Overall Passage Meaning & Structure

The passage describes the origins of Yoruba beadwork. It explains that beadwork became a distinct craft only after European trade brought glass beads. Unlike ivory carving (which has strict traditional rules), beadwork has no fixed rules. However, beadwork didn't appear out of thin air-it was inspired by older local art forms. Finally, the materials used in those older art forms (ebony, ivory, calabash) were already common; only the new European materials (glass beads, copper wire) were truly novel.

Blank (i): codified

Context Clues:
The sentence states: "precisely because no fixed body of inherited rules has ever governed its practice, the tradition remains markedly less $\_\_\_\_$ than ivory carving."

The phrase "no fixed body of inherited rules" directly tells us that beadwork is not systematized, written down, or formally structured. Ivory carving, by contrast, is governed by such rules. Therefore, beadwork is less codified.

Definition of Codified: Arranged, organized, or systematized into a clear set of rules or a formal code.


Elimination of other choices for Blank (i):

A. Prized (valued): The passage does not compare the value (monetary or cultural) of beadwork vs. ivory carving here. The focus is purely on the presence or absence of "inherited rules," not on how much they are admired.
C. Rigorous (strict/thorough): While a craft with many rules might be rigorous, the specific counterpoint to "no fixed body of rules" is "codified." "Rigorous" implies harshness or meticulousness, whereas the passage is specifically about the existence of a formal rule structure.

Blank (ii): antecedents

Context Clues:
The sentence states: "Yet the craft did not spring from nothing: _______ can be traced in the engraved patterns... in scarification marks... and in the decorative stitching."

The examples given (patterns on calabash, scars on skin, stitching on garments) are older artistic traditions that predate beadwork. The beadwork artists clearly borrowed visual motifs from these earlier practices. Therefore, these are antecedents-prior examples, predecessors, or historical origins.

Definition of Antecedents: Something that came before something else; a prior event, influence, or model.


Elimination of other choices for Blank (ii):

D. Prohibitions (bans/restrictions): The passage mentions nothing about bans, taboos, or rules forbidding beadwork. The examples are visual patterns, not legal or social decrees.
F. Imitations (copies): The passage says beadwork evolved from these patterns. However, the engraved calabash patterns are not copies of beadwork (since beadwork didn't exist yet). Beadwork is a new craft that took inspiration from these older arts, but these older arts are not "imitations" of beadwork-they are the originals that came first.

Blank (iii): plentiful

Context Clues:
The sentence contrasts two sets of materials:

The old materials: "ebony, ivory, calabash".
The new materials: "glass trade beads and copper wire... genuinely unfamiliar."


If the new materials were "genuinely unfamiliar" to the Yoruba, that means they had never seen them before. Therefore, the old materials (ebony, ivory, calabash) must have been the exact opposite-familiar, common, and readily available. Plentiful (abundant, existing in large quantities) perfectly captures this availability.

Definition of Plentiful: Existing in great abundance; ample supply.

Elimination of other choices for Blank (iii):

G. Scarce (rare, hard to find): If the traditional materials were scarce, they wouldn't have a long history of use in calabash carving, scarification, and garments. This directly contradicts the context.
I. Uniform (identical, unchanging): Even if the materials were uniform, this doesn't explain why they were familiar versus the new materials being unfamiliar. The passage is contrasting novelty with familiarity, not variety with sameness. "Plentiful" is the exact logical opposite of "unfamiliar" (if something is plentiful, it is well-known and easily acquired).