GRE Reading Comprehension
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Source: 2014
Despite hypotheses ranging from armed conflict to climate change, the abandonment of more than 600 Pueblo cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde by A.D. 1300 still puzzles archaeologists. Researchers analyzing refuse from one Pueblo community found remains of maize—a Pueblo crop—in 44 percent of samples from years when the community flourished, but in only 10 percent of samples from years near the time of depopulation, while the remains of wild plants increased significantly.
Bones found in the samples showed that the consumption of domesticated turkeys—which were fed maize—decreased from 55 to 14 percent, while there was a marked increase in wild-animal bones. These data suggest that near the end of the site's occupation, villagers experienced substantial food shortages and adopted hunting-and-gathering strategies to compensate for crop failure.
Question List: 1 2
The research described in the passage most clearly supports which of the following claims about the abandonment of Mesa Verde?
- A It likely resulted from factors affecting crop viability.
- B It was more extensive than had previously been documented.
- C It may have been hastened by the abundance of wild animals in the area.
- D It has been misdated by previous archaeological research.
- E It happened more rapidly in certain Pueblo communities than in others.