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- Tue Feb 25, 2020 6:20 pm
#74071
Complete Question Explanation
The correct answer choice is (A).
The passage is about using pollen analysis to learn more about the changing Irish landscape over time, because reliance on historical documents has proven to be insufficient. The author describes a little about the process itself and then details several examples of how such analysis has helped to correct errors made by historians. The passage ends with a warning that the process is imperfect, and gives one example of a case where pollen analysis might not be useful.
Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice. This answer captures the main idea of the passage, that pollen analysis is an alternative to relying on historical documents, and that it has led to new information that corrects previous misunderstandings or errors.
Answer choice (B): This answer includes "reliance on historical documents," which is not what the passage is about. It's about reliance on pollen analysis INSTEAD OF on documents.
Answer choice (C): This answer is incorrect because the passage is not about learning about ancient plants, but about changes to the landscape.
Answer choice (D): A very attractive trap answer! The problem with this one is that we don't know that cultivation of these plants is the CAUSE of the changes to the landscape, and in fact they may be more of an EFFECT of that change, or just one aspect of the change. The passage isn't about cultivation causing a change, but about our knowledge of that cultivation helping us to better understand the change.
Answer choice (E): There are a few problems with this answer choice, including the use of "severely limited," which is too strong compared to what we read. Also, the passage is not about identifying plant species, but about understanding how the Irish landscape changed over the centuries.
The correct answer choice is (A).
The passage is about using pollen analysis to learn more about the changing Irish landscape over time, because reliance on historical documents has proven to be insufficient. The author describes a little about the process itself and then details several examples of how such analysis has helped to correct errors made by historians. The passage ends with a warning that the process is imperfect, and gives one example of a case where pollen analysis might not be useful.
Answer choice (A): This is the correct answer choice. This answer captures the main idea of the passage, that pollen analysis is an alternative to relying on historical documents, and that it has led to new information that corrects previous misunderstandings or errors.
Answer choice (B): This answer includes "reliance on historical documents," which is not what the passage is about. It's about reliance on pollen analysis INSTEAD OF on documents.
Answer choice (C): This answer is incorrect because the passage is not about learning about ancient plants, but about changes to the landscape.
Answer choice (D): A very attractive trap answer! The problem with this one is that we don't know that cultivation of these plants is the CAUSE of the changes to the landscape, and in fact they may be more of an EFFECT of that change, or just one aspect of the change. The passage isn't about cultivation causing a change, but about our knowledge of that cultivation helping us to better understand the change.
Answer choice (E): There are a few problems with this answer choice, including the use of "severely limited," which is too strong compared to what we read. Also, the passage is not about identifying plant species, but about understanding how the Irish landscape changed over the centuries.