The domestication of plants and animals enabled societies to do what more efficiently?

• A. Support larger populations and form settled communities.
• B. Build monumental architecture.
• C. Develop writing systems.
• D. Engage in long-distance sea trade.

Answer: (A)

Domestication created a reliable, controllable food supply. With farming, groups could stay in one place year after year instead of roaming to find food. This stability lets more people be fed, increasing population density and enabling settled communities to form. A surplus of food also frees some individuals to specialize in crafts, governance, and trade, strengthening those communities over time. The other outcomes—monumental architecture, writing systems, or long-distance trade—can emerge from settled life, but they rely on that initial shift to farming and settlement. So the best answer is that domestication allowed societies to support larger populations and form settled communities.