The recent discovery of a carved wooden ﬁgure dating to around 2,000 years ago in a ditch in England was truly surprising.
Wooden objects ______ survive for so long due to their high susceptibility to rot, but archaeologists suspect layers of
sediment in the ditch preserved the ﬁgure by creating an oxygen-free environment.
sturdily
carelessly
rarely
simply
Choice C is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of the discovery of a carved wooden
ﬁgure dating to around 2,000 years ago. In this context, “rarely” means infrequently. The text states that the discovery of the
ﬁgure was “truly surprising” and notes that wooden objects are highly prone to rot. This context conveys the idea that
wooden objects infrequently survive for as long as the carved ﬁgure has survived.
Choice A is incorrect because “sturdily” means strongly, which wouldn’t make sense in context. If wooden objects in general
could strongly survive for long periods of time, then the discovery of a wooden ﬁgure that’s around 2,000 years old wouldn’t
be surprising. Choice B is incorrect because “carelessly” means accidentally. The text conveys the idea that wooden objects
in general don’t survive for very long because they rot, not that wooden objects in general accidentally survive despite this.
Choice D is incorrect because the text conveys the idea that wooden objects in general don’t survive for very long because
they rot, not that wooden objects in general “simply,” or merely, survive for long periods of time. If wooden objects in general
could merely survive for as long as the ﬁgure has survived, then the discovery of the ﬁgure wouldn’t have been surprising.