885 test C 9 考古题里的考古问题。 并谢谢大家！

yzlinlin

9.    Determining the authenticity of purported pre-Columbian artifacts is never easy. Carbon-14 dating of these artifacts is often impossible due to contamination by radioactive palladium (which occurs naturally in the soils of Central and South America). However, historians and anthropologists have evolved two reliable criteria, which, utilized in combination, have proven effective for dating these artifacts. First, because authentic pre-Columbian artifacts characteristically occur in a coarse, granular matrix that is shifted by major earthquakes, they often exhibit the unique scratch patterns known as gridding. In addition, true pre-Columbian artifacts show a darkening in surface color that is caused by centuries of exposure to the minute amounts of magnesium in the soil of the Americas.
The criteria above would be LEAST useful in judging the authenticity of which of the following?
(A) An ax head of black obsidian, unearthed from a kitchen midden
(B) A pottery bowl with a red ocher design, found in the ruins of a temple
(C) A set of gold ear weights, ornamented with jasper pendants
(D) A black feather cape from a king’s burial vault
(E) A multicolored woven sash found near the gravesite of a slave

答案D。
这题我是瞎猫碰死耗子，几次都蒙对了，但没有思路。麻烦NN指点。

很抱歉，我的提问有点地毯式轰炸的味道。这些考古题以前也做过，但没有深究它。现在是重新做，一题一题不管做对没做对，都问一堆为什么。

很有些内疚，苦了各位版主和好心的大家。别弄得大家以后看见我的帖子就高呼“狼来了”。

joice

thanks for the questions!

from the first sentence : when artifacts are in the soils, dating them is impossible

dating of these artifacts is often impossible due to contamination by radioactive palladium (which occurs naturally in the soils of central and south america)

(d) a black feather cape from a king’s burial vault

D. says that the cape is from a cemetery, or a underground room, the contamination by radioactive palladium is very likely to occur. so D is  least useful in judging the authenticity

? not quite sure, NN confirm please.

Fitty

The characteristics of authenticity by the new cretera are:
1. unique scratch patterns on surface
2. a darkening in surface color

Can you tell from "a black feather cape" whether it has these two characteristics?
That why we choose "d"