Research in archaeology commonly reveals a direct relationship between the concentration of cultural remains and their nearness to primary residential...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Research in archaeology commonly reveals a direct relationship between the concentration of cultural remains and their nearness to primary residential zones, indicating that spatial distance from dwelling areas affects distribution patterns of material culture. When examining cultural materials from numerous dig locations at ancient Southwestern Pueblo settlements, nonetheless, researchers Maria Santos and David Chen discovered that concentration differences showed no correlation with remoteness from main community squares, yet they avoided inferring that closeness to residential zones bears no significance for artifact dispersal. Instead, they proposed that material deposition at these locations might have involved sufficiently varied activities to obscure the standard clustering tendency from detection.
Which discovery regarding the Pueblo settlements in the research, if accurate, would most clearly validate Santos and Chen's interpretation?
The settlements contain various categories of cultural materials that are rarely discovered at communities where clustering tendencies have been established.
The settlements reveal indications of specialized manufacturing activities distributed across numerous positions within the community zone instead of concentrated production facilities.
The settlements experienced varying durations of habitation, yet their material concentrations remain consistently comparable throughout all excavation locations.
The settlements feature numerous repositories positioned adjacent to the main squares where primary daily functions occurred.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Research in archaeology commonly reveals a direct relationship between the concentration of cultural remains and their nearness to primary residential zones, indicating that spatial distance from dwelling areas affects distribution patterns of material culture." |
|
| "When examining cultural materials from numerous dig locations at ancient Southwestern Pueblo settlements, nonetheless, researchers Maria Santos and David Chen discovered that concentration differences showed no correlation with remoteness from main community squares," |
|
| "yet they avoided inferring that closeness to residential zones bears no significance for artifact dispersal." |
|
| "Instead, they proposed that material deposition at these locations might have involved sufficiently varied activities to obscure the standard clustering tendency from detection." |
|
Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Santos and Chen found that Pueblo settlements didn't show the expected clustering of cultural remains near residential areas, but they theorized this was because varied activities throughout these settlements masked the normal pattern.
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
- Santos and Chen's interpretation is that varied activities throughout the Pueblo settlements obscured the normal clustering pattern of cultural remains near residential areas
- For evidence to validate this interpretation, we'd need evidence showing that activities were indeed varied and distributed throughout the settlements rather than concentrated in one place
The settlements contain various categories of cultural materials that are rarely discovered at communities where clustering tendencies have been established.
- Incorrect - talks about different categories of materials but doesn't address the distribution of activities
The settlements reveal indications of specialized manufacturing activities distributed across numerous positions within the community zone instead of concentrated production facilities.
- Correct - shows specialized manufacturing activities distributed across numerous positions rather than concentrated facilities, directly supporting Santos and Chen's interpretation
The settlements experienced varying durations of habitation, yet their material concentrations remain consistently comparable throughout all excavation locations.
- Incorrect - focuses on duration of habitation and doesn't address the varied activities aspect
The settlements feature numerous repositories positioned adjacent to the main squares where primary daily functions occurred.
- Incorrect - describes repositories near main squares, suggesting concentration rather than the varied distribution Santos and Chen proposed