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#36324
Complete Question Explanation
(See the complete passage discussion here: lsat/viewtopic.php?t=7945)

The correct answer choice is (B)

This question asks us to identify a distinguishing characteristic of the Ban Chiang populations
discussed in Passage B and the populations discussed in the last paragraph of Passage A. To do so,
we need to consider the information from both passages in the aggregate, and eliminate any answers
that contain facts inconsistent with those presented in the passages.

Answer choice (A): This answer choice is incorrect, since the wild plants collected by the Hopi
included several species with high cariogenic potential (lines 30-31). The Ban Chiang populations,
on the other hand, consumed some cariogenic foods, though the Late Group may have shifted toward
rice, a less cariogenic carbohydrate (lines 68-69).

Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer. Since the populations discussed in the last
paragraph of Passage A were nonagricultural, we can infer that they did not eat cultivated foods. The
diet of the Ban Chiang populations, on the other hand, included some cultivated rice and yams (lines
51-52).

Answer choice (C): This is an Opposite answer, as the Ban Chiang populations did not consume a
diet consisting primarily of carbohydrates; their diet was varied and included wild plant and animal
foods (line 55). Some of the nonagricultural populations discussed in the last paragraph of Passage
A did consume highly processed flour, a carbohydrate-rich food, though it is unclear whether such
foods predominated in their diet.

Answer choice (D): Hopefully you were able to eliminate this answer choice rather quickly, since
Passage A does not mention tooth wear as a factor contributing to caries formation. Also, with
respect to the Ban Chiang populations, we only know that their tooth wear patterns did not change
between Early and Late Groups (lines 61-62).

Answer choice (E): This is a Reverse answer. It is the populations in western North America that ate
the highly processed foods, not the Ban Chiang.

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