apurva1985 wrote:
The teeth of some mammals show growth rings that result from the constant depositing of layers of cementum as opaque bands in summer and translucent bands in winter. Cross sections of pigs teeth found in an excavated Stone Age trash pit revealed bands of remarkably constant width except that the band deposited last, which was invariably translucent, was only about half the normal width.
The statements above most strongly support the conclusion that the animals died
(A) in an unusually early winter
(B) at roughly the same age
(C) roughly in midwinter
(D) in a natural catastrophe
(E) from starvation
Official Explanation
The argument states that opaque bands of cementum are deposited in summer and translucent bands in winter. It then states that the last band was “invariably” translucent and only half the normal width. This implies that the animals died in midwinter.
Thus the answer is (C).As to (A), if the animals died in an early winter, little or no translucent cementum would have been deposited. As to (B), the information in the passage indicates the time of year the animals died, not their age when they died. Finally, choices (D) and (E) are similarly flawed; the passage indicates when the animals died, not how they died.