Reading comp PrepTest 144 · Section 1 · Question 15
Passage
. Before contact with Europeans, the Haudenosaune, . a group of nations in northeastern North America also . known as
Remaining source text redacted.
Passage walkthrough
Passage SummaryTopic: Social Science
Paragraph 1
While Europeans believed that wampum was used as money, it was actually used as a form of sociopolitical communication, growing from items with religious significance to eventually encoding the Haudenosaunee Confederacy's constitution, communicating laws and messages for hundreds of years.
Key Lines:
Lines 1-5 - The phenomenon is introduced
Lines 5-7; 9-11 - A misunderstanding is noted
Lines 13-15 - The overall progression is outlined
Lines 21-22 - An extended example of early wampum use is noted (religious)
Lines 33-36 - A step in the progression is stated (strings; messages)
Lines 37-42 - The big step in the progression is noted
Line 43 - A long string of examples is started
Lines 60-62 - More timeline and effectiveness of wampum as comms
Meta-Structure:
Phenomenon - Usually when a phenomenon is described, it warrants an explanation. This one, however, doesn't—the phenomenon is the use of wampum, and the passage instead describes how it was used.
Misunderstanding - The passage highlights a misunderstanding by both "[m]ost historians" (Lines 5-6) and Europeans (Line 10). They both focused on wampum as a means of exchange/money. Note that there is evidence it was used as such—the Europeans and Haudenosaunee did trade using it. However, it wasn't it's primary purpose.
Example - Paragraphs 2 and 3 both feature examples. Paragraph 2 brings up an example of early wampum use that's much more religious (starting in Lines 21-22), but still serves as a communication method (with spirits Sapling and Flint). Paragraph 3 brings up many examples of how wampum was used by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to encode law and communicate. There's a good chance we get an EXCEPT question based on the latter!
Progression - The passage lays out the progression of the use of wampum by the Haudenosaunee early on (Lines 12-17) from religious to recording messages to keeping the peace. The passage then largely goes through this progression. We get examples of it being used for religious purposes (example starting in Lines 21-22), then a note about it growing to send simple political messages (Lines 34-36), and then a long discussion of how it was used to keep the peace in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (Paragraph 3).
Last Thoughts:
It would be very easy to overlook that the end of Paragraph 1 lays out a progression that is then played out in the following paragraphs if you're not looking for it. However, noting these things can make it much easier to see how everything holds together, as structured arguments with a clear progression "stick" in our minds better. This is why you'll see so many RC passages have something in the opening paragraph that outlines the argument to be made. Be on the lookout for these statements, as they make your work a lot easier in both understanding the passage and answering the questions. After all, if you have a clear understanding of the structure of the passage, then you should be able to quickly find any relevant information.
Paragraph 1
- Paragraph note
- A phenomenon and a misunderstanding are discussed
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Phenomenon - Haudenosaunee*/Iroquois used wampum as political comms
- Misunderstanding (Most historians and Europeans) - Wampum was money (used as such in trade between Europe and Haudenosaunee)
- Transition - Religious to peacekeeping messaging
- Paragraph note
- Early wampum and then development discussed
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- Early types - loose beads in white and purple
- Ex - Sapling (good) and Flint (bad) spirits thrown bead wampum by fishermen
- Growth - Loose beads strung together to send political messages (e.g., truce)
- Paragraph note
- Major development in progression of system (end based on initial outline)
- Views, minor Meta-Structures, and the author's attitude
- 1451 - Haudenosaunee Confederacy formed - wampum a arbitrary and pictorial system to convey constitution (belt) and other stuff
- Symbols, colors, and arrangement had significant
- Lots of examples
- Limited, but worked for hundreds of years
While Europeans believed that wampum was used as money, it was actually used as a form of sociopolitical communication, growing from items with religious significance to eventually encoding the Haudenosaunee Confederacy's constitution, communicating laws and messages for hundreds of years.
Key Lines:
Lines 1-5 - The phenomenon is introduced
Lines 5-7; 9-11 - A misunderstanding is noted
Lines 13-15 - The overall progression is outlined
Lines 21-22 - An extended example of early wampum use is noted (religious)
Lines 33-36 - A step in the progression is stated (strings; messages)
Lines 37-42 - The big step in the progression is noted
Line 43 - A long string of examples is started
Lines 60-62 - More timeline and effectiveness of wampum as comms
Meta-Structure:
Phenomenon - Usually when a phenomenon is described, it warrants an explanation. This one, however, doesn't—the phenomenon is the use of wampum, and the passage instead describes how it was used.
