Ancestral Puebloans, the civilization from which present-day Pueblo tribes descended, emerged as early as 1500 B.C.E. in an area of...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Ancestral Puebloans, the civilization from which present-day Pueblo tribes descended, emerged as early as 1500 B.C.E. in an area of what is now the southwestern United States and dispersed suddenly in the late 1200s C.E., abandoning established villages with systems for farming crops and turkeys. Recent analysis comparing turkey remains at Mesa Verde, one such village in southern Colorado, to samples from modern turkey populations in the Rio Grande Valley of north central New Mexico determined that the latter birds descended in part from turkeys cultivated at Mesa Verde, with shared genetic markers appearing only after 1280. Thus, researchers concluded that ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
conditions of the terrains in the Rio Grande Valley and Mesa Verde had greater similarities in the past than they do today.
some Ancestral Puebloans migrated to the Rio Grande Valley in the late 1200s and carried farming practices with them.
Indigenous peoples living in the Rio Grande Valley primarily planted crops and did not cultivate turkeys before 1280.
the Ancestral Puebloans of Mesa Verde likely adopted the farming practices of Indigenous peoples living in other regions.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Ancestral Puebloans, the civilization from which present-day Pueblo tribes descended, emerged as early as 1500 B.C.E. in an area of what is now the southwestern United States" |
|
| "and dispersed suddenly in the late 1200s C.E., abandoning established villages with systems for farming crops and turkeys." |
|
| "Recent analysis comparing turkey remains at Mesa Verde, one such village in southern Colorado, to samples from modern turkey populations in the Rio Grande Valley of north central New Mexico" |
|
| "determined that the latter birds descended in part from turkeys cultivated at Mesa Verde, with shared genetic markers appearing only after 1280." |
|
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
This is a fill-in-the-blank question asking us to choose the best logical connector. The answer must create the right relationship between what comes before and after the blank.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The key evidence: (1) Ancestral Puebloans left Mesa Verde in the late 1200s, (2) Rio Grande Valley turkeys descended partly from Mesa Verde turkeys, and (3) these genetic markers only appeared after 1280
- The timing is crucial - 1280 falls right in the "late 1200s" period when they dispersed
- The right answer should connect these dots: some Ancestral Puebloans migrated to the Rio Grande Valley during their dispersal period and brought their agricultural knowledge with them
conditions of the terrains in the Rio Grande Valley and Mesa Verde had greater similarities in the past than they do today.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims terrain similarities between the regions were greater in the past
- The genetic evidence tells us about turkey migration patterns, not terrain conditions
some Ancestral Puebloans migrated to the Rio Grande Valley in the late 1200s and carried farming practices with them.
✓ Correct
- States that some Ancestral Puebloans migrated to the Rio Grande Valley in the late 1200s and carried farming practices
- Perfectly explains why Mesa Verde turkey genetics appear in Rio Grande Valley only after 1280
- The timing matches exactly
Indigenous peoples living in the Rio Grande Valley primarily planted crops and did not cultivate turkeys before 1280.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims Rio Grande Valley peoples didn't cultivate turkeys before 1280
- This might be true, but it's not what the genetic evidence proves
the Ancestral Puebloans of Mesa Verde likely adopted the farming practices of Indigenous peoples living in other regions.
✗ Incorrect
- Suggests Mesa Verde people adopted practices from other regions
- This reverses the direction of influence that the genetic evidence shows