In the 1970s, a roughly 60,000-year-old piece of hyena bone marked with nine notches was discovered at a site in western France once inhabited by Neanderthals. Although many believe that only modern humans developed systems for notating numbers, one archaeologist asserts that this artifact may be a sign that Neanderthals also recorded numerical information. The notches on the bone are unevenly spaced but approximately parallel, and microscopic analysis reveals that they were made with a single stone tool; according to the archaeologist, this suggests that the notches were all made at one time by one individual as a means of counting something.

Question

In the 1970s, a roughly 60,000-year-old piece of hyena bone marked with nine notches was discovered at a site in western France once inhabited by Neanderthals. Although many believe that only modern humans developed systems for notating numbers, one archaeologist asserts that this artifact may be a sign that Neanderthals also recorded numerical information. The notches on the bone are unevenly spaced but approximately parallel, and microscopic analysis reveals that they were made with a single stone tool; according to the archaeologist, this suggests that the notches were all made at one time by one individual as a means of counting something.

Which finding, if true, would most directly weaken the underlined claim?
Choose 1 answer:
Choose 1 answer:
(Choice A) Parallel lines are a common feature in modern humans’ early systems for recording numerical information.
A
Parallel lines are a common feature in modern humans’ early systems for recording numerical information.
(Choice B) More than nine approximately parallel notches made with a different stone tool are present on another artifact found at a site in western France.
B
More than nine approximately parallel notches made with a different stone tool are present on another artifact found at a site in western France.
(Choice C) It would have taken careful effort to make evenly spaced lines on bone with the stone tools typically used by Neanderthals.
C
It would have taken careful effort to make evenly spaced lines on bone with the stone tools typically used by Neanderthals.
(Choice D) Decorative art discovered at another Neanderthal site in western France primarily features patterns of unevenly spaced parallel lines.
D
Decorative art discovered at another Neanderthal site in western France primarily features patterns of unevenly spaced parallel lines.

Answer 1

(Choice B) More than nine approximately parallel notches made with a different stone tool are present on another artifact found at a site in western France.

If more artifacts with similar notches made with different tools are found, it suggests that the notches may not be unique to a single individual or made for the purpose of counting, weakening the claim that the notches on the original bone were used for numerical recording.