A tree's age can be determined by counting the annual growth rings in its trunk. Each ring represents one year, and t...

BenMingov on March 20, 2020

Hi Henleys, thanks for the question!

This is, imo, a very difficult question. The correct answer in this case is very subtle and doesn't feel like it really explains the archaeologist's success.

What is important to note with answer choice C is that if all of the logs contain this exact same sequence in their rings, then it is possible to use this as a reference point to determine the relative age of the tombs by counting the number of rings both before and after this sequence.

However, answer choice D just gives us the extreme age range of the logs used. But this doesn't tell us the relative age of the tombs. Perhaps the youngest tree was used in tomb construction 1000 years ago while the oldest was used only 500 years ago. As we see, the youngest log could be older as a tomb.

Tricky question. My personal approach to questions like this, where the correct answer choice is so weak, is to work by process of elimination and remove all of the certainly incorrect answer choices.

I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions.