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Information and IdeasHardEvidence for a claim about a well's age

Information and Ideas practice question

An archaeologist claims that a stone-lined well in a farmyard is medieval, not, as the farmer believes, Victorian.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the claim?

  1. A. The well's lining is built of the same dressed stone, with the same mason's marks, as the ruined medieval priory a mile away, and pottery of the 1300s was found in its lowest silt.Correct
  2. B. The well is still used to water cattle.
  3. C. Victorian farms often had wells.
  4. D. The well is deeper than most wells in the county.

Answer: A. The well's lining is built of the same dressed stone, with the same mason's marks, as the ruined medieval priory a mile away, and pottery of the 1300s was found in its lowest silt.

Matching medieval stone and dated pottery.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. The well is still used to water cattle.
Use does not date it.
C. Victorian farms often had wells.
Supports the farmer, if anything.
D. The well is deeper than most wells in the county.
Depth does not date it.

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