During a 2014 archaeological dig in Spain, Vicente Lull and his team uncovered the skeleton of a woman from El Algar, an
Early Bronze Age society, buried with valuable objects signaling a high position of power. This ﬁnding may persuade
researchers who have argued that Bronze Age societies were ruled by men to ______ that women may have also held
leadership roles.
waive
concede
refute
require
Choice B is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the signiﬁcance of the 2014
archaeological ﬁnding at El Algar. In this context, “concede” means to admit something is true after ﬁrst resisting that
admission. The text indicates that some researchers believe “Bronze Age societies were ruled by men.” But the Bronze Age
burial of a woman at El Algar included “valuable objects signaling a high position of power,” which would raise the possibility
that “women may have also held leadership roles.” Thus, the text is calling into question the notion that only men were
leaders in these societies and speculating that people holding this view may reconsider their opinion.
Choice A is incorrect because “waive” means to refrain from insisting that something, such as a right or a requirement, be
observed; the word isn’t used, however, in contexts where someone acknowledges that an opinion they hold may be invalid,
as is the case in the text. Choice C is incorrect. According to the text, the ﬁnding from the El Algar burial site undermines the
view that Bronze Age societies were exclusively ruled by men. However, “refute” means to demonstrate that something is
false and would not make sense in context. Lull and team’s ﬁnding supports the view that women may have also held
leadership roles, not that they did not participate in such roles. Choice D is incorrect because in this context, “require” means
to demand or specify as mandatory. However, it would not make sense for contemporary researchers to demand that Bronze
Age “women may have also held leadership roles.”