Coal is formed when pieces of carbon are subjected to extreme geological pressures over a lengthy period of time. Coal from one Coalmine in India contains certain plant pollen, which scientists claim provides evidence of human contact between Africa and India much earlier in human history than was previously believed. These pollen, which come from a plant only found in Africa, are encapsulated in Coal that is more than ten thousand years old. The pollen, according to scientists, must have originated from plants, which were brought by travellers from Africa to India over ten thousand years ago.

Which one of the following, if true, would most weaken the scientists' claim that this pollen is evidence of earlier human contact?

Question

Multiple choice

Coal is formed when pieces of carbon are subjected to extreme geological pressures over a lengthy period of time. Coal from one Coalmine in India contains certain plant pollen, which scientists claim provides evidence of human contact between Africa and India much earlier in human history than was previously believed. These pollen, which come from a plant only found in Africa, are encapsulated in Coal that is more than ten thousand years old. The pollen, according to scientists, must have originated from plants, which were brought by travellers from Africa to India over ten thousand years ago.

Which one of the following, if true, would most weaken the scientists' claim that this pollen is evidence of earlier human contact?

Any pollen trapped in a Coal would lower the quality of the Coal.
Coal can take ten thousand years to be completely formed.
Carbon is used to date early events regardless of what may be trapped in it.

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Accepted Answer

Fourteen thousand years ago, there were extremely active atmospheric conditions, which caused many types of pollen to be carried in the air far from their native locations.

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