SAT OwlArchaeologists working along the southwestern coast of India have found hoards of Roman gold and silver coins from the first century CE, along with fragments of jars that once held Mediterranean wine. Roman writers of the same period complained that their empire was spending enormous sums on Indian pepper and other luxury goods. Taken together, this evidence suggests that ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
Romans and people in southern India were engaged in substantial trade.
Roman armies conquered the southwestern coast of India in the first century CE.
Indian merchants valued Roman wine more highly than Roman coins.
Roman writers exaggerated how much pepper India produced.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
Roman coins and wine jars turned up in India, and Roman writers complained about money spent on Indian goods. Goods and money moving in both directions point to large-scale trade, choice A.
Choice B is tempting because Roman objects ended up in India, but coins and wine jars show exchange of goods, and the text says nothing about armies or conquest.
Why the other choices are wrong
- B. The text provides no evidence of military conquest or armies. The presence of coins and wine jars indicates commercial exchange, not a military campaign.
- C. The passage does not compare the relative value Indian merchants placed on wine versus coins. It only notes that both items were found in India.
- D. The text presents the Roman writers' complaints as evidence of high spending, not as false statements. There is no indication that the writers exaggerated the amount of pepper produced.
Got it wrong? On SAT Owl, Owl looks at the answer you chose and explains the exact mistake, then gives you similar questions until it sticks. Get your predicted SAT score free, or take a free full-length practice test.