Question 45·Hard·Command of Evidence
Corn-Related Vocabulary in Various Southeastern Languages
| Language family | Word (language) | English translation | Proposed origin in vocabulary of the Totozoquean language family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muskogean | tanchi’ (Chickasaw); tanchi (Choctaw); vce (Muscogee, pronounced “uh-chi”) | corn | no |
| Iroquoian | se-lu (Cherokee) | corn | no |
| Caddoan | -k’as- (Caddo) | dried corn | yes |
| Chitimacha | k’asma (Chitimacha) | corn | yes |
In Caddo, a language from what is now the US Southeast, vocabulary pertaining to corn cultivation resembles equivalent vocabulary in the Totozoquean language family in Mexico. This resemblance is perhaps attributable to cultural contact: such words could have entered Caddo through the intermediary of the neighboring but unrelated Chitimacha language, concurrent with the dissemination of corn itself from Mexico into the Southeast after 700 CE. That the vocabulary pertaining to domestic crops accompanies them as they diffuse into new regions is an established phenomenon globally. Crops may also be decoupled from vocabulary altogether: corn cultivation became ubiquitous among the Southeastern tribes, yet ______
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?
For SAT Reading & Writing questions that ask which choice “most effectively uses data from the table,” first read the sentence around the blank and identify the logical role of the missing information (contrast, cause, example, etc.). Then scan the table for the specific pattern or detail that could support that role (such as differences between “yes” and “no” entries). Finally, test each answer by asking: (1) Does it match the logical need of the sentence? (2) Is every factual claim directly supported by the table? Eliminate options that ignore key columns, add unsupported claims, or fail to connect clearly to the point the passage is making.
Hints
Focus on the contrast signaled by “yet”
Look closely at the sentence just before the blank, especially the phrase “Crops may also be decoupled from vocabulary altogether … yet ____.” What kind of information would contrast with the idea that crop words usually travel with the crops?
Look at the last column of the table
Pay special attention to the “Proposed origin in vocabulary of the Totozoquean language family” column. Which languages have “yes” and which have “no,” and what does that suggest about the sources of their corn-related words?
Connect the table back to the idea of decoupling
Ask yourself: Which answer choice uses the pattern of yes/no origins in the table to show that, even though corn became common across the Southeast, the words for corn did not all come from the same place?
Eliminate answers that ignore vocabulary origins
Rule out any choice that talks only about which languages are present, or about sound changes within one family, but does not clearly address where the corn-related words themselves came from.
Step-by-step Explanation
Use the context and the word “yet”
Read the sentences leading into the blank:
- First, the passage says that Caddo corn vocabulary resembles Totozoquean vocabulary because of cultural contact.
- Then it adds that it is a known global pattern that crop vocabulary often spreads along with crops.
- The next sentence starts: “Crops may also be decoupled from vocabulary altogether: corn cultivation became ubiquitous among the Southeastern tribes, yet ______.”
The word “yet” shows a contrast: the blank must give evidence that, even though corn spread everywhere, the words for corn did not all spread from the same source.
Identify what kind of evidence is needed
Because the author is talking about the relationship between crops and the origin of the words for those crops, the missing part should:
- Refer to corn-related vocabulary (not just languages in general).
- Show that in some cases, the crop spread without the same vocabulary spreading with it.
So we want an answer that uses the table to show different origins for the word for corn in different languages of the region.
Read the table carefully
Focus on the columns that matter for the contrast:
- The third column shows that all the words listed mean corn (or dried corn in Caddo).
- The fourth column, “Proposed origin in vocabulary of the Totozoquean language family,” has:
- yes for Caddo and Chitimacha
- no for the Muskogean languages (Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee) and for Cherokee
This pattern shows that some Southeastern languages have corn words traced to Totozoquean, but others do not, even though corn cultivation became widespread.
Test each answer choice against the needed idea and the table
Now compare each option to what we need and to the table:
- Choice A only says the region is linguistically diverse. It uses language names from the table but says nothing about origins of corn vocabulary or about crops being separated from the words for them.
- Choice B claims that the Caddo word came from the Chitimacha word and changed, but the table instead shows that both are proposed to come from Totozoquean. It also doesn’t show crops and words being decoupled.
- Choice C speculates about how Muskogean words evolved from a common root and which consonant sounds were lost, which is not given anywhere in the table, and again does not address different origins of the vocabulary.
- Choice D explicitly uses the table’s contrast: some corn words (Caddo and Chitimacha) trace to Totozoquean, but the Cherokee and Muskogean corn words do not. This directly supports the point that even though corn cultivation spread widely, the origins of the words for corn vary, showing that crops can be decoupled from vocabulary.
Therefore, the correct answer is: “the origins of vocabulary pertaining to the crop vary across languages in the region, with the words for corn in Cherokee and the Muskogean languages showing no demonstrable relationship to Totozoquean vocabulary.”