A research team led by archaeologist Dr. Maria Santos has been investigating the collapse of the Ancestral Puebloan civilization in...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
A research team led by archaeologist Dr. Maria Santos has been investigating the collapse of the Ancestral Puebloan civilization in the American Southwest. The team suggests that prolonged drought conditions may have forced these communities to abandon their cliff dwellings by 1300 CE. By analyzing tree ring samples from over 200 sites across Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, the researchers reconstructed precipitation patterns spanning five centuries of Ancestral Puebloan occupation. The analysis revealed that the period from 1130 to 1180 CE experienced the most severe drought conditions in the region's recorded climatic history, closely aligning with archaeological evidence of population decline and settlement abandonment.
Which choice best states the function of the underlined sentence in the overall structure of the text?
To describe part of the approach used in the team's research
To present a specific example that supports the study's hypothesis
To summarize the primary findings of the archaeological investigation
To identify a limitation the researchers encountered during their analysis
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'A research team led by archaeologist Dr. Maria Santos has been investigating the collapse of the Ancestral Puebloan civilization in the American Southwest.' |
|
| 'The team suggests that prolonged drought conditions may have forced these communities to abandon their cliff dwellings by 1300 CE.' |
|
| 'By analyzing tree ring samples from over 200 sites across Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, the researchers reconstructed precipitation patterns spanning five centuries of Ancestral Puebloan occupation.' |
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| 'The analysis revealed that the period from 1130 to 1180 CE experienced the most severe drought conditions in the region's recorded climatic history, closely aligning with archaeological evidence of population decline and settlement abandonment.' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Dr. Santos's research team used tree ring analysis to support their hypothesis that prolonged drought caused the Ancestral Puebloan civilization to abandon their settlements.
Argument Flow: The passage follows a classic research structure: it introduces the research question (civilization collapse), presents the team's hypothesis (drought as the cause), explains their methodology (tree ring analysis across multiple sites), and reports findings that support their hypothesis (severe drought period aligning with archaeological evidence of abandonment).
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 underlined sentence comes right after the team states their hypothesis about drought causing abandonment
- The sentence explains HOW they studied this - by analyzing tree ring samples from over 200 sites to reconstruct precipitation patterns over 500 years
- The correct answer should identify this as explaining the team's research methodology or approach - the technique they used to investigate their hypothesis about drought and abandonment
To describe part of the approach used in the team's research
✓ Correct
- This perfectly captures what the underlined sentence does - it describes how the researchers approached their study
- The sentence explains their specific methodology: analyzing tree ring samples from 200+ sites to reconstruct precipitation patterns
To present a specific example that supports the study's hypothesis
✗ Incorrect
- This sentence isn't providing an example that supports their hypothesis
- Instead, it's explaining the method they used to test their hypothesis
- The actual support comes in the next sentence with the findings
To summarize the primary findings of the archaeological investigation
✗ Incorrect
- This sentence doesn't summarize findings - it explains methodology
- The actual findings are presented in the final sentence (the severe drought from 1130-1180 CE)
To identify a limitation the researchers encountered during their analysis
✗ Incorrect
- Nothing in this sentence suggests a limitation or problem with their research
- Instead, it describes what they successfully accomplished - analyzing samples from over 200 sites