While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:Archaeologist Dr. Sada Mire founded the Horn Heritage Foundation to...
GMAT Expression of Ideas : (Expression) Questions
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Archaeologist Dr. Sada Mire founded the Horn Heritage Foundation to preserve the cultural history of regions in the Horn of Africa.
- Horn Heritage has overseen a preservation project to create 3D digital scans of ancient rock art in Somaliland.
- Paintings found at the Laas Geel caves are included in the scans.
- The Laas Geel paintings feature human figures and animals.
- Paintings found at the Dhagah Nabi Galay caves are included in the scans.
- The Dhagah Nabi Galay caves feature what are thought to be the earliest examples of writing in East Africa.
The student wants to emphasize a similarity between the Laas Geel paintings and the Dhagah Nabi Galay paintings. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
The earliest examples of writing in East Africa are thought to be featured in the paintings at the Dhagah Nabi Galay caves in Somaliland.
The paintings at the Dhagah Nabi Galay caves feature examples of writing, while those at the Laas Geel caves feature humans and animals.
In Somaliland, the paintings in the Laas Geel caves feature human figures and animals.
The Laas Geel paintings and the Dhagah Nabi Galay paintings are both examples of ancient rock art found in Somaliland.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Archaeologist Dr. Sada Mire founded the Horn Heritage Foundation to preserve the cultural history of regions in the Horn of Africa." |
|
| "Horn Heritage has overseen a preservation project to create 3D digital scans of ancient rock art in Somaliland." |
|
| "Paintings found at the Laas Geel caves are included in the scans." |
|
| "The Laas Geel paintings feature human figures and animals." |
|
| "Paintings found at the Dhagah Nabi Galay caves are included in the scans." |
|
| "The Dhagah Nabi Galay caves feature what are thought to be the earliest examples of writing in East Africa." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Horn Heritage Foundation is using 3D digital scanning to preserve ancient rock art at multiple cave sites in Somaliland.
Argument Flow: The notes establish the foundation's mission, then describe their specific preservation project, and finally detail two cave sites being documented.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? The student has a specific rhetorical goal: to emphasize a similarity between the Laas Geel paintings and the Dhagah Nabi Galay paintings.
What type of answer do we need? This means we need to find what these two cave painting sites have in common, not what makes them different or unique.
Any limiting keywords? similarity
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- Both cave sites share several key characteristics: both contain ancient rock art/paintings, both are located in Somaliland, and both are being preserved through Horn Heritage's 3D scanning project
- The correct answer should mention both cave sites by name and identify at least one characteristic they share
The earliest examples of writing in East Africa are thought to be featured in the paintings at the Dhagah Nabi Galay caves in Somaliland.
✗ Incorrect
- Only mentions Dhagah Nabi Galay caves, completely ignoring Laas Geel
- Cannot emphasize similarity when only one site is discussed
The paintings at the Dhagah Nabi Galay caves feature examples of writing, while those at the Laas Geel caves feature humans and animals.
✗ Incorrect
- Does mention both cave sites but emphasizes their differences rather than similarities by contrasting writing versus humans and animals
In Somaliland, the paintings in the Laas Geel caves feature human figures and animals.
✗ Incorrect
- Only discusses Laas Geel caves, completely ignoring Dhagah Nabi Galay
- Cannot show similarity between two things when only mentioning one
The Laas Geel paintings and the Dhagah Nabi Galay paintings are both examples of ancient rock art found in Somaliland.
✓ Correct
- Mentions both cave sites by name and identifies clear similarities: both are ancient rock art found in Somaliland
- This perfectly highlights shared characteristics rather than differences