Dr. Maria Santos and her archaeological team spent three months carefully excavating the ancient Mayan site in Guatemala. Working through...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Dr. Maria Santos and her archaeological team spent three months carefully excavating the ancient Mayan site in Guatemala. Working through layers of sediment and debris, the researchers methodically _____ artifacts from the buried temple complex, documenting each piece's location before transporting them to the laboratory for analysis.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
recovered
installed
pursued
duplicated
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Dr. Maria Santos and her archaeological team spent three months carefully excavating the ancient Mayan site in Guatemala.' |
|
| 'Working through layers of sediment and debris, the researchers methodically ______ artifacts from the buried temple complex,' |
|
| 'documenting each piece's location before transporting them to the laboratory for analysis.' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Dr. Santos and her archaeological team conducted a methodical three-month excavation of a Mayan site, carefully processing artifacts they found.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes the archaeological context, then describes the systematic process the team used to handle artifacts during their excavation work.
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 missing word needs to describe what archaeologists do with artifacts during an excavation
- Based on our passage analysis: They're working through layers of sediment and debris, dealing with artifacts from a buried temple complex, being methodical and careful, and documenting each piece's location before moving them
- So the right answer should describe the action of retrieving or obtaining artifacts from an excavation site
recovered
✓ Correct
- 'Recovered' means to retrieve or find something that was lost or buried
- Perfectly fits the archaeological context - this is exactly what archaeologists do with artifacts they find during excavations
- Matches the methodical, careful approach described in the passage
installed
✗ Incorrect
- 'Installed' means to put something new in place or set up equipment
- Doesn't make sense in this context - archaeologists don't install artifacts, they find them
pursued
✗ Incorrect
- 'Pursued' means to chase, follow, or seek something
- While archaeologists might pursue knowledge, you don't pursue artifacts that are already buried in a specific location
duplicated
✗ Incorrect
- 'Duplicated' means to make copies of something
- Archaeologists preserve original artifacts, they don't make copies during excavation