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Question

Difficulty: MediumDirect Factual Retrieval

Passage:
In 1904, astronomer Andrew Ellicott Douglass initiated the systematic study of tree-ring analysis, or dendrochronology, originally seeking a terrestrial proxy for historical solar activity cycles. Hypothesizing that sunspot fluctuations influenced regional precipitation, Douglass reasoned that annual growth rings in coniferous trees across the American Southwest would register variations in rainfall dictated by solar variability. Although subsequent atmospheric research demonstrated that local precipitation is governed by intricate meteorological dynamics rather than direct solar forcing, Douglass’s analytical framework inadvertently provided a revolutionary chronological apparatus for North American archaeology. By cross-dating living ponderosa pines with structural timbers retrieved from ancestral Puebloan settlements, Douglass constructed a continuous calendar sequence extending back over a millennium, successfully anchoring previously floating archaeological chronologies. Crucially, Douglass recognized that the validity of cross-dating depended not on absolute ring width, but on identifying identical sequences of relative ring thickness across distinct specimens exposed to identical macroclimatic conditions. Consequently, trees inhabiting low-elevation, moisture-deficient sites—classified by Douglass as 'sensitive' specimens—yielded diagnostic ring patterns far superior to those of 'complacent' trees growing in well-watered alluvial soils, whose uniform annual growth suppressed variations in interannual precipitation.

According to the passage, Douglass classified certain trees as 'sensitive' specimens because their annual growth rings:

  1. displayed distinct variations in relative thickness reflecting year-to-year shifts in precipitation.Answer
  2. B
    registered direct and measurable impacts from historical sunspot activity cycles.
  3. C
    produced absolute ring widths that matched structural timbers from ancestral Puebloan settlements.
  4. D
    grew in well-watered alluvial soils that protected them from extreme macroclimatic stress.
  5. E
    anchored previously floating archaeological chronologies across a thousand-year calendar sequence.

Answer

The correct option is the one stating that sensitive trees displayed distinct variations in relative thickness reflecting year-to-year shifts in precipitation.
The correct choice accurately reflects the explicit passage statement in the final sentence, which indicates that 'sensitive' specimens grew in moisture-deficient environments and produced diagnostic ring patterns because their ring thickness varied in response to year-to-year precipitation changes.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the targeted concept in the passage.
Identified the final sentence discussing 'sensitive' specimens versus 'complacent' trees.
The question asks specifically why Douglass classified certain trees as sensitive.
2
Analyze the explicit text describing sensitive specimens.
The text states that trees in low-elevation, moisture-deficient sites ('sensitive' specimens) yielded diagnostic ring patterns superior to 'complacent' trees whose uniform growth suppressed variations in interannual precipitation.
Direct factual retrieval requires finding the semantic equivalent of the explicit passage detail.
3
Evaluate the answer choices against the passage detail.
The option referring to distinct variations in relative thickness reflecting year-to-year rainfall shifts matches the explicit detail.
It paraphrases the passage statement that sensitive trees yielded diagnostic ring patterns driven by interannual precipitation variations.

Key Concept

Direct Factual Retrieval
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Direct Factual Retrieval

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