While scholars believe many Mesoamerican cities influenced each other, direct evidence of such influence is difficult to ascertain. However, recent...
GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions
While scholars believe many Mesoamerican cities influenced each other, direct evidence of such influence is difficult to ascertain. However, recent excavations in a sector of Tikal (Guatemala) unearthed a citadel that shows _______ Teotihuacán (Mexico) architecture—including a near replica of a famed Teotihuacán temple—providing tangible evidence of outside influence in portions of Tikal.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
refinements of
precursors of
commonalities with
animosities toward
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "While scholars believe many Mesoamerican cities influenced each other, direct evidence of such influence is difficult to ascertain." |
|
| "However, recent excavations in a sector of Tikal (Guatemala) unearthed a citadel that shows _______ Teotihuacán (Mexico) architecture—including a near replica of a famed Teotihuacán temple—providing tangible evidence of outside influence in portions of Tikal." |
|
Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Recent archaeological discoveries in Tikal provide concrete evidence of Mesoamerican cities influencing each other's architecture.
Argument Flow: The passage sets up a research problem (believing in influence but lacking evidence), then presents a solution (new excavations showing architectural connections between specific cities).
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 blank describes the relationship between Tikal's citadel architecture and Teotihuacán architecture
- We know that the excavations found a "near replica" of a Teotihuacán temple and this provides "tangible evidence of outside influence"
- The relationship must indicate similarities or shared features between the two architectural styles, since finding a "near replica" suggests they share common elements
refinements of
✗ Incorrect
- This suggests Tikal improved upon Teotihuacán architecture
- The passage doesn't indicate improvement, just influence
- "Near replica" suggests copying, not refining
precursors of
✗ Incorrect
- This would mean Tikal's architecture came before Teotihuacán's
- The passage context suggests influence flows from Teotihuacán to Tikal, not the reverse
commonalities with
✓ Correct
- This perfectly captures shared architectural features between the two cities
- "Near replica" of a temple shows they have features in common
- Matches the evidence of "outside influence" by showing architectural similarities
animosities toward
✗ Incorrect
- This suggests hostility, which makes no logical sense
- You can't show "animosities toward" someone's architecture by replicating their temples