Archaeologists studying an ancient amphitheater in Switzerland believe that it dates back to the fourth century CE. Their discoveries of...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Archaeologists studying an ancient amphitheater in Switzerland believe that it dates back to the fourth century CE. Their discoveries of a coin made between 337 and 341 CE and era-appropriate building materials ________ evidence for this theory.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Archaeologists studying an ancient amphitheater in Switzerland believe that it dates back to the fourth century CE." |
|
| "Their discoveries of a coin made between 337 and 341 CE and era-appropriate building materials" |
|
| "_____ evidence for this theory." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Archaeologists have found physical evidence that supports their theory about when an ancient Swiss amphitheater was built.
Argument Flow: The passage presents an archaeological theory about dating an amphitheater, then describes specific discoveries that relate to that theory, with the blank asking how those discoveries function as evidence.
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 archaeologists believe the amphitheater dates to the 4th century CE
- They found a coin from 337-341 CE (which falls right in the 4th century) and building materials appropriate for that era
- These discoveries clearly support their theory - they give evidence for it, they supply proof of it
- So the right answer should be a verb meaning "give" or "supply" or "support" - something that shows the discoveries help prove the theory rather than work against it
- "Dismiss" means to reject or ignore something
- This would mean the discoveries reject evidence for the theory, which makes no logical sense since the discoveries actually support the dating
- "Provide" means to give or supply something
- This perfectly captures how the discoveries give evidence for the theory
- The coin from the right time period and era-appropriate materials directly supply proof that supports the 4th century dating
- "Regulate" means to control or manage something according to rules
- Archaeological discoveries don't control or manage evidence - they either support or contradict theories
- "Refuse" means to reject or decline something
- Like "dismiss," this would suggest the discoveries work against the theory
- The discoveries clearly support the theory, so this is the opposite of what we need