Question 81·Hard·Central Ideas and Details
For decades archaeologists assumed that the first farming communities in Europe settled permanently near their cultivated fields. However, a recent study that analyzed strontium and oxygen isotopes in the tooth enamel of 6,000-year-old skeletons suggests a different pattern. The chemical signatures reveal that many individuals were born dozens of kilometers from the sites where they were eventually buried, indicating frequent movement between river valleys and upland pastures. The researchers argue that such mobility would have facilitated trade, intermarriage, and the rapid spread of agricultural techniques.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
For main-idea questions, briefly restate the paragraph in one sentence that includes (1) the shift or contrast (often signaled by words like “However”), and (2) the author’s takeaway about why the new information matters. Then eliminate choices that are too narrow (method/detail), too broad, or that weaken/contradict the passage’s key claim.
Hints
Find the pivot
Notice how the first sentence states an older belief and the word “However” signals that the passage’s main point will revise that belief.
Focus on the key finding
What does being “born dozens of kilometers from” the burial site imply about how people lived (settled vs. mobile)?
Choose the broadest accurate summary
Prefer the option that includes the new evidence and what it changes about archaeologists’ understanding, not an option that focuses only on the method or only on one consequence.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the task
This is a main-idea question, so the correct choice must summarize the paragraph’s overall point rather than a single detail (method, example, or consequence).
Summarize the paragraph
The paragraph (1) presents a long-held assumption that early European farming communities were permanently settled, then (2) introduces new isotope evidence showing many individuals were born far from where they were buried, indicating frequent movement, and (3) explains why that mobility mattered (trade, intermarriage, spread of techniques).
Match choices to the summary
A correct main-idea choice should include the contrast between the old view and the new evidence and convey the broader implication that researchers must rethink earlier models—not merely describe the research tool or list one outcome of mobility.
Eliminate choices that are too narrow or that soften the claim
- The option focusing mainly on what isotopic analysis can do is about the method, not the paragraph’s central claim.
- The option focusing mainly on trade/social ties emphasizes a consequence but doesn’t capture the overall contrast and revision of the earlier model.
- The option claiming communities were generally settled with only occasional relocation downplays the paragraph’s emphasis on frequent movement and “many individuals.”
Select the choice that captures the full main idea
The choice stating that recent isotopic research shows early European farmers were more mobile than previously thought and that this prompts scholars to reevaluate early-agriculture models best reflects the paragraph’s central point.