Historian: In the fourteenth and fifteenth

Answer choices

1. A

   Not an Objection4% picked this

   fails to address adequately the possibility that the Oromo people did not use the

   This answer suggests the Oromo might not have used the structures as tombs. But the argument's claim is about architectural influence, not about the specific function of the structures. Even if the Oromo used pillar-and-panel structures for different purposes, the architectural similarity still suggests cultural contact and potential influence. The historian's conclusion is about the transmission of an architectural style, and the specific use to which the structures were put does not affect whether the style was shared and who influenced whom. The real flaw is about directionality, not about functional differences.

   4%
2. B

   Bad Premise Match18% picked this

   concludes, simply because one event occurred earlier than another event, that the first event caused

   This answer describes a post hoc ergo propter hoc flaw — concluding that because one event preceded another, the first caused the second. But the historian's argument does not establish any temporal sequence. The historian never claims the Oromo had the structures before the Swahili. In fact, the absence of temporal evidence is precisely the flaw — the historian assumes a direction of influence without establishing chronological priority. This answer describes a flaw that would require the historian to have claimed chronological precedence, which the historian did not. The actual flaw is the failure to consider that the chronological relationship might run in the opposite direction.

   18%
3. C

   Not Ever a Flaw10% picked this

   draws a restricted conclusion from premises that provide strong support for a

   Drawing a restricted conclusion from strong premises is not a flaw — it is actually a logical virtue. If the premises strongly support a broader conclusion and the argument draws a narrower one, the argument is being appropriately cautious. The historian's conclusion includes the hedge "to some extent," which is indeed a restricted claim. But being cautious is not a logical error. The problem with the argument is not that the conclusion is too narrow — it is that the direction of influence is assumed without evidence. This answer describes something praiseworthy about the argument's structure rather than identifying its actual weakness.

   10%
4. D

   Too Strong20% picked this

   takes for granted that there was no third civilization responsible for creating the first tombs of the kind found in both

   This answer suggests the argument should have considered whether a third civilization created the original structures. While this is a conceivable alternative explanation, it is less central than the primary flaw. The historian already noted that these structures "are unknown among any other people with whom the Swahili civilization had contact," which partially addresses the third-party concern for known contacts. The more fundamental flaw is simpler: even if only two groups are involved, the argument fails to establish which one influenced the other. The direction of influence between the two known groups is the critical unaddressed question, not the existence of an unknown third party.

   20%
5. E

   Correct48% picked this

   takes for granted that the Oromo people began constructing tombs with large pillars and paneled facades earlier than

   Why this is right

   This answer identifies the argument's central flaw: the historian assumes the Oromo had these structures before the Swahili did, without providing any evidence for that temporal ordering. The argument establishes that both groups share a distinctive architectural feature not found among other Swahili contacts. This supports the inference that influence occurred between the two groups. But influence is directional, and the shared feature alone does not indicate which direction. The Swahili could have developed the style first and transmitted it to the Oromo. By concluding that "Swahili culture was influenced by Oromo culture," the historian assumes the Oromo had temporal priority — a claim the evidence does not establish. Without knowing who built the structures first, the argument cannot determine the direction of influence.

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

   48%