The passage implies that social stratification developed in early agricultural societies largely because:
The transition from nomadic foraging to settled agricultural production during the Neolithic Revolution inaugurated irreversible transformations in human social organization. For hundreds of millennia, mobile hunter-gatherer bands maintained small, egalitarian groups whose demographics were constrained by seasonal caloric availability and the energetic costs of mobility. With the selective domestication of cereal grasses such as emmer wheat and barley in the Fertile Crescent around 10,000 BCE, communities anchored themselves in permanent sedentary villages. The generation of non-perishable grain surpluses enabled significant demographic expansion while simultaneously introducing social stratification. Surplus ownership necessitated architectural storage, protective defense, and specialized labor divisions, encouraging artisans, warriors, and administrative elites divorced from primary food procurement.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. The control and distribution of stored grain surpluses created differential wealth and power.
- Step 1: Identify how social stratification arose according to the author's analysis in the final sentences.
- Step 2: The passage notes: "The generation of non-perishable grain surpluses enabled significant demographic expansion while simultaneously introducing social stratification. Surplus ownership necessitated architectural storage, protective defense, and specialized labor divisions..." Controlling and defending ownership of stored food reserves led to unequal power distribution and social hierarchy.
Answer
The control and distribution of stored grain surpluses created differential wealth and power.
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More Academic Reading: Social Sciences & Humanities questions
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