SAT OwlArchaeologists studying clay pots from an ancient village found fingerprints pressed into the clay before it was fired. By measuring the width of the ridges in each print, the researchers could estimate the age of the person who made it, since children's fingerprint ridges are narrower than adults'. Many of the prints on the smaller pots had very narrow ridges, suggesting that ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
the village's adults made only the largest pots.
the pots were fired at unusually high temperatures.
children took part in making at least some of the village's pottery.
the pots were made in a different village and traded to this one for food.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
Narrow ridges come from children's fingers, and many prints on the smaller pots had very narrow ridges. So children helped make at least some of the pottery, choice C.
Choice A goes too far. The prints show children worked on smaller pots, but they don't show that adults made only the largest ones.
Why the other choices are wrong
- A. The narrow prints show children worked on the smaller pots, but nothing shows adults made only the largest ones.
- B. Ridge width reveals the maker's age. It says nothing about how hot the pots were fired.
- D. Fingerprints reveal the maker's age, not where the pot was made, so they give no evidence of trade.
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