Critical Reasoning

According to local tradition, Sultan Abu ibn
al-Hasan founded the East African trading
state of Kilwa in the mid-tenth century.
Professor Ascalon, however, argues that
Sultan al-Hasan did not rule in Kilwa until at
least a century later.
Which of the following, if true, provides the
strongest support for Professor Ascalon's
position?
A. The Hunsu Kubwa Palace, the largest
stone structure in sub-Saharan Africa
prior to the eighteenth century, dates to
the rule of Sultan Sulaiman in the
fourteenth century.
B. The oldest mosque on the island, which
has traditionally been attributed to the
reign of Abu ibn al-Hasan, has a
foundation dating to ca. 800 C.E.
C. The Kilwa Chronicle, a document based
on Kilwa oral history that has been shown
to be unreliable on matters of chronology,
dates the rise to power of Sultan al-Hasan
to the year 957 C.E.
D. Silver and copper coins bearing the name
of Abu ibn al-Hasan have been found in
archeological sites dating from the late
eleventh to the fourteenth centuries, but
none have been found in sites dating
earlier than the late eleventh century.
E. Archeological records suggest that the
island of Kilwa enjoyed a period of
economic prosperity beginning in the
mid-eleventh century.