Archaeologists have confirmed that the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde were constructed using sophisticated masonry techniques that required extensive c...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Archaeologists have confirmed that the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde were constructed using sophisticated masonry techniques that required extensive community cooperation. However, how these ancient communities actually organized and coordinated such complex, large-scale construction projects across multiple generations remains largely unclear from the archaeological record. Recent excavations by researcher Maria Santos and her team have revealed tool caches and workshop areas that provide new insights into how these ancient communities organized such complex building projects.
Which choice best describes the function of the second sentence in the overall structure of the text?
It describes a serious limitation of the method used by Santos and her team.
It presents the central discovery made by Santos and her team.
It identifies the problem that Santos and her team attempted to solve.
It explains the significance of Santos's findings for the broader field.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Archaeologists have confirmed that the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde were constructed using sophisticated masonry techniques that required extensive community cooperation.' |
|
| 'However, how these ancient communities actually organized and coordinated such complex, large-scale construction projects across multiple generations remains largely unclear from the archaeological record.' |
|
| 'Recent excavations by researcher Maria Santos and her team have revealed tool caches and workshop areas that provide new insights into how these ancient communities organized such complex building projects.' |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: While archaeologists know Mesa Verde cliff dwellings required sophisticated community cooperation, new excavations by Santos team are providing previously missing insights into how these ancient communities actually organized their construction projects.
Argument Flow: The passage follows a classic known-unknown-newly discovered structure. It starts with established archaeological knowledge about Mesa Verde construction techniques, identifies a specific gap in that knowledge (how organization actually worked), then introduces new research that fills that gap.
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 second sentence creates a knowledge gap about organization methods, setting up the need for the research that follows in the third sentence
It describes a serious limitation of the method used by Santos and her team.
- Claims it describes a limitation of Santos team methods
- Santos is not mentioned until the third sentence
It presents the central discovery made by Santos and her team.
- Says it presents Santos team central discovery
- Discoveries are presented in the third sentence
It identifies the problem that Santos and her team attempted to solve.
- Says it identifies the problem that Santos team attempted to solve
- The second sentence identifies what remains largely unclear, which Santos research then addresses
It explains the significance of Santos's findings for the broader field.
- Claims it explains significance of Santos findings
- Focuses on identifying what is unclear, not explaining impact of discoveries