It might reasonably have been expected that the adoption of cooking by early humans would not have led to any changes in human digestive anatomy. βββββ ββββ βββββββ βββββ ββββ ββββββ ββ ββββ βββββ βββββ ββββ ββ βββββββ βββββββββββ βββ ββββββββ ββ βββββββ ββββββ βββββ βββ
Other Peopleβs Argument Β·Cooking didnβt lead to changes in human digestive anatomy
Author's Hypothesis Β·Cooking evolutionarily changed human digestion
We evolved to efficiently digest high and densely caloric foods thanks to cooking. Now we are reliant on cooked foods and cannot survive on raw food alone.
Cooking resulted in decrease in tooth and jaw size. Evidence of cooking techniques developing and decreases in tooth and jaw size support the cooking hypothesis.
Future Research Β·More testing required to better understand raw v. cooked
Passage Style
Critique or debate
Phenomenon-hypothesis (RC)
21.
The authors would be most ββββββ ββ βββββ ββββ βββββ βββ ββ βββ βββββββββ βββββββββββ
Question Type
Authorβs perspective
Implied
We canβt predict the correct answer just based on the question stem, so letβs use process of elimination.
a
Small teeth and ββββ βββββ βββ βββββββ ββ ββββββ ββ βββββββββ βββββββ βββ βββββ
Supported. The author believes cooking has made us biologically adapted to be unable to survive on a raw-food diet. And the author believes one of the main effects of cooking has been to reduce our tooth and jaw size. So, what is a biological adaptation that reduces our ability to survive on a raw-food diet? Smaller teeth and jaws.
83%
b
Because of its ββββββββ ββ ββββββ ββ βββ βββββ ββββ ββββββββ βββ β βββββββ ββββββββββ ββββββ ββββ ββββββ ββββββ βββ
The author doesnβt compare the intestinal volume of Homo ergaster to that of humans. Rather, the author compares the intestinal volume of great apes to that of humans.
2%
c
Early humans did βββ βββββββ ββββββ βββ ββββ βββββ ββ βββ ββββββββ ββ ββββββββ
Not supported, because we have no evidence that humans never used plants for food before cooking. Maybe they ate raw plants for food before they began to cook.
1%
d
The properties of βββ βββββ βββββββββ βββββββ βββ βββββββββ βββ ββββββ ββ ββββββββββ ββ β βββββββββ βββββ
The author actually points out that our human digestive anatomy may be a result of adaptations to cooking, not adaptations to a high-meat diet.
11%
e
The human digestive βββββββ βββ βββββββ ββββββ ββββ ββββββββββββ βββββ
Not supported, because the author describes changes in our digestive anatomy over time in the last paragraph.
2%
Difficulty
84% of people who answer get this correct
This is a moderately difficult question.
It is somewhat easier than other questions in this passage.
CURVE
Score of students with a 50% chance of getting this right
25%133
143
75%153
Analysis
Authorβs perspective
Authorβs perspective
Stems that ask us to find an answer the author is most likely to agree with.
Stems asking us to infer an idea implied by the claims in the passage (as opposed to identifying an idea that appears explicitly). Similar to most strongly supported questions in LR.
Critique or debate passages contain multiple points of view on a particular subject. Sometimes the author takes sides and participates in the critique or debate, other times the author merely reports the debate.
Passages that focus on describing or evaluating potential explanations for a given phenomenon. Causal reasoning features prominently in these passages.