ykaiim
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.
Earliest Mayan pottery found at Colha is about 3,000 years old (so we think that first Mayans might have lived at that time)
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. (perhaps 3000 or 2000 yrs old)
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. (the design is different from designs on other cultures known to have inhabited there so it increases the probability that they look like Mayan implements not because all implements of those times look the same but because they are Mayan implements.
Conclusion:
Therefore, there were surely Mayan settlements in Colha 4,500 years ago.Mayans existed 4500 years ago.
Because implements very similar to Mayan implements and different from other implements of those times were found 4500 years ago in Colha, we are concluding that Mayans lived in Colha 4500 years ago.
We need to weaken this. How can we do that? If we say that another civilisation lived at that time who used these implements and Mayans inherited their implements later, then we can weaken that Mayans lived 4500 years ago.
(A) Ceramic ware is not known to have been used by the Mayan people to make agricultural implements.
We are talking about stone implements.
(B) Carbon-dating of corn pollen in Colha indicates that agriculture began there around 4,500 years ago.
If agriculture began around 4500 years ago and we found agricultural implements of 4500 year ago, it is consistent with our argument. It doesn't impact that Mayans lived 4500 yrs 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 to our argument.
(D) Successor cultures at a given site often adopt the style of agricultural implements used by earlier inhabitants of the same site.
Correct. This weakens our conclusion. It is possible that some other civilisation lived in Colha and used these implements 4500 yrs ago, and Mayans were the successor culture of that civilisation so they adopted their style of agricultural implements. Then Mayans may not have lived 4500 years ago and may have just been the successors of another civilisation that lived 4500 years ago.
(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
Answer (D)