Let's go paragraph by paragraph to see if that helps us describe the organization of the passage.
Paragraph 1: Archaeologist Sandra Olsen found a large number of horse bones in Kazakhstan. She hypothesizes that the Botai people who lived in the region may have been the earliest known people to domesticate and ride horses. The paragraph then tells us how Olsen will proceed to analyze these bones. Due to the unique morphology of horses, Olsen will rely on statistics regarding sex and age of death to assess her hypothesis.
Paragraph 2: Evidence is revealed that could defeat Olsen's hypothesis. Generally among domesticated animals, the males are killed at a young age. This was not the case among the horse remains, which contained bones of adult males. Through knowledge of horse herds, Olsen explains how this supports her hypothesis rather than rejects it.
Paragraph 3: More evidence is given that suggests that the horses were not hunted. Horses are too big for hunters to drag to their dwelling. Also horses were buried near humans, suggesting a relationship that is beyond a food source. This is the final piece of support for Olsen's theory.
I would argue that the biggest difference between D and B is simply the order of the paragraphs. Although the word "hypothesis" is not specifically mentioned, the possibility that the Botai were early horse riders is introduced in paragraph 1 as the hypothesis that Olsen seeks to test. Olsen then proceeds to weigh the evidence for and against her theory. This is mirrored by answer choice D, in which the support is followed by the hypothesis.
Veda-Bhadharlaon August 3, 2020
along this line, why is D more correct than A?
kaylarussellon October 27, 2020
This was a great break down of the organization of the passage! Very helpful!
But, I too would like to know that makes D more correct than A. Is it the use of the word "hypothesis"?
