Question 5
Read the passage(s) below and answer the question based on what is stated or implied in the passage(s) and in any introductory material that may be provided.
Passage
Passage 1
The realm of blogging and other user-generated web content, like personal home pages, has a Wild West, anything-can-happen feel to it. A guy who has never written a children's book goes from blogging, to networking, to causing a stir, and ends up with a book deal. A couple of women who find their conversations about dating incredibly amusing turn out to be right, and end up with a television deal from a major cable channel. While it is growing and changing more rapidly than anyone can accurately track, the world of blogging is still a place where anyone can stand out, make a splash, be seen, be heard, and be successful.
Passage 2
A blog can seem like a waste of time to some, since there is no guarantee readers will come and comment. Maintaining it with new posts and an interesting layout can seem like a chore. Why does someone bother to create a blog if it isn't to peddle a product or to get in touch with consumers? "The principal reason to blog is because you have something to say," claims one expert on blogging. "While the cadre of readers may be small, it is not really how many sets of eyeballs are reading your material that's important, but who the eyeballs belong to. Blogs are written by influencers, and it is often other influencers that read them."
Which of the following, if true, would most challenge the 'implication' mentioned in the fourth sentence?
Rationale
farmers obtained through trade the wheat and barley that Rosen analyzed.
This statement challenges the implication that farmers cultivated distant fields by suggesting that they did not grow the grain themselves but rather acquired it through trade, thus negating the need for transporting large quantities of harvested crops.
A) farmers obtained through trade the wheat and barley that Rosen analyzed.
This choice directly contradicts the implication that the farmers cultivated grain in distant fields. If they traded for the grain, it would eliminate the necessity of transporting their own crops, thereby challenging the assumption about their agricultural practices.
B) farmers understood the impact of soil conditions on crop productivity.
While this statement speaks to the knowledge of the farmers regarding agriculture, it does not challenge the implication in question. Understanding soil conditions does not negate the possibility that they still needed to transport grain from distant fields, as it does not address how they sourced their crops.
C) farmers shared wheat and barley fields with neighboring villages.
This option suggests a communal agricultural practice but does not inherently challenge the implication. Sharing fields could still mean that the farmers were involved in distant cultivation, so it does not refute the idea that crops were transported from afar.
D) farmers used wood that deteriorated in the damp environment.
This choice pertains to the materials used for construction and their durability but fails to address the agricultural implications at hand. It does not provide evidence regarding the sourcing of wheat and barley, leaving the original implication unchallenged.
Conclusion
The implication that farmers cultivated distant fields relies on the assumption that they grew their own wheat and barley. By asserting that they obtained the grains through trade, option A offers a direct challenge to this assumption, suggesting an alternate scenario that could explain the presence of grain in the village without necessitating the cultivation of distant fields.