Question 50·Medium·Central Ideas and Details
For decades, historians believed that the medieval town of Dunwich, located off the coast of England, had been completely claimed by the sea during a series of storms in the 1300s. In 2023, however, marine archaeologist Priya Ghosh led a sonar-mapping expedition that revealed intact stone foundations and a central marketplace lying 15 meters below the present shoreline. By comparing these scans with 12th-century tax records, Ghosh’s team determined that nearly two-thirds of the original settlement survives underwater. The discovery has prompted scholars to reassess the town’s influence on regional trade in the Middle Ages.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
For main-idea questions on short passages, first identify the topic (who/what the passage is about) and then the point the author is making about that topic, paying special attention to contrast words like “however,” “but,” or “yet,” which often signal the main shift or message. After you summarize the passage in your own words in one short sentence, eliminate choices that (1) focus on a small detail instead of the whole passage, (2) introduce claims the passage never makes, or (3) contradict key information; the correct choice should match your summary without adding or changing anything important.
Hints
Focus on what changes between the first and later sentences
Look at what historians believed at first, and then pay close attention to what the 2023 expedition discovered. How does the new information relate to the old belief?
Look for the sentence that shows the passage’s “big shift”
Notice the word “however” and the description of what scholars are now doing. How do these clues show the passage’s main point?
Check whether choices are too narrow or contradict the passage
Ask yourself: does each answer choice summarize the whole passage, or just one detail? Also, does it agree with what the passage actually says, especially about what happened to Dunwich?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the topic and focus of the passage
Read the first sentence to see the topic: historians and the medieval town of Dunwich. They used to believe the town was completely claimed by the sea during storms in the 1300s. So the passage is about what happened to Dunwich and what people believed about it.
Notice the contrast introduced by new evidence
The word “however” signals a change: in 2023, a sonar-mapping expedition found intact stone foundations and a marketplace underwater. Then the team determined that nearly two-thirds of the original settlement survives underwater, and this “prompted scholars to reassess” the town’s influence. So the key idea is that new underwater evidence shows much of the town still exists and makes scholars rethink the old belief that it was totally destroyed.
Match the main idea to the best choice
Now compare each option to that core idea:
- The main point is not that sonar techniques in general are perfected, and it’s not that tax records are better than physical evidence.
- It’s also not confirming that storms erased the town; in fact, the passage challenges that idea.
- The only option that states that new sonar evidence shows much of Dunwich still exists underwater and that this finding challenges earlier assumptions of complete destruction is: “New sonar evidence shows that much of the medieval town of Dunwich still exists beneath the sea, challenging previous assumptions about its complete destruction.”