Read the following passage.
A. On the small island of SGang Gwaay, off the west coast of Haida Gwaii, visitors find the remains of large cedar longhouses and several carved mortuary and memorial poles at the village of SGang Gwaay Llnagaay. The village lies in Gwaii Haanas, a protected area on the southern half of Haida Gwaii that has no roads and can be reached only by boat or seaplane. Most visitors come with licensed tour operators. The poles at the village carry crests of the Eagle and Raven clans of the Haida.
B. Most poles are carved from western red cedar, a rot-resistant tree whose straight grain makes it easy to work. The figures on a pole are crests that mark a family's lineage and its rights. Haida poles have closely intertwined designs in shallow relief, and three carved watchmen, human figures in high hats, often sit at the very top. In the past, real watchmen were posted around a village to raise the alarm when an enemy approached. When a new pole is raised, a feast or potlatch is often held, the stories of the crests are told, and guests witness the family's claim to them.
C. In the late 1700s, the islands were home to an estimated 20,000 Haida or more. Diseases such as smallpox, measles and tuberculosis then struck, and by the late 1800s fewer than 600 Haida were left. Survivors from the southernmost villages came together at SGang Gwaay Llnagaay and were later invited to live at Skidegate, and the village was occupied until shortly after 1880. The federal government also banned the potlatch in 1884 through an amendment to the Indian Act. In 2013, the Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole became the first pole in over 130 years to be raised in the Gwaii Haanas region.
D. An Archipelago Management Board of Haida and Government of Canada representatives makes decisions by consensus, and Haida Hereditary Leaders, who have moral authority over the village sites, are consulted. After consultation with chiefs and elders, four poles were straightened and stabilized in 1995 and another in 1997, to lengthen the time before they return naturally to the earth. Threats include the decay of the cedar, deer, and visitors who may damage fragile remains by touching or walking on them. From May to September, Haida Gwaii Watchmen work at the sites as guardians and guides. Even rot-resistant cedar poles last only about a hundred years before they begin to break down, and this decay is seen as a natural part of a pole's life.
E. Not given in any of the above paragraphs.
Decide which paragraph, A to D, has the information given in each statement below. Select E if the information is not given in any of the paragraphs.
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Correct Answer: C
Why this is correct: Look at paragraph C: an estimated 20,000 Haida or more lived on the islands in the late 1700s. After diseases such as smallpox struck, fewer than 600 were left by the late 1800s. That is a very sharp fall.
Passage Reference: Diseases such as smallpox, measles and tuberculosis then struck, and by the late 1800s fewer than 600 Haida were left.
Tips: Find where Haida numbers are given for two different times. Check how big the fall was and what caused it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: The first paragraph describes the village as visitors see it now, with no figures for the Haida population.
- B: Paragraph B explains how poles are made and raised, not what happened to the people.
- D: In paragraph D, the decay is of poles, not disease among the Haida.
- E: The fall from at least 20,000 Haida to fewer than 600 after disease is reported in paragraph C.
Correct Answer: A
Passage Reference: The village lies in Gwaii Haanas, a protected area on the southern half of Haida Gwaii that has no roads and can be reached only by boat or seaplane.
Why this is correct: In paragraph A, Gwaii Haanas has no roads and can be reached only by boat or seaplane. A boat travels on water and a seaplane travels by air.
Tips: Find the 'protected area' first. Then check that it has no way in by car and only two ways to travel there.
Why the other options are wrong:
- B: The second paragraph describes carving and pole raising, with nothing about how people travel.
- C: Paragraph C says survivors moved to Skidegate. But it does not explain how anyone reaches the protected area today.
- D: Watchmen work at the sites in paragraph D, but no travel details are given.
- E: The lack of roads and the need for a boat or seaplane are explained in paragraph A.
Correct Answer: D
Passage Reference: After consultation with chiefs and elders, four poles were straightened and stabilized in 1995 and another in 1997, to lengthen the time before they return naturally to the earth.
Why this is correct: Look at paragraph D: four poles were straightened and stabilized in 1995 and another in 1997. This was done to lengthen the time before they return to the earth. Stabilizing a pole gives it support so it stands longer.
Tips: Paragraph C also mentions a pole going up. Find the one about keeping old poles standing.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: Paragraph A lists the poles visitors find at the village, but it says nothing about work done on them.
- B: In paragraph B, you learn how a new pole is carved and raised, not how old ones are kept standing.
- C: The third paragraph mentions a new pole raised in 2013, which is different from supporting old ones.
- E: The poles straightened and stabilized in 1995 and 1997 are described in paragraph D.
