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Difficulty: MediumExplicit Causal Relationships

Read the following excerpt from a passage about the Maya civilization:

'The breakdown of the Maya civilization in the Terminal Classic period has been increasingly linked by climatologists to a prolonged drought, though the mechanism was complex. A reduction in regional rainfall initially caused a significant decrease in agricultural yields, particularly of maize, the staple crop. This agricultural shortfall quickly led to a severe contraction in the food supply for the densely populated urban centers. As urban populations faced widespread malnutrition, civil unrest fomented, which in turn weakened the political authority of the ruling elites. Sensing the vulnerability of the central administration, rival city-states escalated warfare to secure dwindling resources, a conflict that ultimately resulted in the total abandonment of the major urban centers.'

Based explicitly on the causal chain described in the passage, arrange the following events in the correct chronological sequence from the initial consequence of the drought to the event immediately preceding the abandonment of the urban centers.

  1. 1A decline in the harvest of staple crops
  2. 2A contraction of the urban food supply
  3. 3The emergence of civil unrest among the populace
  4. 4The diminishing of the ruling elites' political authority
  5. 5An escalation in military conflicts over resources

Answer

The correct sequence is: 1) A decline in the harvest of staple crops, 2) A contraction of the urban food supply, 3) The emergence of civil unrest among the populace, 4) The diminishing of the ruling elites' political authority, 5) An escalation in military conflicts over resources.
The correct order strictly follows the explicit causal markers provided in the passage: drought causes a yield decrease -> the yield decrease causes a food contraction -> the food contraction causes unrest -> the unrest causes weakened elite authority -> the weakened authority causes warfare.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the initial cause and its immediate effect from the text.
The text states 'reduction in regional rainfall' caused a 'decrease in agricultural yields'.
This establishes the beginning of the explicit causal chain.
2
Trace the subsequent effect of the agricultural shortfall.
The shortfall led to 'contraction in the food supply'.
This links the decline in harvest to the urban food issues.
3
Determine the consequence of the food supply contraction (malnutrition).
Widespread malnutrition fomented 'civil unrest'.
This explicitly connects the population's physical hardship to social instability.
4
Identify the political outcome of the civil unrest.
The civil unrest 'weakened the political authority of the ruling elites'.
This links the social instability to political vulnerability.
5
Find the final event resulting from the political vulnerability.
The vulnerability of the administration led rival city-states to 'escalated warfare'.
This completes the causal chain up to the point just before the abandonment.

Key Concept

Sequencing intermediate steps in an explicitly detailed multi-step causal chain.
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Topics

Explicit Causal Relationships

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