An archaeological team led by Piotr Bieliński and Sultan al-Bakri found remnants of a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age board game at...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
An archaeological team led by Piotr Bieliński and Sultan al-Bakri found remnants of a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age board game at a site in Oman. Little is left of the game except a stone board, which is carved with a grid and has places to hold game pieces. Some scholars claim that the game was largely played by traders.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support the scholars' claim?
Other examples of the game dating to the same period have been found in the remains of several homes in the region, including in one home that may have belonged to a trader.
Similar games have been found in other sites dating to the same period that were connected to the site in Oman via trade routes.
The other known examples of the game dating to the same period have been found along routes that seem to have been used primarily by traders at the time.
Remnants of other goods have been found at the site in Oman that probably also reached the location through trade.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'An archaeological team led by Piotr Bielinski and Sultan al-Bakri found remnants of a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age board game at a site in Oman.' |
|
| 'Little is left of the game except a stone board, which is carved with a grid and has places to hold game pieces.' |
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| 'Some scholars claim that the game was largely played by traders.' |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Archaeologists found an ancient board game in Oman that some scholars believe was primarily used by traders.
Argument Flow: The passage presents a straightforward sequence: first establishing the archaeological find and its physical characteristics, then introducing a scholarly theory about who played this ancient game.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? We need to identify which potential finding would most directly support the scholars' claim that the game was largely played by traders.
What type of answer do we need? Evidence that would strengthen the connection between this board game and trader activity.
Any limiting keywords? None specified.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- To support the claim that traders largely played this game, we need evidence that directly connects the game to trader activity. This could be:
- Evidence showing the game was found in locations specifically associated with traders
- Evidence that the game's distribution pattern matches known trader movements
- Evidence that the game appears along established trade routes
- The right answer should show that this type of game appears in contexts that are distinctly connected to trader activity.
Other examples of the game dating to the same period have been found in the remains of several homes in the region, including in one home that may have belonged to a trader.
- Mentions other examples found in homes, with only one that 'may have' belonged to a trader
- The evidence is weak and suggests the game was played by various people in homes, not specifically by traders
Similar games have been found in other sites dating to the same period that were connected to the site in Oman via trade routes.
- Shows the games were found at sites connected by trade routes
- However, this only proves the games spread through trade networks, not that traders played them
The other known examples of the game dating to the same period have been found along routes that seem to have been used primarily by traders at the time.
- This directly connects the game's presence to routes used 'primarily by traders'
- Creates the strongest link between game locations and trader activity
Remnants of other goods have been found at the site in Oman that probably also reached the location through trade.
- Shows the Oman site had trade activity but doesn't connect the game specifically to traders
- Just because other trade goods were found doesn't prove traders played the board game