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Difficulty: MediumEvaluating Relevance for Adding or Deleting Content

A writer is editing a passage about Mesoamerican history and has drafted the following paragraph:

Tatiana Proskouriakoff, an architect by training, revolutionized Mesoamerican archaeology in the mid-twentieth century through her meticulous drawings of ancient monuments. Working at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, she analyzed the dates inscribed on stelae—carved stone slabs—at the ruins of Piedras Negras. Rather than viewing the carvings as abstract astrological charts or depictions of mythical gods, Proskouriakoff proposed a groundbreaking theory: the monuments recorded the actual historical biographies of Mayan rulers. She noticed that the lifespan patterns of the recorded dates matched the average lifespans of human beings. Consequently, she hypothesized that the glyphs documented births, accessions to the throne, and deaths of real monarchs.

The writer is considering adding the following sentence to the end of the paragraph:

'Hieroglyphs were also carved into smaller jade ornaments and pottery found in Mayan tombs.'

Should the writer make this addition?

  1. A
    Yes, because it provides additional examples of the mediums upon which Mayan writing has been found.
  2. B
    Yes, because it supports the paragraph's assertion that Mayan hieroglyphs were highly detailed.
  3. No, because it departs from the paragraph's focus on Proskouriakoff's breakthrough regarding the historical meaning of stelae inscriptions.Answer
  4. D
    No, because it contradicts the paragraph's claim that stelae were the only records of Mayan historical events.

Answer

No, because it departs from the paragraph's focus on Proskouriakoff's breakthrough regarding the historical meaning of stelae inscriptions.
The correct answer correctly determines that the sentence should not be added because the paragraph's central focus is on Proskouriakoff's specific breakthrough in interpreting Mayan stelae as biographical records. The proposed sentence introduces irrelevant details about other mediums containing hieroglyphs, which diverges from this focus.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the primary focus of the paragraph.
The paragraph focuses on Tatiana Proskouriakoff's breakthrough theory that Mayan stelae recorded the actual historical biographies of Mayan rulers, rather than abstract astrological or mythological data.
Understanding the paragraph's main theme is essential for evaluating whether new information is relevant.
2
Analyze the proposed sentence to see if it aligns with this focus.
The proposed sentence discusses Mayan hieroglyphs carved on jade ornaments and pottery in tombs, which is a different topic from stelae and Proskouriakoff's specific historical biography discovery.
This determines whether the proposed sentence is relevant or is a tangential distraction.
3
Evaluate the decision and justifications in the options.
Since the sentence is irrelevant, it should not be added. The correct reason is that it departs from the paragraph's focus on Proskouriakoff's breakthrough regarding stelae inscriptions.
This allows us to select the option that has both the correct decision (No) and the correct logical explanation.

Key Concept

Evaluating Relevance for Adding or Deleting Content
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Topics

Evaluating Relevance for Adding or Deleting Content

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