Paleontologists searching for signs of ancient life have found many fossilized specimens of prehistoric human ancestors, including several from the...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Paleontologists searching for signs of ancient life have found many fossilized specimens of prehistoric human ancestors, including several from the Pleistocene era discovered in a geological formation in the Minatogawa quarry in Japan. However, to study the emergence of the earliest multicellular organisms to appear on Earth, researchers must turn elsewhere, such as to the Ediacaran geological formation at Mistaken Point in Canada. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 146-hectare reserve contains more than 10,000 fossils that together document a critical moment in evolutionary history.
What does the text indicate about the geological formation at Mistaken Point?
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'Paleontologists searching for signs of ancient life have found many fossilized specimens of prehistoric human ancestors, including several from the Pleistocene era discovered in a geological formation in the Minatogawa quarry in Japan.' |
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| 'However, to study the emergence of the earliest multicellular organisms to appear on Earth, researchers must turn elsewhere, such as to the Ediacaran geological formation at Mistaken Point in Canada.' |
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| 'A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 146-hectare reserve contains more than 10,000 fossils that together document a critical moment in evolutionary history.' |
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Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Paleontologists use different geological formations to study different periods of ancient life—some locations contain more recent human ancestors while others contain the earliest multicellular organisms.
Argument Flow: The passage starts by noting paleontologists' discoveries of human ancestors in Japan from the Pleistocene era, then contrasts this by explaining that studying the earliest multicellular life requires turning to different locations like Mistaken Point in Canada, which contains thousands of fossils documenting early evolutionary history.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? What information the text provides specifically about the geological formation at Mistaken Point.
What type of answer do we need? A factual detail that the passage directly states or clearly implies about Mistaken Point.
Any limiting keywords? 'What does the text indicate' means we need textual evidence, not outside knowledge.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The passage tells us that Mistaken Point contains fossils of 'the earliest multicellular organisms to appear on Earth,' while the Minatogawa quarry contains fossils from 'the Pleistocene era' (human ancestors)
- The passage sets up this contrast to show that different geological formations are used to study different time periods in Earth's history
- The key insight is the time comparison: earliest multicellular organisms appeared much earlier in Earth's history than the Pleistocene era (which is geologically recent)
- The right answer should recognize that Mistaken Point contains specimens from an earlier/older time period than the Minatogawa quarry
- Claims Mistaken Point has more fossils but fewer species than Minatogawa
- The passage mentions 10,000+ fossils at Mistaken Point but gives no specific numbers for Minatogawa
- More importantly, the passage never compares species variety between the two locations
- Suggests Mistaken Point shows human species emerged before the Pleistocene
- The passage clearly states Mistaken Point contains the earliest multicellular organisms, not human species
- This fundamentally misidentifies what type of life forms each site contains
- Claims Mistaken Point is 'widely considered' the 'most valuable' source for prehistoric life
- The passage calls it significant but never makes this comparative claim about its value relative to all other sites
- States that Mistaken Point contains specimens from an older time period than Minatogawa
- This perfectly matches our passage analysis: earliest multicellular organisms (very ancient) vs. Pleistocene era human ancestors (much more recent)
- The passage explicitly sets up this temporal contrast as the reason researchers 'must turn elsewhere' for different types of studies