Art Historian: The recently discovered frescoes in the ancient city of Veridia, depicting scenes of daily life, must have been created by indigenous Veridian artists. This is because the style of the frescoes is distinctly different from that of known Roman or Greek art, and Veridia was a remote settlement with little contact with other major civilizations at the time.
- AArchaeological evidence suggests that Veridia was a major trading hub, not a remote settlement, during the period the frescoes were created.
- BThe techniques used to prepare the walls for the frescoes are consistent with those found in other ancient settlements in the broader region.
- CThe pigments used in the Veridian frescoes are chemically identical to those found in contemporaneous Roman art.
- DWhile distinct, the style of the Veridian frescoes shares some thematic elements with art from a previously unknown neighboring civilization.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Archaeological evidence suggests that Veridia was a major trading hub, not a remote settlement, during the period the frescoes were created.
The historian concludes the frescoes were by indigenous artists based on two premises: distinct style AND remote settlement/little contact. Option B directly attacks the 'remote settlement' premise, arguing that Veridia was a *major trading hub*. If Veridia had extensive contact, then the distinct style doesn't necessarily mean it was indigenous; it could have been influenced by or created by artists from other, perhaps unknown, civilizations that visited the hub, thus severely weakening the causal link to indigenous creation.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Consistency in wall preparation techniques suggests regional commonalities, but doesn't directly speak to the *style* of the frescoes or the *identity* of the artists, which are the core of the historian's argument.
- C. While interesting, the chemical composition of pigments doesn't directly contradict the distinctiveness of the *style* or the claim of indigenous origin; pigments could be traded.
- D. This introduces another potential influence, which could slightly weaken the 'indigenous' claim, but not as strongly as directly contradicting the 'remote settlement' premise.
Attacking a Premise
Attacking a premise is a method of weakening an argument by demonstrating that one of its foundational statements, upon which the conclusion rests, is false, unsubstantiated, or highly doubtful. If a premise is false, the conclusion derived from it cannot be reliably true.
- Targets the truthfulness of the evidence itself.
- Directly undermines the foundation of the argument.
- Distinguish from attacking the *reasoning* or *conclusion*.
Memory trick: Knock down a foundational brick, and the whole wall trembles.