Text 1Today the starchy root cassava is found in many dishes across West Africa, but its rise to popularity was...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
Today the starchy root cassava is found in many dishes across West Africa, but its rise to popularity was slow. Portuguese traders brought cassava from Brazil to the West African coast in the 1500s. But at this time, people living in the capitals further inland had little contact with coastal communities. Thus, cassava remained relatively unknown to most of the region's inhabitants until the 1800s.
Text 2
Cassava's slow adoption into the diet of West Africans is mainly due to the nature of the crop itself. If not cooked properly, cassava can be toxic. Knowledge of how to properly prepare cassava needed to spread before the food could grow in popularity. The arrival of formerly enslaved people from Brazil in the 1800s, who brought their knowledge of cassava and its preparation with them, thus directly fueled the spread of this crop.
Based on the texts, the author of Text 1 and the author of Text 2 would most likely agree with which statement?
Cassava did not become a significant crop in West Africa until long after it was first introduced.
Several of the most commonly grown crops in West Africa are originally from Brazil.
The climate of the West African coast in the 1500s prevented cassava's spread in the region.
The most commonly used methods to cook cassava today date to the 1500s.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Text 1: | |
| "Today the starchy root cassava is found in many dishes across West Africa, but its rise to popularity was slow." |
|
| "Portuguese traders brought cassava from Brazil to the West African coast in the 1500s." |
|
| "But at this time, people living in the capitals further inland had little contact with coastal communities." |
|
| "Thus, cassava remained relatively unknown to most of the region's inhabitants until the 1800s." |
|
| Text 2: | |
| "Cassava's slow adoption into the diet of West Africans is mainly due to the nature of the crop itself." |
|
| "If not cooked properly, cassava can be toxic." |
|
| "Knowledge of how to properly prepare cassava needed to spread before the food could grow in popularity." |
|
| "The arrival of formerly enslaved people from Brazil in the 1800s, who brought their knowledge of cassava and its preparation with them, thus directly fueled the spread of this crop." |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Both texts explain why cassava took centuries to become popular in West Africa after its introduction, though they focus on different contributing factors.
Argument Flow: Text 1 attributes the delay to geographic and social barriers between coastal and inland communities, while Text 2 focuses on the crop's inherent danger and the need for proper preparation knowledge. Despite different explanations, both texts establish the same timeline: introduction in the 1500s, widespread adoption beginning in the 1800s.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
What's being asked? We need to identify a statement that both authors would agree with.
What type of answer do we need? A point of agreement or shared conclusion between the two texts.
Any limiting keywords? "Based on the texts" means we must stick to what's explicitly supported by both passages, and "most likely agree" means we need strong textual support from both.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- Both texts agree on the basic timeline - cassava arrived in the 1500s but didn't become popular until much later
- Text 1 says it "remained relatively unknown to most of the region's inhabitants until the 1800s," while Text 2 explains that the "arrival of formerly enslaved people from Brazil in the 1800s...directly fueled the spread of this crop"
- Both texts also acknowledge that cassava's rise to popularity was "slow"
- The key agreement point is the significant time gap between introduction and widespread adoption
- Text 1 attributes this to geographic/social barriers, Text 2 to the crop's toxic nature, but both establish the same chronology
- The right answer should capture this shared timeline showing cassava didn't become significant until long after its initial introduction
Cassava did not become a significant crop in West Africa until long after it was first introduced.
- Both texts explicitly support this timeline
- Text 1 states cassava "remained relatively unknown" until the 1800s despite arriving in the 1500s
- Text 2 explains the spread was "fueled" starting in the 1800s
- Matches our prethinking about the 300-year gap between introduction and significance
- The word "significant" aligns with both texts describing the eventual widespread adoption
Several of the most commonly grown crops in West Africa are originally from Brazil.
- This makes a broad claim about "several" crops, but both texts only discuss cassava
- While cassava did come from Brazil, we have no information about other crops' origins
- Trap: Students might incorrectly generalize from the single example provided
The climate of the West African coast in the 1500s prevented cassava's spread in the region.
- Neither text mentions climate as a factor in cassava's spread
- Text 1 focuses on social/geographic isolation, Text 2 on preparation knowledge - not climate conditions
- This choice introduces information not present in either passage
The most commonly used methods to cook cassava today date to the 1500s.
- Text 2 specifically states that preparation knowledge came with formerly enslaved people in the 1800s, not the 1500s
- This contradicts Text 2's explanation that proper cooking methods spread much later than the initial introduction