uytrebla Posted February 23, 2003 Share Posted February 23, 2003 Question 83, official guide 9th edition Excavation of the ancient city of Kourion on the island of Cyprus revealed a pattern of debris and collapsed buildings typical of town devastated by earthquakes. Archaeologists have hypothesized that the destruction was due to a major earthquake known to have occurred near the island in a.d. 365. which of the following, if true, most strongly supports the archaeologists' hypothesis? (B) No coins minted after A.D. 365 were found in Kourion, but coins mnted before that year were found in abundance. © Most modern histories of Cyprus mention that an earthquake occurred near the island in A.D. 365. Answer: choice B. No coins minted after a.d. 365 were found in Kourion, but coins mnted before that year were found in abundance. Question: why not choice C, as it provides the most important evidence (that earthquake did occur) needed to support the hypothesis. Also, I don't see how coins give support to the hypothesis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christation Posted February 23, 2003 Share Posted February 23, 2003 Yes, Choice B is correct. The core of the argument is "earthquake took place in A.D.365". The changes before and after A.D.365 increase the possibility of the major earthquake. That is to say, if you want to support a conclusion, the answer does not have to be perfect! However, C uses modern histories, which are not objective evidence, and it just repeat the conclusion, no new evidence! So, can you understand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridger Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 whoa! So few people here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 !trebla ,olleH ;) Good question! First, B is a pretty good answer because it shows that something was happening consistently and then stopped abruptly--coins were being cranked out at a steady clip, then in 365 A.D., STOPPED! Remember the #1 rule for all tests, especially ETS tests: read each question carefully, as if a $100 million decision depended on it. I think you've missed the point of the question here--to establish that damage resulted from the earthquake, not just that the earthquake occurred! As you know, we get earthquakes here all the time, with little or no damage. So B establishes a possible cause for the disruption in the minting of new coins. C establishes only that the earthquake happened, but the question stem already grants that the earthquake occurred ("a major earthquake known to have occurred"). Furthermore, in general ETS CR does not like to use "secondhand evidence" as support for the veracity of something. ETS much prefers more direct evidence to support claims, not the opinions of others. In class, I refer to this as "Research shows/studies show/Many scientists say..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheUltimateWinner Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 !trebla ,olleH ;) Good question! First, B is a pretty good answer because it shows that something was happening consistently and then stopped abruptly--coins were being cranked out at a steady clip, then in 365 A.D., STOPPED! Remember the #1 rule for all tests, especially ETS tests: read each question carefully, as if a $100 million decision depended on it. I think you've missed the point of the question here--to establish that damage resulted from the earthquake, not just that the earthquake occurred! As you know, we get earthquakes here all the time, with little or no damage. So B establishes a possible cause for the disruption in the minting of new coins. C establishes only that the earthquake happened, but the question stem already grants that the earthquake occurred ("a major earthquake known to have occurred"). Furthermore, in general ETS CR does not like to use "secondhand evidence" as support for the veracity of something. ETS much prefers more direct evidence to support claims, not the opinions of others. In class, I refer to this as "Research shows/studies show/Many scientists say..." hi, Erin ,,,What does it mean: $100 million decision depended on it..thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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