Sepphoris

[cartera]

Excavations of the Roman city of Sepphoris have uncovered numerous detailed mosaics depicting several readily identifiable animal species: a hare, a partridge, and various Mediterranean fish. Oddly, most of the species represented did not live in the Sepphoris region when these mosaics were created. Since identical motifs appear in mosaics found in other Roman cities, however, the mosaics of Sepphoris were very likely created by traveling artisans from some other part of the Roman Empire.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?
The Sepphoris mosaics are not composed exclusively of types of stones found naturally in the Sepphoris area.

There is no single region to which all the species depicted in the Sepphoris mosaics are native.

No motifs appear in the Sepphoris mosaics that do not also appear in the mosaics of some other Roman city.

All of the animal figures in the Sepphoris mosaics are readily identifiable as representations of known species.

There was not a common repertory of mosaic designs with which artisans who lived in various parts of the Roman Empire were familiar.


OA

SPOILER: E

What is wrong with

SPOILER: D

?

[bear&bull]

premise:

Some uncovered mosaics depict species that are not found in sepphoris region

These were found in some other regions

Conclusion :

Drawn by travelers.

Assumption :

D :

All of the animal figures in the Sepphoris mosaics are readily identifiable as representations of known species.


If all the figures in the sepphoris mossaics were available , local artisans would copy them

This would undermine the argument
HTH!

[manasdas]

What's wrong with C though?

[skale]

Originally Posted by manasdas

What's wrong with C though?

No motifs appear in the Sepphoris mosaics that do not also appear in the mosaics of some other Roman city.

This Implies that.. all motifs that appear in Sepphoris mosaics appear in the mosaics of some other Roman city.

This does not imply that traveling artisans created the mosaics in Sepphoris.

I think a good strategy for "assumption" is, to negate the statement's and determine which if correct would falsify the argument.

In this case E does, that. i.e. if there was a common design reference manual (etc) for artists living in different Roman cities then the argument's conclusion is false. Hence E.

[effective_factor]

E it is

[nitya34]

Good one it was