The recent discovery of a carved wooden figure dating to around 2,000 years ago in a ditch in England was...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
The recent discovery of a carved wooden figure dating to around 2,000 years ago in a ditch in England was truly surprising. Wooden objects _______ survive for so long due to their high susceptibility to rot, but archaeologists suspect layers of sediment in the ditch preserved the figure by creating an oxygen-free environment.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "The recent discovery of a carved wooden figure dating to around 2,000 years ago in a ditch in England was truly surprising." |
|
| "Wooden objects ______" |
|
| "survive for so long due to their high susceptibility to rot," |
|
| "but archaeologists suspect layers of sediment in the ditch preserved the figure by creating an oxygen-free environment." |
|
Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: A 2,000-year-old wooden figure survived in unusual circumstances due to sediment creating an oxygen-free environment.
Argument Flow: The passage opens with a surprising archaeological discovery, acknowledges the natural challenge that makes this survival unexpected, then provides the scientific explanation for how preservation occurred despite wood's vulnerability to decay.
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 discovery was "truly surprising," which immediately signals that something unexpected happened
- The blank comes right before explaining that wooden objects have "high susceptibility to rot"
- So we need a word that connects the surprise of finding this 2,000-year-old wooden figure to the fact that wood typically doesn't survive well
- The right answer should indicate that wooden objects surviving for 2,000 years is unusual or uncommon, which would explain why archaeologists found this discovery so surprising
- This suggests wooden objects survive strongly or robustly
- Contradicts the entire logic of the passage - if wood "sturdily" survived, the discovery wouldn't be surprising
- Doesn't align with wood's "high susceptibility to rot"
- This implies a manner of surviving without attention or effort
- Doesn't address frequency or likelihood of survival
- Makes no logical connection to why the discovery was surprising
- Indicates wooden objects infrequently survive for long periods
- Perfectly explains why finding a 2,000-year-old wooden figure was "truly surprising"
- Logically connects to wood's "high susceptibility to rot" - because wood rots easily, it rarely survives long
- Creates coherent flow from surprise → rarity → scientific explanation
- Suggests wooden objects just plainly or merely survive
- Provides no logical reason for the archaeologists' surprise
- Doesn't create any meaningful relationship between the discovery and wood's rot susceptibility