of past theories.

Answer: C

Hope it helps

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. The passage quotes Zeresenay Alemseged in order to

Difficulty Level:   650

Explanation

This quotation in the first paragraph highlights the importance of the discovery and is followed by another similar reference. The quotation is used to emphasize the exceptional importance of this find; the correct answer for this Inference question will reflect this emphasis.

(A)  The main idea of the first paragraph is that a new finding can call accepted archaeological theories into question. The rest of the paragraph provides an example of this phenomenon. The quotation emphasizes the importance of the discovery itself, not the example, nor does the quotation qualify or limit the main idea of the first paragraph.

(B)  The passage does not discuss claims of other scientists. Thus, this answer choice is incorrect.

(C)  The discussion of the linguistic ability of the afarensis species is in the second paragraph and is unrelated to this quotation.

(D)  CORRECT. The point of this paragraph is to illustrate that in archaeology, important factual discoveries lead to theoretical changes. The quotation corroborates the idea that this discovery is in fact a significant one.

(E)  The quotation is offered as corroboration of the importance of the discovery and is not refuted at any point in the passage.

Answer: D

Hope it helps

SomethingSomw · Answer

For Q4, i could see both B and D as correct, my reasoning was as follows

I felt that option B is better suited because its quoted in the para as:
 "Although primitive and more apelike than human-like" 
This means that sure its close to ape-like, but it should still be less primitive that it since its somewhere in the middle of human and ape.

Option D could equally be inferred based on the fact that there was a reexamination for the gorilla-like arms.
 "its gorilla-like arms suggest that afarensis was still able to swing through trees, initiating a reexamination of long-held theories of early human development."

Both these options should be equally likely, the only reason i could see for D would be that it is more obviously stated.

AbhishekP220108 · Answer

SomethingSomw  Let me try to help,

Option B presents the comparison and it is saying less primitive, however the passage explicitly states that the fossil hyoid is  "more apelike than human-like."  This means the bone closely resembles that of an ape. The passage never claims that this fossil is  less  primitive than an ape's hyoid bone. In fact, by describing it as "apelike," the author is grouping it with the primitive structures of apes, rather than elevating it above them or calling it more advanced ("less primitive").

Hope this helps

egmat · Answer

Great question - this is a subtle but  important  distinction.

Let's look at why  B  doesn't work. The passage says the hyoid bone is "primitive and more apelike than human-like." You're reading this as: since afarensis is between apes and humans on the evolutionary ladder, its hyoid must be less primitive than an ape's hyoid.

But that's an assumption the passage never makes. The passage only tells us what the bone RESEMBLES - it resembles an ape's hyoid more than a human's. It never actually compares the primitiveness of this fossil hyoid to a real ape's hyoid. Saying something is "apelike" means it looks like an ape's version - it does NOT mean it's slightly less primitive than the ape version. For all we know from the passage, this hyoid could be equally primitive or even identical to an ape's hyoid.  You'd be adding information the passage doesn't give.

Now look at  D . The passage explicitly says the hyoid bone "has dramatically affected concepts of the origin of speech" and that it's "the first found in such an early human-related species." When a discovery "dramatically affects" existing concepts, that's essentially saying prior theories had to be reexamined.  This is a safe, well-supported inference.

Key Insight:  On inference questions, the correct answer must be fully supported by what the passage states.  If you need to add even  one  logical step that the passage doesn't provide - like "being between apes and humans means the bone must be less primitive than an ape's" -  that's going too far.

Answer: D

Archaeological discoveries frequently undermine accepted ideas, giving

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Archaeological discoveries frequently undermine accepted ideas, giving

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