Digital SAT® Practice Test 1: Reading and Writing Module 2 (Hard): Question 14 Explanation

Digital SAT Reading and Writing Test 5 Question 14

Which choice most logically completes the text?

fragments of mosaics from the 2nd century BCE are more frequently unearthed in Zeugma than those from the 3rd century BCE.
the mosaics could have come from another ancient society and were brought to Zeugma via commerce or conflict.
the initial establishment of Zeugma may have been by a different group of settlers than what is commonly believed.
techniques employed in excavation at Zeugma might unintentionally have caused some damage to mosaic fragments from the 3rd century BCE.

Answer:

Explanation

If certain fragments of mosaics from the historical city of Zeugma, situated in present-day Turkey, were created as far back as the 2nd century BCE, this might support claims that Zeugma was inhabited during or even before this period. However, much evidence suggests a later time frame for the founding of Zeugma, around the 3rd century BCE. Thus, if we accept both the mosaics' origin and the city's later founding date as accurate, we can conclude the mosaics could have come from another ancient society and were brought to Zeugma via commerce or conflict.

Choice B is the best answer. In essence, the text asks what the conclusion would be if the fragments found at Zeugma were older than the foundation of the city. That would mean that they were not made by the city’s inhabitants, but were made elsewhere and then found their way into the city by some other means.

Choice A: The text does not mention any fragments from the 3rd century BCE. Therefore, this answer choice is not relevant to the reasoning in the text.

Choice C: Even if this answer choice were true, it would still not explain how the fragments could be older than the city in which they were found.

Choice D: The physical conditions of the fragments are not relevant to the reasoning in the text.

✨ Expert's Tip ✨

Examine the logical connections among the elements discussed in the text: the fragments are older than the city in which they are found, which means that they could not have been made by the city’s inhabitants.