Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumMain Idea and Primary Purpose

For several decades, historiographical analyses of pre-Columbian Andean agriculture maintained that the construction of extensive hillside terracing was fundamentally a centralized achievement of the Inca Empire. According to this traditional view, terracing required the immense administrative apparatus and mobilized labor forces that only an expansive imperial state could command. However, recent pedological investigations and radiocarbon dating of terrace fill at non-Inca sites have significantly complicated this narrative. Scholars examining soil strata in the Colca Valley have documented sophisticated terracing systems that predate Incan consolidation by several centuries, attributing their construction to earlier, decentralized Wari and Tiwanaku communities. These findings suggest that terrace technology was not an innovation devised by imperial decree, but rather a long-evolving agrarian adaptation developed by localized kin collectives. Consequently, the expansion of Incan agricultural infrastructure should be understood not as the creation of a novel technological system, but as the systematic aggregation and expansion of preexisting local engineering techniques.

Which of the following best expresses the primary purpose of the passage?

  1. A
    To argue that the Incan Empire possessed no original technological capabilities and relied entirely on administrative coercion.
  2. B
    To detail the technical pedological and radiocarbon methods used by modern archaeologists to date soil strata in Andean valleys.
  3. To reevaluate a traditional view regarding Incan agricultural innovation by presenting evidence of earlier decentralized engineering practices.Answer
  4. D
    To demonstrate that Wari and Tiwanaku agricultural networks were dismantled when the Incan Empire established centralized governance.
  5. E
    To propose that all pre-Columbian infrastructure projects originated from localized kin collectives rather than state planning.

Answer

The primary purpose of the passage is to reevaluate a traditional view regarding Incan agricultural innovation by presenting evidence of earlier decentralized engineering practices.
The passage opens by establishing a long-standing historical consensus—that hillside terracing was a centralized Incan creation—and then uses recent pedological evidence from Wari and Tiwanaku sites to challenge that narrative. The author argues that Incan achievements were built upon preexisting local adaptations. Thus, the primary purpose is to reevaluate the traditional historical perspective in light of new archaeological findings.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the main thesis and structural pivot of the passage.
The passage opens with a traditional view (Incan terracing was a centralized imperial achievement) and introduces a contrast signal ('However') presenting recent evidence (Wari and Tiwanaku terracing predates the Inca).
Tracking structural transitions reveals whether the author intends to defend, modify, or refute a claim.
2
Analyze the conclusion to determine the author's overall objective.
The author concludes that Incan agricultural expansion should be understood as aggregating preexisting local techniques rather than inventing a new system.
The final sentence synthesizes the main point, showing that the author aims to reframe how historians view Incan innovation.
3
Evaluate options against the identified main purpose and eliminate incorrect choices based on scope, tone, or factual accuracy.
The choice stating that the passage reevaluates a traditional view using evidence of earlier practices aligns precisely with the passage structure and claim.
The correct option must encompass the entire scope of the text without overgeneralizing or focusing solely on minor details.

Key Concept

Main Idea and Primary Purpose
Rate this question

Topics

Main Idea and Primary Purpose

More questions from this topic