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-million-year-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 ape-like than humanlike, 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 theories
(C) illustrating a general 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 nineteenth-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 of individually tailored medicines. 
 
 6

“its gorilla-like arms suggest that afarensis was still able to swing through trees, initiating a reexamination of long-held theories of human development.”   
  6. Select the sentence that most distinctly undermines an accepted paleo-anthropological theory.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

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

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 theories 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

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

2. The passage quotes Zeresenay Alemseged in order to

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

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

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

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

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

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

The passage provides the following information about the discovered hyoid bone: it is the oldest ever found, since this type of bone is rarely preserved, and it is  “primitive and more ape-like than human-like.”  The passage also states that the discovery will impact theories about speech.

A)    The passage gives no information about the linguistic capacities of Australopithecus afarensis. The passage does not give enough information to infer that the species was capable of speech.

B)    The passage indicates that the discovered hyoid bone more closely resembles those of apes than humans. However, while the passage does generally relate to evolution, the discovered bone is not necessarily less primitive than that of an ape. It could be slightly different in an equally primitive way; not all differences in structure would make a bone more advanced.

C)    While it can be inferred that this bone has some effect on speech, the passage does not indicate that it is  “necessary for speech.”  It is possible that a species could be capable of speech without a hyoid bone.

D) CORRECT.    The passage states that the discovery of the hyoid bone  “has dramatically affected concepts of the origin of speech.”  Thus, it can be inferred that the discovery made the reexamination of prior theories necessary.

E)  The passage does not rank the importance of the fossils found; as a result, this choice is not necessarily true. It is possible that other fossils were of equal or greater importance. 
 
  Answer: D

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

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?

When you are asked to choose which answer best parallels a part of a passage, be sure that you grasp the nature of the example in the passage before considering the answer choices. 
  
  A)  The passage indicates that the discovery of the hyoid bone  “has dramatically affected concepts of the origin of speech.”  This evidence supports the passage’s main point: new discoveries can undermine or call   into question existing theories and give rise to new ones.   The correct answer will reflect this sort of impact in another field.   In this example, the discovery serves to support a widely   accepted theory, as opposed to causing a reexamination of that   theory.

B)    In this answer choice, the discovery serves to confirm earlier held ideas, as opposed to causing a reexamination of those ideas.

C)    There is no indication that an accepted theory is applicable and being called into question. Further, the  “continued prosperity”  is not a new discovery or change in the way that things used to be done or viewed.

D) CORRECT.    This answer choice correctly describes a discovery that causes a reexamination of earlier ideas. In this case, newly uncovered journal entries spur a reevaluation of certain historical ideas regarding an important conflict.

E)  In this answer, scientific advances in the field of biology give rise to new applications. It does not discuss a discovery that calls accepted ideas into question.  
 
  Answer: D

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

6. Select the sentence that most distinctly undermines an accepted paleo-anthropological theory.

This Select-in-Passage question asks for a specific example of the main point: a new discovery that undermines or calls into question an accepted theory or idea.

The first sentence of the second paragraph describes a previously accepted theory about afarensis. The next sentence describes how this theory was undermined, and it is the correct answer:  “its gorilla-like arms suggest that afarensis was still able to swing through trees, initiating a reexamination of long-held theories of human development.”  The example of the hyoid bone mentioned later never describes exactly what theory was undermined by its discovery.

Archaeological discoveries frequently undermine accepted ideas, giving

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