Aristotle RC99 - Passage 40

[hja379]

1. Which of the following would be contrary to what a proponent of the theory
of the Great Goddess most likely believes?
A. The available archaeological evidence does not rule out the idea that
Old European matriarchal communities existed.
B. The field of archaeology has been dominated in the past by maleoriented
scholarship.
C. Matriarchy is conducive to establishing a healthy relationship with the
natural world.
D. The decimation of Old European society wiped away all traces of the
Great Goddess religion.
E. Most men and women worshipped the Great Goddess

OA D




Can you please help me understand why D is the answer choice in this case? The questions asks what would be opposite of what a support of the Great Goddess Theory believes in.



Passage 2 suggests that "Proponents of this theory contend that this peaceful and harmonious
society was shattered by waves of Indo-European invaders..." Since the proponents disagree (contend that) with the fact that it was decimated by invasion, I am assuming is the reason why D is the answer. If someone has a better explanation, I would appreciate it.[spoiler][/spoiler]

[VivianKerr]

I don't have the passage, but if you can copy/paste it, I'm happy to help

[VivianKerr]

Thanks for sending me the passage! Here are my notes for it, if you are interested:

Topic: new theory
Scope: how new theory shows primitive societies were NOT patriarchal

1st P - to introduce theory (matriarchal societies in Stone Age)

2nd P - to describe he societies (women-led but not dominant)

3rd P - to explain how societies ended (invaders) - elements passed down (Virgin Mary, etc)

4th P - to show critical response to theory (+)

5th P - to give Montagu's opinion (+) & contrast with other critics (-); too much speculation

6th P - to provide the theorists' response (speculation is +)

Overall Purpose: to trace a theory

Now, to the question!

Rephrase: Which choice does NOT go along with the theory?

We can begin by eliminating choices that WOULD be supported by the theory.

A, C and E are all potentially supportive of the theorists, since we know they believe that the matriarchal communities existed where the people worshiped a Great Goddess. C is slightly outside the scope of the passage, but still a choice that would support the theorists.

Let's examine B and D. Whether or not the archaeological field has been male-dominated is irrelevant to the theorists. Their focus is on the male-domination or female-domination of societies during the Stone Age.

D is correct because it refutes the idea that traces of the Great Goddess religion remained. The end of the 3rd paragraph, however, specifically mentioned that elements of the religion were passed down and incorporated into Greek and Roman societies and even mentions the Virgin Mary as an example.

Hope this helps!

[hja379]

Thanks Vivian for the break-down. I did the passage again and choices made more sense to me.

Others, if you would are interested in the entire passage, please reply and I will post it.

[VivianKerr]

You're very welcome! Make sure to full break down the passages as you read. This article I wrote might help give you a few ideas about how to approach each question type.

https://grockit.com/blog/gmat/2010/06/09 ... ssage-map/

[vikram4689]

Please explain Q2. of the same passage... my take

A- something other archeaologists believe

B, C - alien options not discussed in passage

D- discussed in coxtext with proponents of goddess theory

E- traditionalists would agree with this one.

You're very welcome! Make sure to full break down the passages as you read. This article I wrote might help give you a few ideas about how to approach each question type.

https://grockit.com/blog/gmat/2010/06/09 ... ssage-map/