Question

An archeologist discovers an official-looking seal during an archeological dig. The seal is cylindrical in shape and is much like what a king would use when signing letters. Not long after, the archeologist finds a clay tablet covered in cuneiform script. The archeologist translates the words on the tablet. He discovers that it states a set of laws and rules that the citizens of the civilization must have had to follow.

Based on the passage, what conclusion can be drawn about the civilization?

A.
All ancient civilizations were ruled by kings, and they set the law and rules of the land.
B.
The king of this civilization used pictogram script to write laws and rules on clay tablets.
C.
The civilization didn’t believe in having a single king and was ruled by a group of governors.
D.
The civilization had a functioning government in place that decided the law of the land.

Answer 1

D. The civilization had a functioning government in place that decided the law of the land.

Step-by-step explanation:

The discovery of the official-looking seal and the clay tablet containing the laws which the civilization have to follow shows that they have a functioning government. This means that the society has a leader and they followed a set of rules.

It wasn't clearly stated in the statement whether the head was a king but it mentioned that the seal was much like what a king would use. So we cannot conclude that all civilizations were ruled by kings. This makes choice A incorrect.

Based on the information given, we're not sure whether it was the king who wrote the rules on the clay tablets. This makes choice B incorrect.

The statements above didn't show any evidence that the rulers were governors and not kings, so we cannot assume as well. This makes choice C incorrect.