Question

archaeologists michael frachetti and farhod maksudov have discovered hidden medieval cities high in the mountains of uzbekistan. they used a special drone technology called lidar to detect traces of buildings that stood in these areas over 1,000 years ago. the discovery challenges the long - held assumption that, in the medieval era, urban centers could not have existed in harsh mountain environments where crops couldn’t be grown. the archeologists hypothesize that the inhabitants of these cities survived by making metal tools and weapons, using strong mountain winds to power their furnaces, and trading with other regions for food.
what is the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?
choose 1 answer:
a it rejects the research discussed in the previous sentences.
b it poses a question about the researchers’ methods that is addressed in the following sentence.
c it introduces another team of researchers whose work is discussed in the following sentence.
d it explains the significance of the discovery discussed in the previous sentences.

Explanation:

The previous sentences talk about the discovery of hidden medieval cities. The underlined sentence shows that this discovery goes against a common belief (urban centers couldn't exist in harsh mountain environments). This means it's explaining why the discovery is important (its significance). Option A is wrong as it doesn't reject the research but shows its importance. Option B is incorrect as it's not a question about methods. Option C is wrong as it's not introducing another team.

Answer:

D. It explains the significance of the discovery discussed in the previous sentences.