One of the most vexing problems

Answer choices

1. A

   Too Strong: no plausible / most1% picked this

   We have no plausible chronology of most of the events for which attempts have been made by historians

   This paragraph wouldn't allow us to say something so harsh and precise: in more than 50% of cases in which historians tried to figure out the date on their own, we still don't have a single, plausible date We know that "on occasion", historians are unsuccessful at finding out dates on their own.

   1%
2. B

   Correct71% picked this

   Some of the events for which there are conflicting chronologies and for which attempts have been made by historians to determine the right date

   Why this is right

   This is the meaning behind the last sentence. The last sentence obnoxiously does not make explicit that we are still talking about situations in which there conflicting chronologies. But it's a derivable contextual implication. Why would historians be trying to independently determine "which of the sources is more likely to be right" if the sources all agreed to the same date? So we know there are conflicting accounts, and the historians on occasion are unsuccessful at figuring out which date is correct. Thus, sometimes the right date cannot be dated reliably by historians.

   Skill tested: Most Supported · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

   71%
3. C

   Too Strong: any / requires14% picked this

   Attaching a reliable date to any event requires determining which of several conflicting chronologies is most

   This passage never used conditional, maximalist language like "any / requires". It's entirely possible that sometimes historians attach a reliable date to an event without having to determine which of several conflicting chronologies is most likely to be true. After all, it's possible that some events are well-documented and all the sources agree when it occurred (like Pearl Harbor or 9/11, days that live in infamy).

   14%
4. D

   Too Strong: Ineffective4% picked this

   Determining independently of the usual sources which of several conflicting chronologies is more likely to be right is an

   We have some counter-support for this idea because the last sentence suggests that it is the exception, not the rule, when historians are unsuccessful in independently determining the right date. The author hasn't expressed pessimism about historians' attempting to determine independently which of the correct dates is the right one.

   4%
5. E

   Too Strong: Soundest10% picked this

   The soundest approach to dating an event for which the usual sources give conflicting chronologies is to undermine the credibility of as

   The author doesn't use any strong language besides "the most vexing problems" in the first sentence. She does not award some approach the honor of being the #1 soundest approach.

   10%