Scholars originally assumed that a newly uncovered historical site represented just one cultural era, but a research team headed by...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Scholars originally assumed that a newly uncovered historical site represented just one cultural era, but a research team headed by Dr. Elena Rodriguez demonstrated the location's intricacy by _______ proof of several different societies across multiple centuries.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
dismissing
discovering
soliciting
challenging
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Scholars originally assumed that a newly uncovered historical site represented just one cultural era" |
|
| "but" |
|
| "a research team headed by Dr. Elena Rodriguez demonstrated the location's intricacy by" |
|
| "proof of several different societies across multiple centuries" |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Dr. Rodriguez's research team contradicted original scholarly assumptions by revealing evidence that the historical site actually contains multiple cultural eras spanning centuries.
Argument Flow: The passage establishes a classic academic contradiction structure. It opens with the original scholarly consensus about the site's simplicity, then pivots with "but" to present Rodriguez's team findings that revealed the site's actual complexity through evidence of multiple societies across time periods.
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 Rodriguez's team did with the "proof of several different societies."
- The team "demonstrated the location's intricacy" - they showed the site was complex, not simple as originally thought.
- The word should indicate that they found, uncovered, or came across this proof - not that they rejected it, requested it, or disputed it.
- The proof supported their demonstration of complexity.
dismissing
- "Dismissing" means rejecting or disregarding something.
- This contradicts the logic - the team used the proof to demonstrate complexity, they didn't ignore it.
discovering
- "Discovering" means finding or uncovering something previously unknown.
- This fits perfectly - the team found proof that revealed multiple societies, demonstrating complexity.
soliciting
- "Soliciting" means asking for or requesting something.
- The passage suggests the team found evidence through research, not by asking others to provide it.
challenging
- "Challenging" means questioning or disputing something.
- While the team challenged the original assumption, they didn't challenge the proof - they used the proof to support their findings.