TOEFL Reading Practice Test #31

Explanation:

(A) Incorrect: The passage states that Kongemose settlements were larger than Maglemose sites and that Ertebølle communities had permanent coastal settlements. There is no mention of Ertebølle groups being smaller.

(C) Incorrect: There is no direct comparison suggesting that the Maglemose Phase was "less affected" by environmental changes. The passage only states that each phase had different adaptations.

(D) Incorrect: While terrestrial hunting was part of early Mesolithic life, the passage explains that over time, coastal resources became increasingly important, particularly in the Kongemose and Ertebølle Phases.

Explanation:

(A) Incorrect: The passage does not suggest that food sources were declining, only that certain locations were used for specific seasonal purposes.

(C) Incorrect: There is no suggestion that small coastal settlements were unsustainable compared to inland ones—only that some were used seasonally.

(D) Incorrect: The passage does not claim that Denmark’s Mesolithic camps could not support long-term habitation; it only describes specific temporary sites like Aggersund.

Explanation:

(A) Incorrect: Tools were used in a variety of environments, not just temporary coastal sites.

(B) Incorrect: The passage does not indicate that tools were primarily developed in Denmark—it discusses Scandinavian Mesolithic culture more broadly.

(C) Incorrect: While the passage mentions that Ertebølle tools included materials like bone, wood, and antler, it does not say earlier tools were mainly made from bones.

Explanation:

(A) Incorrect: "Called attention to" refers to making something noticeable, which does not fit the context.

(B) Incorrect: "Focused on" means giving attention to something but does not convey the idea of utilizing resources.

(D) Incorrect: "Searched for" means looking for something, whereas "exploited" implies actually making use of it.

Explanation:

(B) Incorrect: There is no mention that food acquisition was becoming more difficult.

(C) Incorrect: The passage mentions gradual population growth but does not connect it directly to cemeteries.

(D) Incorrect: The passage states that Mesolithic people relied more on marine resources, not that they moved away from hunter-gathering entirely.

Explanation:

(A) Incorrect: "Change away from" implies moving away from something, which is the opposite of the intended meaning of "shift toward."

(C) Incorrect: "Increase in" suggests growth or escalation, but "shift toward" refers specifically to movement in a certain direction, not an increase.

(D) Incorrect: "Decrease in" implies a reduction, which contradicts the sense of moving toward something.

Explanation:

(A) Incorrect: Coastal adaptation was more characteristic of Scandinavian Mesolithic groups.

(B) Incorrect: While forests provided resources, central European groups also relied on river and lake settlements.

(D) Incorrect: There is no mention of extensive daily travel for food gathering.

Option A is correct because it preserves the original cause-and-effect relationship: the shift toward more settled lifestyles led to evidence of greater social complexity. It also retains both key examples from the sentence, namely the use of cemeteries and changes in burial customs, without adding or removing essential meaning.

Option B is incorrect because it reverses the causal relationship. The original sentence states that settled lifestyles led to social complexity, but this option claims that social complexity caused permanent settlements. This change alters the meaning in a fundamental way.

Option C is incorrect because it introduces ideas not present in the original sentence. The passage does not say that earlier burial traditions were abandoned or that cemeteries were used exclusively. It only states that burial customs evolved, so this option exaggerates the degree of change.

Option D is incorrect because it shifts the focus and introduces a comparison that does not exist in the original text. The sentence does not claim that burial customs were more important than settlement patterns in shaping society; instead, it describes burial practices as evidence of growing social complexity resulting from more settled lifestyles.

Explanation:

The highlighted sentence should fit between the introduction to the Mesolithic period and the description of the three phases of Mesolithic culture in Scandinavia. It is a general statement that explains the adaptive changes in hunting and food gathering that distinguish different phases in Mesolithic cultures, which naturally fits after the discussion of the period’s environmental transformations in the introduction.

Explanation:

(A) Incorrect: This choice provides historical context but is not directly related to the broader trends of social complexity and food resource exploitation discussed in the passage.

(B) Correct: The passage mentions the development of more specialized tools and a wider range of food sources in southern Scandinavia by the end of the Mesolithic.

(C) Correct: The passage discusses the growth of populations and their increasing sedentary lifestyles, which contributed to more elaborate burial practices and goods exchanges.

(D) Incorrect: This statement does not align with the passage. There is no mention of southern Scandinavians relocating to central Europe due to climate change.

(E) Incorrect: The passage does not suggest that populations outside of Scandinavia were more complex, only that Mesolithic societies in other regions were less distinct due to less extreme climate changes.

(F) Correct: The passage clearly states that the stages of Mesolithic culture in Scandinavia were more distinct due to more extreme climate changes in that region, making this statement accurate.