Archaeologists have found underwater etchings near the jungle city of

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Answer: C

STEP 1: Read the question and identify your task.
This is a Weaken question. The question prompts you to find the statement among the answers that most weakens the argument.

STEP 2: Read the argument with your task in mind.
You need to read the argument and discover the central basis for its conclusion, then formulate what kind of answer will weaken that basis. In this case, the argument reveals a discovery that leads archaeologists to believe that a larger, more permanent civilization existed in the Brazilian Amazon.

STEP 3: Know what you’re looking for.
A weakening statement may indicate that a smaller, less permanent civilization was responsible for the etchings.

STEP 4: Read every word of every answer choice.
Answer A uses words like large and established to strengthen the conclusion that there was a well-developed civilization in the Amazon, so this cannot be the correct answer. Answer B offers irrelevant facts and no insight into the nomadic or permanent nature of the civilization. It only relates to the sophistication of either form. Answer C reveals a discovery of similar etchings 100 miles away by a “nomadic” artist. You can infer that the artist was a member of a nomadic civilization as was originally thought before the discovery. This weakens the argument and would seem to be your answer. Regarding answer D, the argument does not say the civilizations in question did not exist before the 2,000-year flood window, and this answer also does not address the nomadic or permanent nature of the civilization. Answer E is interesting but does not weaken the argument as well as Answer C. While the content of the etchings is relevant, they do not necessarily prove the nature of the civilization since they could be depictions of previous civilizations or other civilizations. The correct choice is answer C.