GRE Reading Comprehension

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Source: PP2

Objectively, of course, the various ecosystems that sustain life on the planet proceed independently of human agency, just as they operated before the hectic ascendancy of Homo sapiens. But it is also true that it is difficult to think of a single such system that has not, for better or worse, been substantially modified by human culture. Nor is this simply the work of the industrial centuries. It has been happening since the days of ancient Mesopotamia. It is coeval with the origins of writing, and has occurred throughout our social existence. And it is this irreversibly modified world, from the polar caps to the equatorial forests, that is all the nature we have.

Question List: 1 2

The author mentions "ancient Mesopotamia" primarily in order to

  • A provide some geographical and historical context for an earlier claim about the ascendancy of Homo sapiens
  • B support the idea that the impact of human culture on nature was roughly the same in the ancient world as in later times
  • C identify a place where the relationship between culture and nature was largely positive
  • D emphasize the extent to which the modification of nature by human culture preceded the industrial period
  • E make a connection between the origins of writing and other aspects of human cultural development

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