Misunderstanding - The passage highlights a misunderstanding by both "[m]ost historians" (Lines 5-6) and Europeans (Line 10). They both focused on wampum as a means of exchange/money. Note that there is evidence it was used as such—the Europeans and Haudenosaunee did trade using it. However, it wasn't it's primary purpose.
Example - Paragraphs 2 and 3 both feature examples. Paragraph 2 brings up an example of early wampum use that's much more religious (starting in Lines 21-22), but still serves as a communication method (with spirits Sapling and Flint). Paragraph 3 brings up many examples of how wampum was used by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to encode law and communicate. There's a good chance we get an EXCEPT question based on the latter!
Progression - The passage lays out the progression of the use of wampum by the Haudenosaunee early on (Lines 12-17) from religious to recording messages to keeping the peace. The passage then largely goes through this progression. We get examples of it being used for religious purposes (example starting in Lines 21-22), then a note about it growing to send simple political messages (Lines 34-36), and then a long discussion of how it was used to keep the peace in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (Paragraph 3).
Last Thoughts:
It would be very easy to overlook that the end of Paragraph 1 lays out a progression that is then played out in the following paragraphs if you're not looking for it. However, noting these things can make it much easier to see how everything holds together, as structured arguments with a clear progression "stick" in our minds better. This is why you'll see so many RC passages have something in the opening paragraph that outlines the argument to be made. Be on the lookout for these statements, as they make your work a lot easier in both understanding the passage and answering the questions. After all, if you have a clear understanding of the structure of the passage, then you should be able to quickly find any relevant information.
Question prompt
The fishing practice mentioned
Remaining source text redacted.
Why the credited answer is right
Credited answer: E
The notes below walk through why it fits the stem and how to eliminate the rest.
Question Type
Social Science
Answer choices
-
Aa type of knowledge Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice A is not credited
Incorrect. (Lines 29-30) The wampum were thrown into the water, so they weren't used to encode and pass on knowledge. -
Ba traditional practice that Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice B is not credited
Correct. (Lines 7-11) The Europeans were discussed in Paragraph 1, but that was to show a mistaken belief around wampum. The rest of the passage focuses on the true uses of it, and there's no other mention of Europeans. -
Can activity that was Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice C is not credited
Incorrect. (Line 19; Line 33) The passage spans time and progress over the use of wampum. The fishing example is part of a discussion of the "oldest" form of wampum, which "[l]ater" develops into another form before taking on a more complex form during the formation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. As such, the Confederacy couldn't have been regulating the fishing during the time period it's being discussed in Paragraph 2 since it didn't exist yet. Short version - The passage follows a progression through time, and the fishing example happens before the Confederacy forms. -
Da practice that many Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice D is not credited
Incorrect. (Lines 5-7; Line 28) The Historians are mentioned in Paragraph 1 but then don't show up again. And the Author notes that "[l]egend indicates" this use of wampum, which doesn't require historians to have learned of it. -
Ea traditional practice that Remaining source text redacted.
Why choice E matches the stem
Correct. Question Type:
Argument Structure
Strategy Overview:
Review the purpose of the paragraph where the relevant info shows up, then review it in context and define its purpose with respect to the section, paragraph, and passage as a whole
Answer Anticipation/Relevant Lines:
Our note for Paragraph 2 states that it's all about early wampum use and stages of its development. We can also see that we tagged this section as an example, so let's hop into the paragraph to see what it's an example of.
The fishing example starts on Line 28, and there it says that fishermen threw wampum in the water to "communicate with Sapling or Flint." So they were communicating with spirits. It immediately then talks about progression from this to the use of string wampum to communicate simple political messages.
So the fishing example here is meant to highlight an early use of wampum in a religious manner (matching up with the progression as outlined in Lines 12-15) before talking about the development of its use into a political tool. Let's find an answer reflecting that.
Answer Explanation:
(Lines 12-15; Line 19; Lines 33-34) The overall point of the passage is to outline the developing use of wampum over time, and this answer works perfectly with that overall purpose. Specifically, Paragraph 2 is about the "oldest" use of wampum, which includes the fishing practice noted that "[l]ater" developed into a more sophisticated form of political communication. This answer is therefore correct.
Key Takeaway:
While Argument Structure questions will generally ask about a small part of the passage, they generally reflect the overall structure of it. Why? Because each part of the passage is generally meant to build the overall argument. As such, they each have a role that needs to build to that main point. Always keep the passage as a whole in mind as you answer this type of question!
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