Question 71·Medium·Inferences
Archaeologists excavating a 2,000-year-old settlement roughly 100 kilometers from the nearest coastline analyzed residues inside several clay cooking pots. Microscopy revealed cubic halite crystals consistent with sea salt, and chemical tests detected lipids characteristic of marine fish. Local geological surveys report no natural salt deposits in the region. This evidence most strongly suggests that _____
Which choice most logically completes the text?
For SAT Reading & Writing inference questions, first underline the concrete facts given (who, what, where, data/evidence). Then, before looking at the options, state to yourself in simple words what you can safely conclude from those facts. When you check the answer choices, eliminate any that (1) add new details like specific times, motives, or quantities, (2) explain why something happened without support, or (3) make absolute claims ("always," "only," "depended on") that the passage doesn’t justify. Choose the option that restates or slightly generalizes the given evidence without going beyond it.
Hints
Focus on the evidence, not guesses
Reread what the archaeologists actually found in the pots and what the geological surveys say about local resources. Ask yourself: what does this prove the residents had?
Look for the simplest supported conclusion
Ask: What is the basic fact we can conclude from finding sea salt and marine fish traces at a site far from the coast with no local salt deposits? Avoid answers that explain why or how often without direct support.
Watch for extra details not in the passage
Check each choice for added specifics about time (like seasons), personal preferences, or the absence of other resources. If a choice includes details that the passage never mentions, be wary of it.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the key evidence in the passage
The passage gives three crucial pieces of evidence:
- The settlement is about 100 kilometers from the nearest coastline.
- Microscopy found cubic halite crystals consistent with sea salt and lipids from marine fish in the pots.
- Local surveys show there are no natural salt deposits in the region.
This tells you that people at this inland site were using sea salt and marine fish, even though they lived far from the coast and had no local source of salt.
Understand what the question is asking
The question asks what this evidence "most strongly suggests." On SAT inference questions, this means: pick the answer that is directly supported by the evidence, without adding extra assumptions about reasons, timing, or behavior that the passage does not mention.
Decide what is safely inferable
From the evidence, you can safely infer:
- Sea salt and marine fish were used at the settlement.
- Since the settlement is far from the coast and has no local salt deposits, these items must have come from the coastal area (either by travel or trade).
You cannot infer:
- Exactly when or how often residents traveled.
- Their personal preferences (taste, etc.).
- That other resources (like freshwater fish) were absent or unimportant.
So you are looking for a choice that simply says the residents had access to and used coastal products, without adding details the passage never gives.
Match the safest inference to the answer choices
Check each option:
- (B) says they traveled to the coast each winter to fish—this adds a specific time and behavior not mentioned.
- (C) says they preferred sea salt because of taste—this invents a reason not in the text.
- (D) says they lacked access to freshwater fish and depended on marine fish—this adds strong claims the passage never supports.
- (A) simply says they obtained some coastal resources, like sea salt or marine fish, which is exactly what the evidence supports.
Therefore, the correct answer is: A) the settlement's residents obtained some coastal resources, such as sea salt or marine fish.