SAT Reading & Writing · Command of Evidence (textual)
A team analyzing an iridescent glass fragment recovered from a first-century Roman burial proposed that its color resulted from an…
A team analyzing an iridescent glass fragment recovered from a first-century Roman burial proposed that its color resulted from an advanced glazing technique developed by Roman artisans. Which finding, if true, would most directly undermine the proposal?
Answer and explanation
Answer: C: Laboratory tests reproduced the same layered structure by exposing plain, non-iridescent Roman glass to conditions simulating centuries of burial corrosion.
The claim is about origin: did Roman artisans engineer this effect, or did it happen afterward? C directly settles that question by reproducing the identical structure starting from glass that was never special to begin with: if plain glass develops the same layering under simulated burial conditions, the layering can't be evidence of an original artisan technique. A is consistent with a post-burial cause but doesn't rule out an artisan origin on its own. B actually strengthens the "sophisticated technique" reading, since precise, ordered layers sound engineered, which is exactly why it's the tempting wrong answer. D speaks to the vessel's status, not the mechanism behind the color.
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