16Hit1600
Information and IdeasEasy–MediumLocating the evidence for a claim

Information and Ideas practice question

The town's oldest pub claims a founding date of 1189, but the earliest document naming it is a tax roll from 1573. The claim rests on a beam in the cellar whose wood, tested in 2004, was felled in the 1180s — though the beam could have been reused from an older building.

According to the text, what is the evidence for the pub's claimed founding date?

  1. A. A cellar beam whose wood was felled in the 1180s.Correct
  2. B. A tax roll from 1573.
  3. C. A document written in 1189.
  4. D. A test carried out in 1189.

Answer: A. A cellar beam whose wood was felled in the 1180s.

The text says the claim 'rests on a beam in the cellar' dated to the 1180s.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. A tax roll from 1573.
The tax roll is the earliest DOCUMENT, from 1573 — nearly four centuries later.
C. A document written in 1189.
No document from 1189 exists, according to the text.
D. A test carried out in 1189.
The test was carried out in 2004.

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