20. Archaeologist: A skeleton of a North American mastodon that became extinct at the peak of the Ice Age was recently discovered. It contains a human-made projectile dissimilar to any found in that part of Eurasia closest to North America. Thus, since Eurasians did not settle in North America until shortly before the peak of the Ice Age, the first Eurasian settlers in North America probably came from a more distant part of Eurasia.
Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the archaeologist’s argument?
ARGUMENT1: BECAUSE PROJECTILE IN NORTH AMERICAN(NA) SKELETONS DONOT RESEMBLE THE ONES FOUND IN EURASIA NEAR NA
ARGUMENT2:EURASIANS SETTLED IN NA BEFORE PEAK OF ICE AGE
CONCLUSION: EURASIAN SETTLERS IN NA WERE FROM DISTANT EURASIA
(A) The projectile found in the mastodon does not resemble any that were used in Eurasia before or during the Ice Age.
MAKES THE ARGUMENT TOTALLY INVALID BY STATING THAT SKELETONS WITH PROJECTILE WERE DISSIMILAR BECAUSE SUCH PROJECTILES WERE NOT IN USE IN EURASIA AS A WHOLE...SOUNDS GOOD
(B) The people who occupied the Eurasian area closest to North America remained nomadic throughout the Ice Age.
THOUGH THIS MIGHT MEAN THAT THESE WERE THE SAME PEOPLE WHO COULD BE FROM THE DISTANT PART OF EURASIA,IT COULD ALSO MEAN THAT THEY COULD HAVE BEEN FROM OUTSIDE EURASIA ALTOGETHER...DOUBTFUL
(C) The skeleton of a bear from the same place and time as the mastodon skeleton contains a similar projectile.
BEAR FORM SAME PLACE AND SAME TIME HAVING SIMILAR PROJECTILE MAKES SENSE AND STRNGHENS THE ARGUMENT (IF AT ALL)
(D) Other North American artifacts from the peak of the Ice Age are similar to ones from the same time found in more distant parts of Eurasia.
STRGNTHENS THE ARGUMENT THAT EURASIANS BEONGED FROM DISTANT EURASIA
(E) Climatic conditions in North America just before the Ice Age were more conducive to human habitation than were those in the part of Eurasia closest to North America at that time.
IT TALKS ABOUT THE CLIMATIC CONDITIONS OF 2 PLACES WHEN WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF EURASIANS SETTLING IN NA.