Question

Passage A
The transition from foraging to agriculture, often termed the Neolithic Revolution, was fundamentally a crisis response. As the last Ice Age ended, climatic shifts led to the expansion of arid zones in the Near East. Consequently, human populations, which had expanded during earlier favorable periods, found themselves in environments increasingly depleted of wild game and gatherable flora. Faced with the stark reality of resource scarcity and impending starvation, these populations had no choice but to begin intentionally cultivating hardy cereal grains. Thus, agriculture was not a forward-looking invention adopted for its perceived benefits, but a desperate adaptation to severe environmental pressures.

Passage B
Recent archaeological evidence challenges the long-held assumption that agriculture was born out of ecological necessity. Excavations at early Neolithic sites reveal that initial experimentation with plant cultivation occurred in regions with abundant natural resources, where hunter-gatherers already enjoyed a secure and diverse diet. Why, then, labor over crops? The answer lies in social dynamics. Certain ambitious individuals or groups sought to produce a reliable surplus not for basic survival, but to host elaborate feasts and distribute resources, thereby accumulating social prestige and political power. In this light, the shift to farming was a socially motivated choice driven by emerging hierarchical ambitions rather than a reaction to environmental decline.

Based on the passages, which of the following represents a point of disagreement between the two authors?