Reading Comprehension

PT154 · S3 · P1 · Q1 Great Zimbabwe

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Complex societies flourished on the central plateau of southern Africa from the ninth through sixteenth centuries.

Topic

The economic foundations and societal structure of Great Zimbabwe in southern Africa, especially the central role of cattle agriculture.

Framework

Challenge Position

Main Point

While it's often said that Great Zimbabwe's prosperity was due to its control of gold mining and the gold trade, the passage argues that the most important factor was actually its complex agricultural system centered on cattle. The Most Valuable Sentence appears near the end of the first paragraph:

P1: Introduction & Challenging Conventional Wisdom

The author introduces Great Zimbabwe as a highly stratified, prosperous society famous for its stone city-states. The usual explanation is that its success was due to control of gold mining and trading, but the author pivots and says the real key was its agricultural system.

P2: Explaining the Unique Agricultural System

Without the ability to farm intensively, store grain in bulk, or transport it, Great Zimbabwe thrived in an environment where most societies stayed small and mobile. Instead, they developed an advanced system of cattle herding, moving herds seasonally for grazing. Managing these herds required large-scale coordination and enabled centralized, elite control.

P3: Social and Economic Impact of the Cattle Economy

Cattle ownership by the elite not only structured society but also influenced everyday life and marital arrangements. Cattle were so crucial that they also facilitated the gold mining industry; the royal class could motivate enough labor for demanding mining tasks by granting cattle as rewards. This further strengthened central authority and economic success.

1.

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?

  1. Correct

    Understanding the basis for the

    Why this is right

    This is not an obvious phrasing of the main point, but it still better captures what we were looking for than any other answer: "the real reason for GZ's prosperity was its complex cattle economy" If you think that X is the main reason that Y occurred, then it's pretty interchangeable to say that "understanding why Y occurred requires understanding X's role".

    Skill tested: Main Point · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.

    92% picked this

  2. The diversity and abundance of

    Wrong Causal Explanation

    This answer is saying that the real reason for GZ's prosperity was the diversity and abundance of natural resources on the central plateau. We're looking for, "the real reason was their cattle economy / the agricultural basis to their economic system".

    1% picked this

  3. The power of the royal

    Wrong Emphasis: royals' power

    This makes the central question of the passage seem like it was, "Where did the royal class in Great Zimbabwe get its power from?" But the central question of the passage was, "Why did Great Zimbabwe have such notable prosperity?" Furthermore, the answer to the question "where did the royal class get its power" would be "by controlling the cattle economy", not "by owning the croplands".

    1% picked this

  4. Great Zimbabwe’s economic system rested

    Wrong Causal Explanation

    We're looking for, "the real reason Great Zimbabwe was prosperous was their cattle economy / the agricultural basis to their economic system". This is saying, "the real reason Great Zimbabwe was prosperous was gold mining and the import-export trade." Not only does this fail to mention the agricultural cattle-based economy that the author highlights as the causal difference-maker, but it also seems to give credence to the author's enemy. The position the author is challenging thought that "gold mining" was the primary causal factor accounting for GZ's success.

    1% picked this

  5. The communal nature of cattle

    Contradicted: communal ownership

    This is in the neighborhood of the right gist. It is crediting cattle for being the main causal factor in prosperity. But this says that there was communal cattle ownership. This seems to contradict the final sentence of the 2nd paragraph, which says that cattle were "the property of a ruling class". Ordinary people could be given use of cattle as an act of good standing with the royals. Or they would be given cattle in return for taking on the risk of gold mining for the royals. But it's wrong to say that the cattle were owned by the whole community. The passage is saying that the ruling class controlled the cattle and used it as leverage to maintain influence over their subjects.

    6% picked this

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