LSAT 154, Section 3, RC Passage 1, Great Zimbabwe

RC Passage 1 Explanation

Paragraph Summaries

1. Scholars attribute Great Zimbabwe’s prosperity to its control over gold mining and exporting the gold to coastal markets. But it’s actually Great Zimbabwe’s agriculture that’s the cause of its success.
2. To support its large population, Great Zimbabwe had a complex cattle economy where they coordinated cattle to graze in different pastures based on the seasons. This system favoured centralized control over society and cattle were property of the ruling class.
3. Cattle were given to ordinary people as acts of royal patronage, used in marriage contracts, and used to incentivize labor for Great Zimbabwe’s successful gold mining.

Analysis

This is a pretty straight-forward humanities passage. We’re introduced to a civilization. Scholars believe gold mining was the source of Great Zimbabwe’s prosperity. The author believes it’s actually its cattle and agricultural practices.

In paragraph 2, we’re told how the complex cattle economy arose in response to Great Zimbabwe’s problems in feeding its population. The typical African savanna woodland where they lived can’t grow enough crops so they decided to have cattle graze in more suitable lands that might be farther away. We’re told about how cattle graze in different areas during different seasons, and how coordinating cattle over so much land results in centralized control.

The last paragraph tells us other uses of cattle (royal patronage, marriage etc.) and highlights the most important one: cattle are given as incentive for labor in the gold mines. This is why Great Zimbabwe’s mining industry was so successful.