Historian: The early Egyptian pharaohs spent as much wealth on largely ceremonial and hugely impressive architecture ...

Victoria on July 24, 2020

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The historian concludes that early Egyptian expenditures on largely ceremonial and hugely impressive architecture were not merely frivolous.

Why? Because this architecture made people realize the extent of their pharaoh's mastery over the physical world. This meant that their loyalty could be maintained without military coercion.

We are looking for the role that the claim that early Egyptian expenditure on largely ceremonial architecture was not frivolous plays in the historian's argument. As we can see from mapping out the argument above, it is the conclusion of the passage.

Answer choice (A) is the only answer choice which suggests that this claim is the conclusion of the passage. Therefore, it is likely that this is the correct answer but let's double check.

Answer choice (B) is incorrect because the claim that Egyptian pharaohs spent as much on ceremonial architecture as they did on roads and irrigation systems does not support the claim that this choice was not frivolous. These expenditures are a fact which the historian attempts to justify by the passage's conclusion.

Answer choice (C) is incorrect because it is the reverse of what is occurring. The claim that the loyalty of people under a pharaoh's rule was maintained over time without reliance on military force is used to support the conclusion that the expenditures were not frivolous. In other words, the expenditures were not frivolous because the pharaoh did not have to rely on military force.

Answer choice (D) is incorrect because it is too broad. The historian is only discussing early Egyptian societies, not making generalizations about social and political stability.

Answer choice (E) is incorrect because the passage doesn't tell us whether these structures have military utility. We know that they have political utility; therefore, they cannot only have military utility. Additionally, we do not know whether resources were scarce in early Egyptian societies.

Therefore, answer choice (A) is the correct answer.

Hope this is helpful! Please let us know if you have any further questions.