Logical Reasoning

PT128 · S2 · Q17 Archaeologists excavating a Neanderthal campsite

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Archaeologists excavating a Neanderthal campsite found discarded gazelle teeth there whose coloration indicated that gazelles had been hunted throughout the year.

Conclusion (concluded / thus)

The Neanderthals inhabited this campsite year-round and thus were not nomadic.

Evidence

The gazelle teeth we found at the campsite were hunted throughout the year.

Meanwhile, at a campsite of Cro-Magnon nomads, we found gazelle teeth that were all killed during the same season.

Evaluate

Since the author is looking at archaeological evidence and interpreting its meaning / significance / backstory, we can se our Explain Curious Fact mindset.

Curious Fact ... Why are we finding a year's worth of gazelle teeth at this Neanderthal campsite?

Author's Explanation ... The Neanderthals lived at the campsite year-round and hunted gazelle all year.

Whenever we use this template, we know we're supposed to ask ourselves: 1. Could there be some Alternate Explanation for the curious fact? 2. How plausible is the Author's Explanation?

If we were trying to defend the Anti-Conclusion, that these Neanderthals didn't live at the campsite year round or were nomads, then how could we explain the year's worth of gazelle teeth?

Maybe they roamed all around, saving gazelle teeth wherever they went (perhaps they used it to make jewelry), and they were at this campsite for a bit and happened to lose their stash?

How could we hurt the plausibility of the story that they camped here year-round and hunted gazelle throughout the year?

Maybe we could say this campsite wouldn't have been survivable during certain weather extremes throughout a year. Maybe we could say that you wouldn't be able to hunt gazelle for a full year from this campsite, because the gazelle aren't always close enough to the campsite for Neanderthals to go hunt them and then return to the campsite by bedtime.

Goal

Since this is Weaken, we primarily expect an Alternate Explanation for why there's a year's worth of gazelle teeth at this campsite.

But we'll also consider any answer that hurts the plausibility of the storyline that the Neanderthals stayed at this site year round, hunting gazelle.

17.

Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the archaeologists' reasoning?

Neanderthals hunted a wide variety
Mixed Impact
For a group to hunt a migratory animal would potentially support the idea that the group itself is migratory / nomadic. Its hard to hunt a species that migrates if you just return to the same address every night. However, you could certainly be sedentary and hunt a migratory animal during the season when it rolls through your hood. Similarly, hunting a nonmigratory animal makes it sound like you stay put in one area. But you could be a nomad and just happen to hunt the nonmigratory animals that are local to whatever area you're passing through. Since this answer suggests both that Neanderthals were and weren't nomads, it doesn't really have any clear impact on the conversation.
6% picked this
Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals sometimes exchanged
No Impact / Weak
Words that only connote one data point (like some, sometimes, may, could, can, possible, not always, need not) are almost always wrong on Strengthen / Weaken / Paradox / Sufficient Assumption. Even if the language were stronger than "at least one time they exchanged tools", this still wouldn't have any impact. Who cares if they exchange tools? That doesn't give us an alternate explanation for the year's supply of gazelle teeth, nor does it impugn the story that Neanderthals lived at this camp year round, hunting gazelle.
6% picked this
Correct
Neanderthals saved gazelle teeth for
Why this is right
Here's the Alternate Explanation we were looking for. This let's us argue that, "Neanderthals were nomads. They weren't living at this campsite year round. The real reason there was a year's supply of gazelle teeth at this site is that the Neanderthals would save teeth as they roamed around hunting, and then they would use them in religious ceremonies, and then discard them." So this is allowing us to say, "Maybe we found a year's worth of teeth at this campsite because the Neanderthals had one of their famous tooth-laden religious rituals here and then discarded the year's worth of teeth when they shipped out of town toward their next destination." Pretty crazy, right? There's a lot of story we have to fill-in here to understand how this answer works. It's very important that we understand the Explain Curious Fact template so that we're actively listening for Alternate Explanations, because otherwise it's pretty impossible to understand what value this answer could have for us.
Skill tested: Weaken · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
68% picked this
Cro-Magnons usually followed the migrations
No Impact
We're not concerned about what the Cro-Magnons did. We know they were nomads and so the fact that they followed migratory animals sounds totally on-brand.
10% picked this
Gazelles inhabited the area around
Strengthens
This helps the plausibility of the author's hypothesis. If there weren't gazelles near this campsite year-round, it would make the author's story sound impossible: how could the Neanderthals be living at this campsite and hunting gazelle year round if there are at least some parts of the year when there are no gazelles around?
10% picked this

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