Text 1 Excavations at a coastal site in India revealed a cache of Roman amphorae (jars) from the 1st century CE. Based on these artifacts, archaeologist Ravi Singh concluded that Roman merchant ships must have frequently docked at this specific port. Singh posits that the uniformity of the jars indicates a direct, sustained maritime supply line established by Roman traders specifically for this settlement.
Text 2 Historian Sarah Jenkins warns that the distribution of durable goods like pottery does not strictly map to the movement of the people who made them. She notes that goods often engaged in "down-the-line" exchange, changing hands dozens of times across short distances. Consequently, a Roman jar finding its way to India could be the result of hundreds of small, local transactions across land and sea, rather than evidence of a single Roman ship ever reaching that shore.
Based on the texts, how would Jenkins (Text 2) most likely characterize the conclusion presented by Singh in Text 1?
As valid, because the sheer number of amphorae suggests a volume of trade impossible to achieve through land routes
As plausible, provided that further carbon dating confirms the jars were manufactured in Rome
As speculative, because it assumes a direct presence of traders when indirect exchange networks could explain the artifacts
As erroneous, because Roman shipping technology was not advanced enough to cross the Indian Ocean in the 1st century
Correct Answer: C
Choice C is the best answer. Text 1 concludes that Roman ships visited the port based on the presence of Roman jars. Text 2 argues that goods can travel through "down-the-line" exchange (indirect networks) without the original traders ever visiting the destination. Therefore, Jenkins would view Singh's conclusion as speculative because it fails to account for the indirect trading explanation.
Choice A is incorrect because Jenkins argues against the idea that the artifacts prove a direct link. Choice B is incorrect because Jenkins' objection is about how the jars arrived, not where they were made. Choice D is incorrect because Text 2 does not mention shipping technology capabilities.