A researcher proposes that a particular Mesoamerican civilization abandoned its largest city primarily because of prolonged drought, rather than because of warfare or political collapse, as some scholars have argued.
Which finding, if true, would most strongly support the researcher's proposal?
- Acheck_circle
Lake-sediment cores from near the city show severe and sustained reductions in rainfall during the decades just before the city was abandoned.
- B
Other Mesoamerican civilizations also experienced periods of decline.
- C
The city's population had grown rapidly in the centuries before its abandonment.
- D
Some monumental buildings in the city were never completed.
Explanation
A provides direct climate-record evidence of severe drought timed to the abandonment, supporting the proposal. B and D are consistent with multiple causes; C is tangential.