Q7 - Newspaper article: Recently discovered clay tablets

[Misti Duvall]

Question Type:
Necessary Assumption

Stimulus Breakdown:
Some clay tablets recently discovered in southern Egypt date from between 3300 and 3200 B.C. and appear to contain literary writing. So these tablets challenge the idea that Sumerians in Mesopotamia were the first to create literature.

Answer Anticipation:
Immediately I see a jump in the conclusion to an idea about who was the first to create literature. Interesting, since we don't have any information about the timeframe for Sumerian literature. Probably not the only issue with the argument, so let's keep an open mind, but always note any significant shifts in the conclusion.

Correct answer:
(C)

Answer choice analysis:
(A) It doesn't matter how many of the tablets contain literary writing. Even if it is just one of them, that doesn't hurt the conclusion, since one could still challenge the idea that the Sumerians were the first to creat literature. Eliminate.

(B) This also doesn't hurt the conclusion if negated. We're only talking about two civilizations here, and even if not every civilization that kept tax records kept other written records, the conclusion can still hold. Eliminate.

(C) If we negate: historians believe the Sumerians DID create literature before 3300 B.C. So this destroys the idea that finding literary writing between 3300 and 3200 B.C. from another civilization means the Sumerians weren't the first. It's the correct answer. Also note it fits in pretty well with the jump I noted in the conclusion up front. That's not always the case with necessary assumption questions (sometimes the answer is an assumption you didn't think of), but it's always helpful to note the jump the conclusion makes.

(D) Negated this would help the argument! (If no historians are skeptical about the authenticity of the tablets.) Eliminate.

(E) Also helps the argument if negated. (If the Sumerian civilization didn't arise during that timeframe, it could have been earlier.) Eliminate.

Takeaway/Pattern:
Noting the jump the conclusion makes can help you see the gap between the premise and the conclusion. And don't forget to negate answers for necessary assumption questions - if it's the correct answer, it will destroy the argument when negated.

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