Final answer:
The strongest counterclaim to the claim is that countries had been trading globally for centuries before the chronometer, and they would have continued to do so without it. Another counterclaim is that the Industrial Revolution played a greater role in the development of an efficient railway system than the chronometer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The strongest counterclaim to the claim that the marine chronometer is the most historically significant object because it allowed for the rise of global trade is: Countries had been trading globally for centuries before the chronometer, and they would have continued to do so without it.
This counterclaim argues that global trade existed before the invention of the chronometer and would have continued even without its existence. It suggests that other factors, such as already-established trade networks and cultural exchange, played a more significant role in global trade development.
Another counterclaim that weakens the claim is: The Industrial Revolution was a greater factor than the chronometer in the development of an efficient railway system. This counterclaim suggests that the Industrial Revolution had a greater impact on the advancement of transportation and trade systems than the invention of the marine chronometer.
Learn more about counterclaims to the claim about the marine chronometer allowing for the rise of global trade