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Difficulty: HardEstablishing Introductions and Thesis Statements

[1] __________________________________________________

[2] For generations, Western epigraphers had treated Maya hieroglyphs as purely ideographic symbols representing abstract concepts rather than phonetic sounds. This consensus was largely enforced by the prominent archaeologist J. Eric S. Thompson, who dismissed any phonetic interpretations as groundless speculation.

In 1952, Soviet linguist Yuri Knorozov challenged this dogma by publishing a paper proposing that the writing system was logo-syllabic, combining logograms with phonetic syllables. By applying this syllable-based reading to the 16th-century manuscripts of Bishop Diego de Landa, Knorozov successfully decoded glyphs phonetically. This breakthrough ultimately unlocked the rich historical records of the Maya civilization, proving that their writing was a fully functional, spoken language.

Which of the following sentences, if placed at the beginning of the passage (replacing the placeholder [1]), would most effectively introduce the main topic of the passage?

  1. A
    Scholars struggled to decipher ancient scripts for centuries, they eventually realized that many writing systems rely on phonetic syllables.
  2. For decades, the effort to decode Maya hieroglyphs was stalled by academic consensus until a Soviet linguist demonstrated that the writing system was phonetic.Answer
  3. C
    Although Bishop Diego de Landa created a critical record of Maya culture, his 16th-century manuscripts also resulted in the destruction of countless indigenous texts.
  4. D
    Because Yuri Knorozov was working in isolation in Leningrad during the Cold War and lacked access to many Western archaeological publications.

Answer

The correct answer is the option stating that the effort to decode Maya hieroglyphs was stalled by academic consensus until a Soviet linguist demonstrated that the writing system was phonetic.
The correct answer introduces both the core challenge (the long-held belief that Maya glyphs were non-phonetic) and the main breakthrough (Knorozov showing the script was phonetic) discussed throughout the passage. This provides a comprehensive introduction to the passage's primary focus.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Read the passage to determine its main focus and theme.
The passage describes how the academic consensus historically viewed Maya hieroglyphs as purely non-phonetic symbols, and how Yuri Knorozov disproved this by showing they were phonetic.
An effective introduction must set up the central conflict and subject matter of the passage.
2
Evaluate the grammatical correctness of each choice.
The option containing a comma splice and the option starting with 'Because' are grammatically incorrect.
ACT English questions require grammatically sound sentences.
3
Compare the remaining grammatically correct options for relevance.
The option discussing the destruction of manuscripts is off-topic, while the option about the phonetic breakthrough correctly introduces the passage's main thesis.
The introduction must align with the passage's focus on decipherment.

Key Concept

Establishing Introductions and Thesis Statements
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Topics

Establishing Introductions and Thesis Statements

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