Question 139·Hard·Cross-Text Connections
Text 1
Archaeologist Miriam Brooks and colleagues cataloged more than 2,300 clay tablets from three Iron Age settlements in the Kalzu basin. They found that most complete tablets shared nearly identical dimensions and shallow guide grooves placed at fixed intervals. Brooks argues that this degree of standardization indicates a regionwide bureaucratic authority imposing consistent record-keeping formats, similar to those seen in later imperial archives.
Text 2
Cultural historian Ren Takeda reexamines the Kalzu tablets alongside comparable finds from neighboring valleys. He contends that uniform sizes can arise without central coordination: apprentices copy dimensions used in dominant workshops, and the ergonomics of a hand-held stylus favor a narrow range of widths. Takeda also notes that tablets bearing official seals cluster almost entirely at one site, implying local oversight rather than regionwide control. He concludes that dimensional uniformity alone is weak evidence for a broader bureaucracy.
Based on the texts, how would Takeda (Text 2) most likely characterize Brooks’s conclusion in Text 1?
For cross-text questions asking how one author would view another’s conclusion, first restate in your own words what Author 1 is claiming and on what evidence. Then read Author 2 looking for attitude words and judgment phrases (for example, “weak evidence,” “can arise without,” “overstates,” “confirms”). Ask: Does Author 2 accept the data but reject the inference, completely disagree, or partly agree? Finally, pick the option that matches both the tone (supportive, critical, skeptical) and the specific reasons Author 2 gives, and quickly eliminate any choice that contradicts a concrete detail in the second text or adds outside information not mentioned in either passage.
Hints
Clarify Brooks’s claim first
Look back at Text 1 and summarize what Brooks concludes from the uniform tablets. Is she making a modest or a strong claim about the Kalzu region?
Focus on Takeda’s key phrases
In Text 2, pay special attention to lines like “can arise without central coordination” and “weak evidence for a broader bureaucracy.” What do these phrases show about how convincing Takeda finds Brooks’s interpretation?
Use Takeda’s reasoning to test the choices
Which choice shows that Takeda accepts the basic observations about uniformity but disagrees with the strength or scope of the conclusion? Eliminate options that contradict his specific points about seals and alternative explanations.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify Brooks’s main claim in Text 1
In Text 1, Brooks observes that many tablets share “nearly identical dimensions and shallow guide grooves placed at fixed intervals.” From this, she argues that such a high degree of standardization “indicates a regionwide bureaucratic authority imposing consistent record-keeping formats.” In other words, she takes uniform tablet features as strong evidence for a large, centralized bureaucracy controlling record-keeping across the whole region.
Understand Takeda’s response to that kind of reasoning
In Text 2, Takeda directly addresses the same kind of evidence—uniform tablet sizes and features—but interprets it differently:
- He says “uniform sizes can arise without central coordination”: apprentices imitate dominant workshops, and the way people hold a stylus naturally leads to similar widths.
- He also points out that tablets with official seals “cluster almost entirely at one site,” which suggests local control, not regionwide control.
- He concludes that “dimensional uniformity alone is weak evidence for a broader bureaucracy.”
So Takeda does not deny the uniformity; instead, he challenges Brooks’s strong inference from that uniformity to a regionwide bureaucracy.
Match Takeda’s attitude to the type of evaluation in the choices
Now think about what kind of criticism this is:
- He is not saying the data (uniform tablets) are wrong; he is saying the interpretation that it proves regionwide bureaucracy is too strong.
- He offers alternative explanations (workshop tradition, ergonomics) that could produce the same pattern without central control.
- He explicitly calls the evidence “weak” for a “broader bureaucracy,” which shows he thinks the conclusion goes beyond what the evidence can justify.
That kind of critique corresponds to saying the conclusion is exaggerated or goes too far, rather than fully confirmed or completely impossible.
Select the answer that best captures Takeda’s critique
The only option that accurately reflects Takeda’s view and uses his specific reasoning is:
Correct answer: As overstated, because uniform tablet features can emerge from workshop traditions or practical constraints without implying central enforcement across the region.
This choice says Brooks’s conclusion goes too far (“overstated”) and gives exactly the kinds of alternative explanations that Takeda provides—non-central workshop traditions and practical, physical constraints—showing why uniformity does not necessarily mean a regionwide bureaucracy.