Examkin

Soru

Zorluk: ZorWeaken

Archaeologist: Microscopic analysis of dental calculus from Bronze Age human remains excavated at a high-altitude settlement in the Tian Shan mountains revealed starch granules from cultivated broomcorn millet. Because wild millet cannot grow at these elevations and historical linguistic models indicate that local populations lacked farming terminology until centuries later, the excavators concluded that these highlanders obtained all their millet through trade with distant lowland farming societies.

Which of the following statements, if true, most seriously undermine the excavators' conclusion? (Select all that apply.)

  1. Strontium isotope analyses of the skeletal remains indicate that these individuals spent their childhood and early adulthood in lowland farming settlements before moving to the high-altitude site.Cevap
  2. B
    Excavations at contemporary lowland farming settlements have uncovered highland wool textiles and ornamental stones that originated specifically from the mountain site.
  3. Microclimate analysis and soil cores from the mountain settlement demonstrate that sheltered micro-basins supported the opportunistic seasonal cultivation of early-maturing millet without specialized agricultural techniques.Cevap
  4. D
    Botanical surveys at the excavation site show that wild broomcorn millet readily propagated and grew abundantly across high-altitude mountain slopes throughout the Bronze Age.
  5. E
    Ceramic vessels and grinding slabs recovered from the high-altitude site were primarily utilized to process native alpine tubers, nuts, and wild game.

Cevap

The statements indicating that the individuals lived in lowland farming settlements prior to migrating to the mountain site, and that sheltered micro-basins at the site supported local cultivation of early-maturing millet, both undermine the conclusion.
Both correct statements introduce new evidence that directly challenges the author's inferential leaps: one establishes an alternative explanation for the dental calculus (that individuals ate millet while living in the lowlands before migrating to the highlands), and the other establishes that local cultivation was environmentally feasible in micro-basins despite the general regional elevation constraints and the absence of specialized agricultural vocabulary.

Adım Adım Çözüm

1
Analyze the stimulus argument to isolate premises and the main conclusion.
Premises: Starch granules of broomcorn millet were identified in dental calculus from high-altitude human remains; wild millet cannot grow at high altitudes; linguistic reconstructions show no farming vocabulary until centuries later. Conclusion: Highlanders acquired all their millet via trade with distant lowland farmers.
Deconstructing the argument isolates the inferential gap between physical evidence of consumption and the claim of trade dependency.
2
Identify unstated assumptions and reasoning vulnerabilities.
The author assumes that calculus deposits reflect dietary intake solely during residence at the high-altitude site, that lack of formal farming vocabulary precludes all local cultivation, and that trade is the sole possible mechanism.
Uncovering implicit assumptions highlights how alternative explanations sever the link between premises and conclusion.
3
Evaluate each statement to determine whether it provides counter-evidence against the conclusion.
The statement showing prior lowland residence provides an alternative origin for the dental deposits (migration), and the statement showing micro-basin cultivation provides an alternative origin for the crop (local growing), both undermining the conclusion.
Multi-select weaken questions require identifying all independent choices that undermine the argument's central claim.

Anahtar Kavram

Weaken Arguments via Alternative Explanations and Unstated Assumptions
Tahmini Süre:2m 0s
Bu soruyu puanla

Konular

Weaken

Bu konudan daha fazla soru