OG 11th Edition, CR # D21
Metal rings recently excavated from seventh century settlements in the western pat of Mexico were using the same metallurgical techniques as those used by Ecuadorian artisans before and during that period. These techniques are sufficiently complex to make their independent development in both areas unlikely. Since the people of these two areas were in cultural contact, archaeologists hypothesize that the metallurgical techniques used to make the rings found in Mexico were learned by Mexican artisans from Ecuadorian counterparts.
Which of the following would it be most useful to establish in order to evaluate the archaeologists’ hypothesis?
(A) Whether Metal objects were traded from Ecuador to western Mexico during the seventh century
(C) Whether artisans from western Mexico could have learned complex metallurgical
techniques from their Ecuadorian counterparts without actually leaving western Mexico
All, my diagramming is: Complex Techniques transferred from Ecuador --- western Mexico
( already in cultural contact).
Based on this statement, I chose C but the answer is A in OG. The explanation given in OG to discount C is very unconvincing. I argue that A is not the choice because: A talks about metal objects (boundary word) and also because it talks about trading. Compared to choice A, choice C talks about all the "right" stuff based on my diagram above namely, techniques, artisans, Ecuador to Mexico.
MY QUESTION: Can someone please explain why A is a better choice than C based on the diagramming I used or any other way he/she found to be useful?
Sorry for this rather lengthy question, but it really irks me when the GMAT strategies I have learned fall short in unraveling OG questions
Thanks,