In Peru, ancient disturbances in the dark surface material of a desert show up as light–colored lines that are the wi...

Emil-Kunkin on August 28, 2022

Hi Jing Jing,

This is a strange passage, and since this is 27 years old, I would be somewhat surprised to see this weird of a question appear on a modern test.

The passage sets out describing sets of lines, some in a bird shape, others emanating from a central point, and then tell sus that one person thinks these are landing strips for spacecraft, as the Inca would not have had any obvious use for such lines as roads.

This is clearly insane. However, we are not asked to weaken the insane view, but rather to strengthen a new position (the lines served some sort of astronomical purpose) against a specific line of attack, that the bird pattern and the hub/spoke pattern are unrelated.

So, we are looking to find something that strengthens ther idea that the two line patterns are related, and in a way that relates to astronomy in some way.

My immediate guess would be that the lines serve as a large calendar (like stonehenge or similar large monuments that track the time of year with the sun's position), and the bird was a symbol related to that calendar that the ancient Peruvians found meaningful. In this case, the lines would serve a role as a monumental, ritual, and observatory center.

If we look at the answer choices, B is a good fit for this. It links the bird to the hub/spoke, and it relates to astronomy.