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Question

Difficulty: MediumLiteral Comprehension and Fact Retrieval

Read the passage below carefully and evaluate the statement that follows:

In 1928, tin mining operations in the small village of Ham in Kaduna State, Nigeria, led to the accidental discovery of the first Nok terracotta head. The artifact was unearthed by miners working at a depth of twenty-four feet in an alluvial soil deposit. Realizing the object's unique artistic craftsmanship, the mine clerk, Lieutenant-Colonel John Dent-Young, preserved the sculpture and later presented it to the Department of Mines Museum in Jos. Subsequent excavations across the Jos Plateau revealed that the Nok civilization flourished between 1500 BC and 500 AD, producing sophisticated terracotta sculptures and pioneering iron-smelting technology in West Africa.

Statement: The first Nok terracotta head was discovered in 1928 by professional archaeologists conducting a systematic excavation in Kaduna State.

Answer: Answer

Answer

The statement is False. The passage explicitly states that the first Nok terracotta head was unearthed accidentally by tin miners during mining operations, not by professional archaeologists.
The statement is false because the passage explicitly states that the artifact was unearthed accidentally by tin miners during mining operations, contradicting the assertion that it was found by professional archaeologists during a systematic excavation.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the details of the discovery in the passage.
The passage notes that 'tin mining operations... led to the accidental discovery' and that 'The artifact was unearthed by miners'.
Evaluating literal factual accuracy requires referencing explicit details directly stated in the text.
2
Compare the passage evidence with the given statement.
The statement asserts that the discovery was made by 'professional archaeologists conducting a systematic excavation', which directly contradicts the text.
Because the statement contradicts the explicit text evidence, it must be evaluated as false.

Key Concept

Literal Comprehension and Fact Retrieval
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Topics

Literal Comprehension and Fact Retrieval

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