Question

An investigation by Dr. Sarah Hopkins and colleagues of pottery fragments from a late Bronze Age settlement in Crete reveals a shift in materials used over time: while a vessel from circa 1400 BCE contains mostly local clay with minimal impurities, a vessel from 1200 BCE (near the end of the settlement’s prosperity) contains a high proportion of non-local clay with visible impurities, making it more fragile and less durable. Because pottery of lower durability was widely considered inadequate for long-term storage, Hopkins et al. theorize that a crisis in trade and resource availability occurred around 1200 BCE, which was likely alleviated—despite ongoing difficulties in resource procurement—by the settlement leaders’ decision to _______


5

Which choice most logically completes the text?

A
develop a technique to reinforce the weaker pottery with additional layers of clay.

B
begin using an even higher proportion of non-local clay to create larger, more decorative vessels.

C
fund the trade of alternative materials that were not previously imported to the settlement.

D
shift their focus to producing smaller, more lightweight vessels with similar materials to those used in 1200 BCE.

Answer 1

D

Explanation: The passage says high-impurity, non-local clay produced fragile, less durable pottery — unsuitable for long-term storage — and that resource procurement problems continued. Rather than obtaining more/ better materials (which would be hard), leaders likely adapted by changing what they made: producing smaller, lighter vessels (using the same materials) would reduce the need for durable long-term storage and require less scarce material.