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Archaeologist: The sudden abandonment of the Xionian urban centers around 1200 BCE is traditionally attributed to a severe regional drought that devastated crop yields. However, recent excavations reveal that the cities' massive grain silos were entirely full when the population fled. Furthermore, isotopic analysis of skeletal remains from that period shows no evidence of nutritional stress. Since the population was clearly not starving, the civilization's collapse must have been precipitated by a sudden military invasion rather than by environmental factors.

Which one of the following, if true, most strongly supports the archaeologist's argument?

  1. Geological surveys indicate that the Xionian cities were built directly above massive, easily accessible freshwater aquifers that were immune to surface drought conditions.Cevap
  2. B
    Isotopic analysis of the Xionian remains revealed elevated levels of cortisol, a biomarker strongly associated with severe physiological stress caused by extreme dehydration.
  3. C
    Whenever a historical civilization is forced to abruptly abandon its cities due to a sudden military invasion, its agricultural storage facilities are typically left fully intact.
  4. D
    Unlike neighboring societies that survived the 1200 BCE era, the Xionian civilization lacked a centralized standing army and relied entirely on uncoordinated local militias for defense.
  5. E
    Historical records from a civilization hundreds of miles away document a massive, unprovoked military campaign launched by unknown invaders during the exact same historical era.

Cevap

The correct answer is the option stating that Xionian cities were built above massive freshwater aquifers immune to drought conditions.
The author concludes that environmental factors did not cause the collapse solely because there was no evidence of starvation. However, a drought could easily precipitate a collapse through water scarcity (dehydration) rather than food scarcity, which would still leave the grain silos full. This correct answer explicitly rules out the possibility of a water shortage by establishing that the cities had access to immune freshwater aquifers. By eliminating the most plausible alternative environmental threat, it significantly strengthens the conclusion that the collapse was due to non-environmental reasons, such as a military invasion.

Adım Adım Çözüm

1
Analyze the argument's structure to isolate the premises and the main conclusion.
Conclusion: A sudden military invasion, not environmental factors, caused the collapse. Premises: The grain silos were full, and skeletons showed no nutritional stress.
Identifying the exact boundaries of the author's claim is required to find where the logic is vulnerable.
2
Identify the logical gap or unstated assumption made by the author.
The author falsely equates 'no starvation' with 'no environmental factors.' A severe drought creates two distinct environmental threats: lack of food and lack of water.
To strengthen an argument, you must usually find an option that patches a vulnerability or rules out an alternate explanation.
3
Evaluate the options to find one that bridges the identified gap.
The option regarding freshwater aquifers explicitly eliminates the possibility of dehydration (water scarcity).
Ruling out the most prominent remaining alternative explanation (thirst) forces the conclusion toward the author's preferred explanation (military invasion).

Anahtar Kavram

Strengthening causal arguments by eliminating alternative explanations.
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