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Command of Evidence SAT question

Reading and Writing · Information and Ideas · Medium · Answer it here, explanation included.

Flint artifacts dating to 800,000 to 1,000,000 years ago have been recovered from the Evron Quarry in Israel. Likely created by the hominin Homo erectus, the artifacts have no visual features suggesting that they were exposed to fire, leading some scholars to conclude that these hominins had not acquired control of fire. But Zane Stepka and colleagues recently used a new method to determine whether these artifacts had been exposed to temperatures above 400°C (the typical temperature campfires reach) and concluded that the hominins who inhabited the site may have had control of fire.

Which choice best describes data in the graph that support the team’s conclusion?

ExplanationShow

Choice B is the best answer. Campfires typically reach over 400°C, so human artifacts that were exposed to temperatures higher than this may indicate some human control over fire.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice misreads the graph. Neither artifact K3_9 nor K5_106 was exposed to temperatures above even 200°C. Choice C is incorrect. This choice doesn’t support the claim. Campfires typically reach over 400°C, so exposure to temperatures of 100°C wouldn’t demonstrate exposure to fire. Choice D is incorrect. This choice doesn’t support the claim. Both artifacts K3_9 and K5_106 were exposed to temperatures of less than 200°C. Since campfires typically reach over 400°C, this wouldn’t demonstrate exposure to fire.

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