PrepTest 114, Section 3, Question 1
The myth persists that in 1492 the Western(433 more words not shown)
Which one of the following(9 more words not shown)
- ADespite extensive evidence(31 more words not shown)
- BIn opposition to(31 more words not shown)
- CAlthough some scholars(35 more words not shown)
- DWhere scholars had(32 more words not shown)
- EWhile scholars have(35 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
We've already predicted that Native populations regularly burned forests and substantially changed them. The examples support that claim against researchers who say the burning's extent and impact were minimal. We're looking for that response, not just a report that scholars disagree.
Working the answers
- A
This makes the scholars' persistence the main story. We aren't told how they reacted to this evidence or whether it changed their minds. The bulk of the discussion presents the evidence for substantial Native influence, rather than explaining why some scholars continue to resist it.
- B
Unanimously agree doesn't fit. The opening identifies researchers who minimize the practice. Evidence supporting the writer's conclusion doesn't establish agreement among all scholars.
- CCorrect
The second paragraph announces extensive evidence that burning was a regular practice. The charcoal and vegetation examples then show both its frequency and its effects. C gives us the view being challenged and the evidence against it, matching our prediction.
- D
We aren't given a change from an old scholarly consensus to a new one. The writer makes a case for Native forest management; we don't learn that scholars now generally agree with it.
- E
This leaves us with a dispute instead of the writer's answer to it. It also shifts the dispute toward whether burning was natural or deliberate. The researchers described allow some Native burning but minimize its scale and importance.
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