The earliest Mayan pottery found at Colha, in Belize, is about 3,000 years old. Recently, however, 4,500-year-old stone agricultural implements were unearthed at Colha. These implements resemble Mayan stone implements of a much later period, also found at Colha. Moreover, the implements’ designs are strikingly different from the designs of stone implements produced by other cultures known to have inhabited the area in prehistoric times. Therefore, there were surely Mayan settlements in Colha 4,500 years ago.

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

(A) Ceramic ware is not known to have been used by the Mayan people to make agricultural implements.
(B) Carbon-dating of corn pollen in Colha indicates that agriculture began there around 4,500 years ago.
(C) Archaeological evidence indicates that some of the oldest stone implements found at Colha were used to cut away vegetation after controlled burning of trees to open areas of swampland for cultivation.
(D) Successor cultures at a given site often adopt the style of agricultural implements used by earlier inhabitants of the same site.
(E) Many religious and social institutions of the Mayan people who inhabited Colha 3,000 years ago relied on a highly developed system of agricultural symbols.


This is an OG question and I am not convinced with the explaination, though marked the correct OA by PoE.
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I picked (D) but I think (E) came very close too.

OA is D.
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I can't make any connections between the stem to A,B,C and E. Only D makes sense by providing alternative explanation to the implements (whatever it was!!)
stem: Mayan dated at 3000 ago
Earlier implement dated at 4500 ago
Mayan's implement resembled earlier implement
therefore Mayan dated to 4500 ago

Choice D:Mayan dated at 3000 ago
Earlier implement dated at 4500 ago
Mayan's implement resembled earlier implement
therefore Mayan copied earlier culture

+1 D
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Test Description_______Date____Total___Quant_____ Verbal
GMAT PREP1_____________________610
GMAX online test 1____29.07.2011__540_____43________19
MGMAT CAT 1_________03.09.2011__580____42________28
MGMAT CAT 2_________02.10.2011__690____48________36
GMAX online test 2_____16.10.2011__640____48________32
MGMAT CAT 3_________23.11.2011__670____47________34
Veritas free CAT______ 31.10.2011___630___ 46________33
MGMAT CAT 4_________06.11.2011__690____48________36
MGMAT CAT 5_________13.11.2011__660____46________34
MGMAT CAT 6_________19.11.2011__680____51________33
GMAT PREP2__________23.11.2011__680
GMAT Exam___________24.11.2011__690____50________34

The earliest Mayan pottery found at Colha, in Belize, is about 3,000 years old. Recently, however, 4,500-year-old stone agricultural implements were unearthed at Colha. These implements resemble Mayan stone implements of a much later period, also found at Colha. Moreover, the implements’ designs are strikingly different from the designs of stone implements produced by other cultures known to have inhabited the area in prehistoric times. Therefore, there were surely Mayan settlements in Colha 4,500 years ago.

Premise: Earliest Mayan pottery 3000 years old
But X that is 4500 years old also found
X different from all the other things made 4500 years ago
X resembles things that were made by mayans much later in the same place
Conclusion: Hence, Mayans were there 4500 years ago

Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?

(A) Ceramic ware is not known to have been used by the Mayan people to make agricultural implements. Irrelevant Nothing about Ceramic mentioned.
(B) Carbon-dating of corn pollen in Colha indicates that agriculture began there around 4,500 years ago. Talks about agriculture. The discussion is not about agriculture. It is about whether mayans were there 4500 years ago
(C) Archaeological evidence indicates that some of the oldest stone implements found at Colha were used to cut away vegetation after controlled burning of trees to open areas of swampland for cultivation. Irrelevant
(D) Successor cultures(Mayans of a much later period) at a given site often adopt the style of agricultural implements used by earlier inhabitants of the same site. This is the only option that weakens the argument. This statement says that other cultures at the same place adopt the style of agri. impl. used by earlier cultures in the same place. . Hence, those ppl who lived 4500 years ago may not have been mayans.
(E) Many religious and social institutions of the Mayan people who inhabited Colha 3,000 years ago relied on a highly developed system of agricultural symbols. Irrelevant

Agreed that the answer is D. I chose D too. But, in hindsight, I have one doubt.

See, the argument as follows:-

4500-yr old Stone implements found at Colha, which resemble ones used by Mayans at a later date. Fine.
But, the style and design of these implements hasn't been seen before in any culture. This means that this was a new style, never existed before.

Then how is D correct which says that Mayans copied this style from some other culture? So how can the Mayans take this / copy this style from any other culture? Because the stem says that "no culture ever had such style... "

Please help..