pottery wheel !

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pottery wheel !

by himu » Wed Sep 10, 2014 9:02 pm
During a recent excavation, fragments of a ceremonial urn dating back around 1500 years were discovered in a New Mexico canyon. Prior to this finding, it was believed that the Pueblo tribes who lived in the area around that time made their pottery by hand. However, further investigation revealed that the light brown clay used to create the urn, popularly known as 'golden clay,' could only have been fashioned into an urn with the use of a pottery wheel.


Which of the following, if true, would, together with the information above, provide the best basis for the conclusion that the fragments of the urn are evidence that the Pueblos used the pottery wheel?
A. The remains of a pottery wheel have been unearthed at a Pueblo site in Utah, a finding that predates the discovery of the urn fragments.
B. There is undeniable evidence that the Pueblo tribes who lived in the New Mexico area a millennium ago made frequent use of the pottery wheel.
C. Flooding can soften the texture of clay to an extent that it can easily be molded by hand, and there is evidence that the now-dry canyon once received a considerable amount of rainfall.
D. Golden clay is commonly used by modern-day descendants of the Pueblos to create decorative pieces that can only be made by artists who have mastered the use of the pottery wheel.
E. An examination of the surface of the urn fragments has revealed traces of an iron oxide called hematite that was a common ingredient of the paint used in the Pueblo rock art found in caves.

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by BTGmoderatorAT » Fri Sep 15, 2017 6:28 am
I believed the answer is "E"

Designing is already a part of Pueblos daily lives. The most common tools they used for their designs are paints made from boiled plants or hematites.

Experts, please validate my statement....

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by Vincen » Tue Oct 03, 2017 5:00 pm
I think it should be B. It is the option which most supports that Pueblos used the pottery wheel. Isn't it?

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by ErikaPrepScholar » Thu Oct 12, 2017 9:40 am
Hey all,

The key to this problem is that we need to prove that the urn was made by the Pueblo tribes that lived in the area at that time, not some other group. Right now, we know that the urn was probably made with a pottery wheel, but we don't know that it was the Pueblos who made it.

A. Tells us about a group of Pueblos in another place in another time. This doesn't tell us anything about whether or not Pueblos made the urn in question. Eliminate.
B. Tells us about Pueblos from the same place, but another time. This still doesn't tell us anything about our urn. Eliminate.
C. Tells us that our urn could actually have been made by hand. So even if the Pueblos did make the urn, they didn't necessarily use a pottery wheel! This weakens our argument. Eliminate.
D. Tells us that modern-day Pueblos use golden clay on pottery wheels. Maybe this is evidence of a long-term tradition, but that's a serious assumption. We still don't know anything about our urn. Eliminate.
E. Tells us that Pueblos most likely made the urn, since it has features in common with Pueblo rock art. This is what we were looking for! Correct.
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