Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardLogical Inferences

Epigraphists studying slate tablets from the Visigothic Kingdom (fifth to eighth centuries CE) in rural Iberia have identified numerous informal documents, such as tax receipts and agricultural inventories, written in vulgar Latin. Historically, scholars argued that literacy in Visigothic society was confined strictly to the ecclesiastical elite residing in urban administrative centers. However, the slate tablets, which were inscribed by individuals lacking formal scribal training, detail transactions between rural inhabitants. Because these tablets were manufactured and utilized entirely within local agrarian communities, _________.

Which choice most logically completes the text?

  1. A
    the ecclesiastical elite established schools in rural Iberia to standardize administrative records.
  2. B
    informal slate tablets were primarily used to transmit agrarian data to urban ecclesiastical centers.
  3. some individuals residing in rural areas possessed functional writing skills outside of urban ecclesiastical institutions.Answer
  4. D
    scholars have overestimated the level of formal Latin literacy among the urban ecclesiastical elite.

Answer

some individuals residing in rural areas possessed functional writing skills outside of urban ecclesiastical institutions.
The correct answer is correct because it directly addresses the conflict between the traditional scholarly view (that literacy was restricted to urban church elites) and the new evidence of informal, untrained writing used entirely within rural agrarian communities. If untrained rural residents created and used these tablets locally, some rural residents must have possessed literacy skills independent of the urban church elite.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the traditional scholarly consensus described in the passage.
Scholars historically believed that literacy in Visigothic society was restricted to the ecclesiastical elite located in urban administrative centers.
Establishing the baseline claim that the new evidence must be compared against.
2
Analyze the new evidence presented in the text.
Rural slate tablets with informal documents, written in vulgar Latin by people without formal training, were produced and used entirely within local agricultural communities.
Evaluating the parameters and origin of the written artifacts.
3
Determine the logical implication of this new evidence.
Since these informal tablets were created and used locally by untrained writers, it logically follows that basic literacy was present in rural populations, contradicting the idea that literacy was confined to the urban church elite.
Drawing a direct, non-speculative conclusion that fits the gap in the passage.

Key Concept

Logical Inferences
Rate this question

Topics

Logical Inferences

More questions from this topic