The Right Answer

Oh boy, this question is famous. This question is ETS at its best. This question is so tricky, yet so simple, that you can't help but admire their craft.

To get this question correct, you MUST.READ.THE.QUESTION.SUPER.CAREFULLY.

What does it say?

Select the sentence that provides support for an answer to a question in the passage.

Again, read it carefully. It's NOT asking you to select a sentence that is an ANSWER to a question. Rather, it's asking you to identify the sentence that SUPPORTS the answer. Very subtle. And very tricky. So our strategy should be to find the sentence where a question is answered and then choose the sentence after that one. That is going to be the sentence that supports the answer.

Thus, the correct answer is the last sentence, "A few bowls could easily be absorbed into another category..."

The Wrong Answers

It's obvious that the only other potential answer to this question is the sentence that answers the question, the sentence that begins with, "Perhaps the more earthenware people had..." But remember, the question is not asking us to select the answer to a question in the passage but rather the sentence that SUPPORTS this answer. So the sentence beginning with "Perhaps the more earthenware people had..." is wrong.

Genius trap.