PrepTest 117, Section 1, Question 14
In the field of historiography—the writing of history(454 more words not shown)
Which one of the following,(19 more words not shown)
- AMarket research of(31 more words not shown)
- BNineteenth-century surveying records(20 more words not shown)
- CResearch by university(23 more words not shown)
- DA technological history(20 more words not shown)
- EWeather records compiled(25 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
The last sentence says we can't fully understand the region's irrigation and specialty crops without the Chinese settlers' contribution. I'd look for evidence that their work really mattered to how this agricultural landscape developed.
What we’re looking for
It's not enough to show that the region is good for farming. We want a connection between the settlers' activities and the agricultural results we're explaining.
Working the answers
- A
Growing demand for specialty crops may help explain recent business success. It doesn't show how the earlier settlers helped create the agricultural landscape, even if their descendants now own the businesses.
- BCorrect
This links present specialty-crop farms owned by descendants of Chinese settlers with land that was formerly swamp. That fits the account of the settlers' swamp-reclamation skills helping establish later agriculture. The records don't prove every step of that history, but they supply a concrete connection between the kind of transformation described and today's specialty-crop production.
- C
Fertile soil plus enough water explains agricultural potential. It doesn't establish who recognized that potential or developed it, so it adds less support for the settlers' particular contribution.
- D
More efficient irrigation over time doesn't tell us what role Chinese settlers played in establishing it. Technological improvement alone misses the historical connection at issue.
- E
Suitable weather helps explain which crops can grow. It doesn't show the settlers' role in making that growth possible through their work.
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