Based on excavations at multiple sites across the Mediterranean region and analysis of pottery styles, building techniques, and trade goods...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Based on excavations at multiple sites across the Mediterranean region and analysis of pottery styles, building techniques, and trade goods from approximately 200 archaeological locations, researchers Maria Santos and David Chen argue that the collapse of Bronze Age civilizations around 1200 BCE resulted from a cascading series of interconnected crises rather than a single catastrophic event.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers' claim?
Evidence shows that certain Bronze Age sites were abandoned approximately 300 years apart.
Archaeological findings indicate that Mediterranean trade networks remained stable throughout the Bronze Age period.
Most Bronze Age settlements show similar construction techniques and pottery designs.
Excavations have revealed Bronze Age artifacts in regions outside the Mediterranean.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Based on excavations at multiple sites across the Mediterranean region and analysis of pottery styles, building techniques, and trade goods from approximately 200 archaeological locations,' |
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| 'researchers Maria Santos and David Chen argue that' |
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| 'the collapse of Bronze Age civilizations around 1200 BCE resulted from a cascading series of interconnected crises rather than a single catastrophic event.' |
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Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Santos and Chen argue that Bronze Age civilizations collapsed due to a series of connected crises that built upon each other, rather than from one devastating event.
Argument Flow: The researchers present extensive archaeological evidence from 200 locations and use it to support a specific theory about how Bronze Age civilizations ended - through interconnected problems that cascaded rather than a single disaster that hit everything at once.
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 difference between Santos and Chen's theory and the alternative is timing and connectivity
- If it was a 'single catastrophic event,' we'd expect to see Bronze Age sites failing all around the same time
- But if it was a 'cascading series of interconnected crises,' we'd expect to see sites failing at different times as problems spread from one area to another
- So the right answer should show evidence of timing differences - that the collapse didn't happen everywhere simultaneously, but rather spread over time as crises built upon each other
Evidence shows that certain Bronze Age sites were abandoned approximately 300 years apart.
✓ Correct
- Shows sites were abandoned 300 years apart, not simultaneously
- Directly supports 'cascading series' - crises happened over time, not all at once
- Proves the collapse wasn't a 'single catastrophic event' since it took centuries to unfold
Archaeological findings indicate that Mediterranean trade networks remained stable throughout the Bronze Age period.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims trade networks stayed stable throughout the Bronze Age
- Actually contradicts the collapse theory entirely - if networks were stable, how did civilizations collapse?
Most Bronze Age settlements show similar construction techniques and pottery designs.
✗ Incorrect
- Shows cultural similarities across settlements
- Doesn't address the timing or nature of the collapse at all
- Students might think 'similar' means 'connected' and confuse this with 'interconnected crises,' but similarity in construction doesn't prove anything about how or when sites failed
Excavations have revealed Bronze Age artifacts in regions outside the Mediterranean.
✗ Incorrect
- Shows Bronze Age artifacts exist outside the Mediterranean
- Expands the geographic scope but says nothing about collapse timing or interconnectedness