Excavations of heavily populated historical urban centers such as Rome, Constantinople, and Chang'an reveal that inhabitants regularly utilized comple...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Excavations of heavily populated historical urban centers such as Rome, Constantinople, and Chang'an reveal that inhabitants regularly utilized complex sewage systems and communal hygiene infrastructure. Recently, Dr. Sarah Chen and her colleagues investigated an isolated agricultural community from medieval Scotland that lacked urban design or central authority. Their findings uncovered comparably advanced water control mechanisms across the entire location, suggesting that ________
Which choice best describes the function of the second sentence in the overall structure of the text?
scholars should avoid assuming that complex sanitation infrastructure necessarily demanded metropolitan concentration or central governmental oversight.
water control systems in isolated communities were probably less developed than those discovered in major historical cities.
the existence of advanced sewage systems in historical cities resulted from geographic conditions rather than community structure.
medieval Scottish communities created superior sanitation technologies compared to their historical urban equivalents.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Excavations of heavily populated historical urban centers such as Rome, Constantinople, and Chang'an reveal that inhabitants regularly utilized complex sewage systems and communal hygiene infrastructure.' |
|
| 'Recently, Dr. Sarah Chen and her colleagues investigated an isolated agricultural community from medieval Scotland that lacked urban design or central authority.' |
|
| 'Their findings uncovered comparably advanced water control mechanisms across the entire location, suggesting that __________' |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Advanced sanitation systems existed even in isolated communities without urban design or central authority, challenging assumptions about necessary conditions for such infrastructure.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes that complex sewage systems existed in major historical cities with central authority. It then introduces a contrasting study of an isolated community lacking these urban features. The discovery that this community also had comparably advanced systems suggests we should reconsider what conditions are actually necessary for sophisticated infrastructure.
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 introduces Dr. Chen's study of an isolated community that specifically 'lacked urban design or central authority' - the very features associated with the complex systems in the first sentence
- This creates a deliberate contrast
- When the findings reveal 'comparably advanced' systems in this isolated setting, it challenges the assumption that urban concentration and governmental oversight are necessary for sophisticated infrastructure
- So the right answer should reflect that we shouldn't assume complex sanitation requires urban settings or central authority, since the evidence shows otherwise
scholars should avoid assuming that complex sanitation infrastructure necessarily demanded metropolitan concentration or central governmental oversight.
✓ Correct
- This directly reflects what the contrasting evidence suggests
- The second sentence's function is to introduce a case that challenges assumptions about necessary conditions
- The contrast between urban centers (sentence 1) and isolated communities (sentence 2) sets up exactly this conclusion
water control systems in isolated communities were probably less developed than those discovered in major historical cities.
✗ Incorrect
- This contradicts the passage's key finding of 'comparably advanced' systems
- Goes against the direction the evidence points
- What trap this represents: Focusing on expected assumptions rather than what the evidence actually shows
the existence of advanced sewage systems in historical cities resulted from geographic conditions rather than community structure.
✗ Incorrect
- Geographic conditions aren't mentioned anywhere in the passage
- Doesn't connect to the urban vs. isolated contrast the second sentence establishes
- Introduces irrelevant factors
medieval Scottish communities created superior sanitation technologies compared to their historical urban equivalents.
✗ Incorrect
- Claims superiority when the passage only indicates comparable advancement
- Overstates what the second sentence's contrast demonstrates
- The evidence shows similarity, not superiority