Argument Prompt
Woven baskets characterized by a particular distinctive pattern have previously been found only in the immediate vicinity of the prehistoric village of Palea and therefore were believed to have been made only by the Palean people. Recently, however, archaeologists discovered such a “Palean” basket in Lithos, an ancient village across the Brim River from Palea. The Brim River is very deep and broad, and so the ancient Paleans could have crossed it only by boat, and no Palean boats have been found. Thus it follows that the so called Palean baskets were not uniquely Palean.
Based on the above paragraph, write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.
Sample Response
The argument suggests that the "Palean" baskets were not solely made by the Palean people. This conclusion is based on the recent discovery of such a basket in Lithos, an ancient village across the deep and broad Brim River from Palea. However, to fully evaluate the argument, additional evidence is needed.
First, more information about the basket found in Lithos is required. For instance, it would be important to know if the basket was similar to the baskets found in Palea in terms of materials, size, and method of manufacture. This would help determine if the basket was made by Paleans or if it was a locally made copy.
In addition to this, the argument is based on the discovery of only one basket in Lithos, which could be a fluke or an isolated incident. It's possible that the basket was carried over from Palea by a natural event such as wind or flood.
Further, the argument assumes that the Brim River was deep and broad in prehistoric times, making it difficult for the Palean people to cross. However, it is possible that the river's depth and width changed over time, and that it was not always as deep and broad as it is today. If this were the case, the argument that the Paleans were unable to cross the river and make the basket in Lithos would be weakened.
The argument could be further weakened if evidence of boats or boat-making technology were found in Lithos. This would suggest that the people of Lithos were able to cross the Brim River, even if Paleans did not. This could give rise to the possibility that people of Lithos could have crossed over into Palea to trade with them, further weakening the claim that these baskets could have been made by people of lithos.
To fully evaluate the argument presented in the paragraph, additional evidence is needed to determine the origin of the basket found in Lithos, as well as evidence of trade or cultural exchange and evidence of Palean boat-making technology.
