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Difficulty: HardInferential Comprehension and Deduction

Read the passage below carefully and answer the question that follows.

For generations, the pottery masters of Giri, a rural settlement on the outskirts of Abuja, crafted decorative terracotta vessels using open-pit firing techniques passed down through lineages. However, when municipal urban expansion brought suburban housing estates to their doorstep, the communal clay deposits along the River Usuma floodplain were paved over to build modern drainage infrastructure. Although the municipal council offered financial compensation to affected artisans, several master potters rejected the monetary payout, opting instead to relocate their workshops fifteen kilometers upstream to unpaved riverbanks. Meanwhile, younger apprentices in Giri accepted the compensation packages and transitioned into commercial retail management in the newly constructed residential shopping plazas. A decade later, while Giri's retail sector flourished, the distinct burnished patterns of traditional Giri earthenware had virtually vanished from regional craft exhibitions, surviving only in the private galleries of connoisseurs who commissioned pieces directly from the upstream workshops.

Based on the passage above, what can be inferred about the master potters' primary reason for rejecting the compensation package and moving upstream?

  1. They prioritized securing access to essential natural raw materials over receiving monetary settlement.Answer
  2. B
    They intended to establish exclusive commercial contracts with elite private gallery connoisseurs.
  3. C
    They sought to stage an official protest against the municipal council's urban expansion projects.
  4. D
    They were displaced because younger apprentices monopolized commercial space in the new shopping plazas.

Answer

The master potters relocated primary to preserve access to natural raw materials (unpaved riverbank clay) necessary for their traditional pottery craft.
The correct answer is supported by synthesizing two key facts in the passage: first, that municipal expansion paved over the communal clay deposits in Giri, and second, that the master potters chose to relocate specifically to unpaved riverbanks upstream despite being offered money. This logically demonstrates that preserving access to raw natural clay for their pottery took precedence over financial compensation.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the key action taken by the subject in the text
Master potters rejected municipal financial compensation and moved 15 kilometers upstream to unpaved riverbanks.
Understanding the specific choices made by the subjects provides the foundation for inferring their unstated motivations.
2
Analyze the implicit causal context leading to that action
The local floodplain clay deposits in Giri were destroyed (paved over) by urban infrastructure.
Connecting the destruction of local clay deposits with their relocation to 'unpaved riverbanks' reveals what the upstream environment offered that Giri no longer had.
3
Synthesize the facts to deduce the primary motive
Access to unpaved riverbanks supplied the indispensable raw material (clay) required to continue traditional pottery, which monetary compensation could not replace.
A valid inference must be strictly supported by combining explicit facts from the text without external speculation.

Key Concept

Inferential Deduction of Unstated Motivations
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Topics

Inferential Comprehension and Deduction

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