The ice melted on a Norwegian mountain during a particularly warm summer in 2019, revealing a 1,700-year-old sandal to a...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Source: Official
Information and Ideas
Central Ideas and Details
MEDIUM
...
...
Notes
Post a Query
The ice melted on a Norwegian mountain during a particularly warm summer in 2019, revealing a 1,700-year-old sandal to a mountaineer looking for artifacts. The sandal would normally have degraded quickly, but it was instead well preserved for centuries by the surrounding ice. According to archaeologist Espen Finstad and his team, the sandal, like those worn by imperial Romans, wouldn't have offered any protection from the cold in the mountains, so some kind of insulation, like fabric or animal skin, would have needed to be worn on the feet with the sandal.
What does the text indicate about the discovery of the sandal?
A
Temperatures contributed to both protecting and revealing the sandal.
B
The discovery revealed that the Roman Empire had more influence on Norway than archaeologists previously assumed.
C
Archaeologists would have found the sandal eventually without help from the general public.
D
The sandal would have degraded if it hadn't been removed from the ice.
Solution
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| 'The ice melted on a Norwegian mountain during a particularly warm summer in 2019, revealing a 1,700-year-old sandal to a mountaineer looking for artifacts.' |
|
| 'The sandal would normally have degraded quickly, but it was instead well preserved for centuries by the surrounding ice.' |
|
| 'According to archaeologist Espen Finstad and his team, the sandal, like those worn by imperial Romans, wouldn't have offered any protection from the cold in the mountains,' |
|
| 'so some kind of insulation, like fabric or animal skin, would have needed to be worn on the feet with the sandal.' |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: A 1,700-year-old sandal was discovered when ice melted on a Norwegian mountain, having been preserved by that same ice for centuries.
Argument Flow: The passage first describes the discovery circumstances, then explains how ice preserved what would normally degrade quickly, and finally provides expert analysis about the sandal's characteristics and practical use requirements.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
- What's being asked? What the text indicates about the discovery of the sandal
- What type of answer do we need? Information that the passage directly states or clearly implies about the discovery
- Any limiting keywords? 'the discovery' focuses us specifically on the finding/revelation of the sandal
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- We need something the passage directly indicates about the discovery itself. From our analysis:
- The discovery happened because ice melted in warm weather (2019)
- The same ice that melted to reveal the sandal had been preserving it for centuries
- Temperature changes were central to both preservation and discovery
- So the right answer should connect temperature to both protecting the sandal (cold/ice) and revealing it (warm/melting).
Answer Choices Explained
A
Temperatures contributed to both protecting and revealing the sandal.
✓ Correct
- Directly matches what we found: temperatures protected (ice preserved it) and revealed (melting exposed it)
- Captures the dual role of temperature that's central to the entire discovery story
B
The discovery revealed that the Roman Empire had more influence on Norway than archaeologists previously assumed.
✗ Incorrect
- The passage mentions the sandal was 'like those worn by imperial Romans' but doesn't discuss archaeological assumptions about Roman influence
- This goes beyond what the text indicates about the discovery
C
Archaeologists would have found the sandal eventually without help from the general public.
✗ Incorrect
- Nothing in the passage suggests archaeologists would have found it without the mountaineer
- The discovery was contingent on the ice melting, which exposed it to this particular person
D
The sandal would have degraded if it hadn't been removed from the ice.
✗ Incorrect
- The passage says it 'was instead well preserved for centuries by the surrounding ice,' suggesting the ice was still protecting it
- Students might confuse 'would have degraded if not protected' with 'would degrade if removed'
Rate this Solution
Tell us what you think about this solution
...
...
Forum Discussions
Start a new discussion
Post
Load More
Similar Questions
Finding similar questions...
Previous Attempts
Loading attempts...
Similar Questions
Finding similar questions...
Parallel Question Generator
Create AI-generated questions with similar patterns to master this question type.