Question

to survive, for on the scale of human history as a whole, the changes were both rapid and revolutionary. during a mere 7,500 years, between 11,500 and 4,000 years ago, agricultural communities with domesticated plants and animals appeared in at least three quite separate regions of the world, and perhaps as many as seven. excerpt from: david christian, maps of time: an introduction to big history (2011), 489. which of the following arguments regarding the relationship between polished stone tools and the emergence of agriculture is most defensible? choose 1 answer: a the emergence of polished stone tools caused the emergence of agriculture b the emergence of polished stone tools was unrelated to the emergence of agriculture c the emergence of agriculture caused the emergence of polished stone tools d the emergence of polished stone tools and agriculture were probably related, but whether one caused the other is unclear

Explanation:

To determine the most defensible argument, we analyze each option:

• Option A: Claiming that polished stone tools "caused" agriculture is too simplistic. While tools could aid agriculture, causation in one direction is hard to prove definitively from the given context.
• Option B: Saying they are "unrelated" is unlikely, as both were part of the Neolithic Revolution and likely interacted in some way (e.g., tools for farming tasks).
• Option C: Claiming agriculture "caused" polished stone tools is also overly simplistic. Tools could have developed for other reasons (e.g., hunting, processing food) and then adapted for agriculture, or vice versa.
• Option D: Acknowledges that the two developments (polished stone tools and agriculture) were likely related (as they occurred during the same broad historical period of the Neolithic Revolution) but that determining a clear causal direction (which caused which) is unclear. This is a more nuanced and defensible position, as historical developments often have complex, interrelated causes rather than simple one - way causation.

Answer:

D. The emergence of polished stone tools and agriculture were probably related, but whether one caused the other is unclear