The cumbersome spears that were the principal weapons used by certain

Question

The cumbersome spears that were the principal weapons used by certain tribes in the early Bronze Age precluded widespread casualties during intertribal conflicts. But the comparatively high number of warrior tombs found in recent excavations of the same tribes’ late Bronze Age settlements indicates that in the late Bronze Age, wars between these tribes were frequent, and the casualty rate was high. Hence some archaeologists claim that by the late Bronze Age, these tribes had developed new methods of warfare designed to inflict many casualties.

Which one of the following, if true, most supports the archaeologists’ claim?

(A) A royal tomb dating to the early Bronze Age contained pottery depicting battle scenes in which warriors use spears.

(B) There is evidence that many buildings dating to the late Bronze Age were built by prisoners of war taken in battles between enemy tribes.

(C) Scenes of violent warfare, painted in bright hues, frequently appear on pottery that has been found in some early Bronze Age tombs of warriors.

(D) Some tombs of warriors dating to the late Bronze Age contain armor and weapons that anthropologists believe were trophies taken from enemies in battle.

(E) The marks on the bones of many of the late Bronze Age warriors whose tombs were excavated are consistent with the kind of wounds inflicted by arrowheads also found in many late Bronze Age settlements.

daagh · Answer

E must be the most supportive answer since it corroborates the cause of death of warriors in the late bronze age to the arrowheads that were used in that period.

Gokul20 · Answer

Can someone explain why D is wrong here ? 
Is it because the anthropologists believe the armor and the weapons to be from the enemies and not a proof of usage by the tribes? 
Also it is stated as intertribal conflicts. In that sense, the enemies should also be some other tribes, which supports that these tribes had developed new methods of warfare. Is my understanding correct here or am I missing something here ?

DaniyalAlwani · Answer

Can someone please explain why D is wrong?

Aviral1995 · Answer

We need to support the argument that- these tribes had developed new methods of warfare designed to inflict many casualties.

But D doesn't support this. Even if it supports there is better support than B in E
Hope this helps!

bacseialex · Answer

Gokul20   DaniyalAlwani

Hello

Here is my approach:

The conclusion of the argument is: these tribes  had developed  new methods of warfare designed to inflict many casualties.
So we have to find an answer choice that supports this conclusion.

Now let's take a look at answer choices (D) and (E):

This answer choice basically is saying that the warriors have taken some armor and weapons as trophies. They did  not developed  this weapons. Also we don't know what kind of weapons they are. They can be the same spears.

So, this answer choice is out of scope. (D) is out.

This answer choice is saying that the wounds are the same as the wounds found later.

Let's imagine the following scenario:

- in the year 2500 BC: They used spears and some other new methods(developed), and the wounds looked like X.
- in the year 1500 BC( a 1000 years later ): They used other weapons, but the wounds looked still like X.

Clearly, these "other weapons" from 1500 BC were "some other new methods" developed in the year 2500 BC(1000 years earlier).

Hence, this answer choice supports our conclusion.

IMO (E) is the answer.

Hope this is clear.
Cheers,

agrasan · Answer

Hi  KarishmaB   MartyMurray

Can we say D is wrong because it doesn't show that the weapons  caused high casualties , nor does it prove that there were  new methods of warfare  designed to be more deadly. It just shows that weapons were captured, which is not enough to support the archaeologists' conclusion.

MartyMurray · Answer

Yes, that's why (D) doesn't work.

The cumbersome spears that were the principal weapons used by certain

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The cumbersome spears that were the principal weapons used by certain

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