Music Historian: The oldest surviving specimens of the Torathi lute feature a soundbox carved entirely from the heartwood of the Veldt oak. Shaping Veldt oak heartwood requires high-carbon steel chisels, which historical records indicate were not available in the Torathi region until the fifth century. Therefore, the Torathi lute must have been invented no earlier than the fifth century.
Which one of the following is an assumption on which the music historian's argument depends?
- AAll musical instruments constructed prior to the fifth century were made of materials significantly softer than Veldt oak heartwood.
- The original Torathi lutes were not constructed from materials that could be shaped without high-carbon steel tools.Answer
- CVeldt oak is the only material that can be used to construct a functional Torathi lute.
- DThe Torathi lutes constructed in the fifth century were acoustically superior to any stringed instruments that preceded them.
- EHigh-carbon steel chisels were originally invented by Torathi artisans specifically for the creation of musical instruments.
Answer
The original Torathi lutes were not constructed from materials that could be shaped without high-carbon steel tools.
The argument concludes that the instrument was not invented before the fifth century because the oldest surviving examples are made of a wood that requires fifth-century tools. This reasoning contains a massive gap: it assumes that the earliest, non-surviving examples weren't made of different, softer materials. If the earliest lutes were made of softer materials that didn't require steel tools, they could have been invented well before the fifth century, and those earlier versions simply rotted away. Thus, the argument requires the assumption that the first lutes were not made of such materials. By applying the Negation Technique to the correct choice, the argument collapses.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Identifying Necessary Assumptions