Information and IdeasVery hardInferring a cause from a pattern
Information and Ideas practice question
The manuscript's ink has faded unevenly. The passages copied by the first scribe remain sharply legible, while those written by the second scribe, on the same pages and stored under the same conditions, have nearly vanished.
Based on the text, which statement is most reasonable?
- A. The two scribes used inks of different quality.Correct
- B. The second scribe wrote more pages than the first.
- C. The first scribe was more skilled at forming letters.
- D. The manuscript is a modern forgery.
Answer: A. The two scribes used inks of different quality.
Same pages, same storage — the only variable that differs between the legible and vanished passages is who wrote them. The most reasonable cause is a difference in their inks.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. The second scribe wrote more pages than the first.
- How much each scribe wrote wouldn't explain why one's ink faded and the other's didn't.
- C. The first scribe was more skilled at forming letters.
- Skill at forming letters affects how writing looks, not whether the ink survives.
- D. The manuscript is a modern forgery.
- Nothing in the text points to forgery; uneven fading is a common feature of genuine old documents.
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