Correct Answer: B
Passage Reference: In the past, real watchmen were posted around a village to raise the alarm when an enemy approached.
Why this is correct: Notice that paragraph B says three carved watchmen often sit at the top of Haida poles. In the past, real watchmen were posted to raise the alarm when an enemy approached. Watchmen are lookouts.
Tips: Watchmen appear in two places. Decide whether the statement is about carvings or about today's guides.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: The clans whose crests are on the poles are named in paragraph A, but not the figures at the top.
- C: Paragraph C covers population loss and a new pole, not carved figures.
- D: The fourth paragraph mentions the Haida Gwaii Watchmen of today, who guide visitors. They are not the carved figures or old warnings of attack.
- E: The carved watchmen at the top of poles, and the real watchmen who warned of enemies, are in paragraph B.
Correct Answer: E
Passage Reference: In 2013, the Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole became the first pole in over 130 years to be raised in the Gwaii Haanas region.
Why this is correct: In paragraph C, the Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole was raised in 2013, the first in the region in over 130 years. No height is given for this pole or for the old ones. So no comparison is made.
Tips: 'Taller than' needs heights. Check whether the passage gives any.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: Paragraph A lists the old poles at the village but gives no heights.
- B: The second paragraph explains carving and designs, not the size of any pole.
- C: The 2013 pole is in paragraph C, but only its date is given. So it cannot be compared with older poles.
- D: In paragraph D, we learn how long cedar poles last, not how tall they are.
Correct Answer: C
Passage Reference: Survivors from the southernmost villages came together at SGang Gwaay Llnagaay and were later invited to live at Skidegate, and the village was occupied until shortly after 1880.
Why this is correct: Look at paragraph C: survivors from the southernmost villages came together at SGang Gwaay Llnagaay. They were later invited to live at Skidegate. The southernmost villages are in the far south of the islands.
Tips: Paragraph A also mentions the south. Find the paragraph where people move.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: The first paragraph describes the southern part of Haida Gwaii as a protected area today, not people moving away from it.
- B: Village watchmen of the past appear in paragraph B, but no move to a new home.
- D: Paragraph D is about caring for poles today, not about where survivors went.
- E: The move of survivors from the southernmost villages to Skidegate is in paragraph C.
Correct Answer: B
Passage Reference: When a new pole is raised, a feast or potlatch is often held, the stories of the crests are told, and guests witness the family's claim to them.
Why this is correct: In paragraph B, the stories of the crests are told when a new pole is raised. Guests witness the family's claim to them. Crests are the family's symbols, and witnessing a claim confirms it.
Tips: The potlatch is named in two paragraphs. Follow the one that describes what happens at a raising.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: Paragraph A names the crests on the old poles, but it does not describe a ceremony.
- C: In paragraph C, the potlatch appears only as a practice that was banned, and no ceremony is described.
- D: The fourth paragraph describes management and protection of old poles, not the raising of new ones.
- E: The guests who witness a family's claim when a pole is raised appear in paragraph B.
Correct Answer: E
Passage Reference: After consultation with chiefs and elders, four poles were straightened and stabilized in 1995 and another in 1997, to lengthen the time before they return naturally to the earth.
Why this is correct: Look at paragraph D: the poles were straightened and stabilized after consultation with chiefs and elders. It does not say who chose the poles. Parks Canada is never named in the passage.
Tips: Being consulted is not the same as making the choice. Check whether anyone is named as choosing.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A: Paragraph A describes the village and how to reach it, with no work on the poles.
- B: In paragraph B, the topic is carving and raising new poles, not supporting old ones.
- C: The third paragraph tells the history of the Haida and a new pole in 2013, not who cares for old poles.
- D: The work on the poles in 1995 and 1997 is in paragraph D, but the people who chose them are not named.
Correct Answer: A
Passage Reference: The poles at the village carry crests of the Eagle and Raven clans of the Haida.
Why this is correct: Notice that paragraph A says the village poles carry crests of the Eagle and Raven clans of the Haida. Crests are symbols, and the Eagle and Raven clans are two family groups.
Tips: Symbols of families come up in more than one place. Look for the one tied to this village that names two groups.
Why the other options are wrong:
- B: Paragraph B explains that crests mark a family's lineage, but it does not name the clans on these poles.
- C: In paragraph C, you get the history of the village and its people, with no clans named.
- D: The fourth paragraph is about protecting and managing the poles, not the symbols on them.
- E: The crests of the Eagle and Raven clans on the village poles are named in paragraph A.
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