A carved flint object depicting a stylized human head wi

If we're asked which answer choice would most weaken the argument, the correct choice does NOT have to disprove the argument. It simply has to create more doubt about the argument than every other answer choice.

You've identified the conclusion properly, including a key detail: the speaking staff is a communal object.


If (B) is true, then we normally wouldn't expect to see communal objects inside a tomb. Even if we expect to find a communal object in a tomb every now and then, this new information still weakens the conclusion, because it reduces the overall likelihood that this object was a communal object. That's is why we keep (B) around.

It seems like there's still a bit of doubt about choice (E), too. So let's take a look there, too:

Remember, the conclusion is that this object is the head of a speaking staff. We're concerned with what the object is, not what it symbolizes.

For instance, what if I told you that a speaking staff with a stone head is thought to symbolize a puppy's tail? Does this mean that the object is actually the tail of a young dog? If I revealed that a speaking staff with a stone head is thought to symbolize everlasting joy, this does not mean that the object is joy.

Absolutely no information about what this object symbolizes changes the fact that it remains the head of a speaking staff. That's why we eliminate (E).

(B) is definitely the best answer choice available. I hope this helps!