GRE课程
Questions 1 and 2 are based on this passage
Recent studies of ancient Maya water management have found that the urban architecture of some cities was used to divert rainfall runoff into gravity-fed systems of interconnected reservoirs. In the central and southern May Lowlands, this kind of water control was necessary to support large populations throughout the year due to the scarcity of perennial surface water and the seasonal availability of rainfall. Some scholars argue that the concentration of water within the urban core of these sites provided a centralized source of political authority for Maya elites based largely on controlled water access. Such an argument is plausible, however, it is less useful for understanding the sociopolitical implications of water use and control in other, water-rich parts of the Maya region.
The author of the passage implies which of the following about the political importance of the type of urban water management system described in the passage?
Because the system was centralized, it allowed political control over a widely scattered population.
The knowledge required to design and maintain the system became the pretext for Maya elites’ political authority.
By selectively limiting access to water, Maya elites used the system to curb challenges to their authority
The system is not sufficient to explain the sources of centralized political power in all parts of the Maya region
The system’s continued maintenance required political authorities to exert control over an increasing proportion of economic resources.
Select one answer choice.
