In the fourteenth and fifteenth century, many western...

Question

In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, 
many Western Pueblo settlements 
in what is now the southwestern United 
Line States may have possessed distinctly 
(5) hierarchical organizational structures. 
These communities' agricultural 
systems-which were "intensive" in 
the use of labor rather than "extensive" 
in area-may have given rise to polit- 
(10) ical leadership that managed both 
labor and food resources. That formal 
management of food resources 
was needed is suggested by the 
large size of storage spaces located 
(15) around some communal Great Kivas 
(underground ceremonial chambers). 
Though no direct evidence exists that 
such spaces were used to store food, 
Western Pueblo communities lacking 
(20) sufficient arable land to support their 
populations could have preserved 
the necessary extra food, including 
imported foodstuffs, in such apparently 
communal spaces. 
(25) Moreover, evidence of specialization 
in producing raw materials and 
in manufacturing ceramics and textiles 
indicates differentiation of labor within 
and between communities. The orga- 
(30) nizational and managerial demands 
of such specialization strengthen 
the possibility that a decision-making 
elite existed, an elite whose control 
over labor, the use of community sur- 
(35) pluses, and the acquisition of imported 
goods would have led to a concentration 
of economic resources in their 
own hands. Evidence for differential 
distribution of wealth is found in buri- 
(40) als of the period: some include large 
quantities of pottery, jewelry, and other 
artifacts, whereas others from the 
same sites lack any such materials.

Which of the following, if true, would most clearly undermine the author's statement in the last sentence of the passage regarding the distribution of wealth in Western Pubelo settlement.

a. Only community members of exceptional wealth are likely to have been buried with their personal possessions.
b. Members of the communities with extensive agricultural systems are usually buried without personal possessions.
c. Most artifacts in the burial site were manufactured locally rather than imported from other communities.
d. Burial artifacts are often ritual objects associated with religious practices than being the deceased's personal possessions.
e. The quality of the burial artifacts varies depending on the site with which they were associated.

nitesh181989 · Answer

I would go with 'D'.
Can you please provide the OA??

Nikhil · Answer

Discussed here in-the-fourteenth-and-fifteenth-centuries-many-western-pueb-167570.html?fl=similar

In the fourteenth and fifteenth century, many western...

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards