For decades, the "Express Train" hypothesis dominated archaeological models of the Polynesian expansion, positing a rapid, continuous migration originating from Southeast Asia that swept through Melanesia to Polynesia with minimal genetic or cultural admixture with indigenous populations. In stark contrast, John Terrell and other proponents of the "Entangled Bank" model argued that the settlement of the Pacific was a slow, non-directional process of continuous cultural exchange and genetic mixing between neighboring populations over millennia, firmly rejecting the notion of a distinct, unified migration event. More recently, researchers such as Green and Kirch have proposed a "Slow Boat" synthesis based on comprehensive genomic data. While they concur with Terrell that profound admixture occurred as populations moved through Melanesia, they ultimately dismiss his rejection of a directed migration, concluding instead that ancestral Polynesians paused for centuries to intermarry with local groups before resuming a rapid eastward expansion.
According to the passage, which of the following claims is explicitly attributed to John Terrell regarding the settlement of the Pacific?
- AIt proceeded as a continuous, directed movement originating from Southeast Asia with negligible indigenous admixture.
- BIt featured profound genetic admixture that occurred during a lengthy pause before a rapid eastward expansion resumed.
- It unfolded as a slow, non-directional process of ongoing exchange rather than a discrete, unified migration.Answer
- DIt was a continuous process of cultural exchange that ultimately resulted in a distinct, directed migration toward Polynesia.
- EIt was a process whose complete lack of directional movement has been definitively proven by recent comprehensive genomic studies.