The ancient city of Cephesa was not buried by an eruption of Mt. Amnos

No. A is a trap answer.

The ancient city of Cephesa was not buried by an eruption of Mt. Amnos in A.D. 310, as some believe. The eruption in the year 310 damaged the city, but it did not destroy it. Cephesa survived for another century before it finally met its destruction in another eruption around A.D. 415.

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the author's claim that the city of Cephesa was not buried by the eruption of Mt. Amnos in A.D. 310?


(A) The city of Cephesa is mentioned in a historical work known to have been written in A.D. 400.
Mere mentioning the city does not imply that the city wasn't destroyed. What if the historical work itself mentions that Cephesa was destroyed in A.D 310. INCORRECT

(B) Coins bearing the image of an emperor who lived around A.D. 410 have been discovered in the ruins of Cephesa, which were preserved by the cinders and ashes that buried the city.
CORRECT --> if the emperor lived post A.D 310, then definitely the city would have existed post that year.

(C) Geological evidence shows that the eruption of Mt. Amnos in A.D. 415 deposited a 10-foot-thick layer of lava on the city of Cephesa. OUT OF SCOPE.

(D) Artworks from the city of Cephesa have been found in the ruins of another city known to have been destroyed in A.D. 420.
INCORRECT--> The artworks could be from before 310.

(E) A historical work written in A.D. 430 refers to the eruption of Mt. Amnos in A.D. 415.
INCORRECT . eruption does not mean destroying or not destroying the city.


KUDOS if this helps!