GWD11 Q6

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According to a theory advanced

by researcher Paul Martin, the wave

of species extinctions that occurred

Line in North America about 11,000 years

(5) ago, at the end of the Pleistocene era,

can be directly attributed to the arrival

of humans, i.e., the Paleoindians, who

were ancestors of modern Native

Americans. However, anthropologist

(10) Shepard Krech points out that large

animal species vanished even in areas

where there is no evidence to demon-

strate that Paleoindians hunted them.

Nor were extinctions confined to large

(15) animals: small animals, plants, and

insects disappeared, presumably not

all through human consumption. Krech

also contradicts Martin’s exclusion of

climatic change as an explanation by

(20) asserting that widespread climatic

change did indeed occur at the end of

the Pleistocene. Still, Krech attributes

secondary if not primary responsibility

for the extinctions to the Paleoindians,

(25) arguing that humans have produced

local extinctions elsewhere. But,

according to historian Richard White,

even the attribution of secondary

responsibility may not be supported

(30) by the evidence. White observes that

Martin’s thesis depends on coinciding

dates for the arrival of humans and the

decline of large animal species, and

Krech, though aware that the dates

(35) are controversial, does not challenge

them; yet recent archaeological

discoveries are providing evidence

that the date of human arrival was

much earlier than 11,000 years ago.

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Q5:

Which of the following is true about Martin’s theory, as that theory is described in the passage?

A. It assumes that the Paleoindians were primarily dependent on hunting for survival.

B. It denies that the Pleistocene species extinctions were caused by climate change.

C. It uses as evidence the fact that humans have produced local extinctions in other situations.

D. It attempts to address the controversy over the date of human arrival in North America.

E. It admits the possibility that factors other than the arrival of humans played a role in the Pleistocene extinctions.

Answer:

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Q6:

In the last sentence of the passage, the author refers to “recent archaeological discoveries” (lines 36-37) most probably in order to

A. refute White’s suggestion that neither Maritn nor Krech adequately account for Paleoindians’ contributions to the Pleistocene extinctions

B. cast doubt on the possibility that a more definitive theory regarding the causes of the Pleistocene extinctions may be forthcoming

C. suggest that Martin’s, Krech’s, and White’s theories regarding the Pleistocene extinctions are all open to question

D. call attention to the most controversial aspect of all the current theories regarding the Pleistocene extinctions

E. provide support for White’s questioning of both Martin’s and Krech’s positions regarding the role of Paleoindians in the Pleistocene extinctions

The answer is C. Why it is not D.

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Q6: the answer is E. Please see another related discussion at